Trying to unravel the knotted webs of Cleopatra’s family drama is a Herculean task. The Ptolemaic Dynasty was not just about ruling the land of the Nile—it was about keeping their family tree nice and circular by marrying their siblings. Cleopatra VII, the queen we all know and whose mystique continues right on to today, came from a family so tangled that historians need flowcharts just to keep the players straight. Her siblings weren’t just family—they were also frenemies, co-rulers, and, occasionally, barely tolerated spouses. The fact is, no one is even quite sure how many siblings there actually were in Cleopatra’s generation. Here we’ll take a look at the ones we know (or think we know) about.Cleopatra here is Cleopatra VII, the Cleopatra.[...]
Nearly five years ago, when the question of Cleopatra's genetic background came up, I pulled together all the available, rather ambiguous, evidence here. The current article goes into her family background in even greater detail. That does not make things less complicated.
Gal Gadot's Cleopatra movie is still not out, but as of this summer she says it's still on.
For many other PaleoJudaica posts on Cleopatra VII, who reportedly spoke Hebrew and Aramaic, start here and follow the links.
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