The Cleopatras

Cleopatra: lover, seductress, and Egypt's greatest queen.

A woman more myth than history, immortalised in poetry, drama, music, art, and film.

She captivated Julius Caesar and Marc Antony, the two greatest Romans of the day, and died in a blaze of glory, with an asp clasped to her breast — or so the legend tells us.

But the real-life story of the historical Cleopatra VII is even more compelling. She was the last of seven Cleopatras who ruled Egypt before it was subsumed into the Roman Empire. The seven Cleopatras were the powerhouses of the Ptolemaic Dynasty, the Macedonian family who ruled Egypt after Alexander the Great. Emulating the practices of the gods, the Cleopatras married their full-blood brothers and dominated the normally patriarchal world of politics and warfare. These extraordinary women kept a close grip on power in the wealthiest country of the ancient world.

Each of the seven Cleopatras wielded absolute power. Their ruthless, single-minded focus on dominance — generation after generation — resulted in extraordinary acts of betrayal, violence, and murder in the most dysfunctional dynasty in history.

Praise for The Cleopatras:

A great storyteller with an eye for detail, a vivid prose style, and a penchant for pop culture. — BARRY STRAUSS

A real treat for those who relish epic histories of family power — SIMON SEBAG MONTEFIORE

Admirably readable — ROBIN LANE FOX

Unlocks the fascinating history of many queens — KARA COONEY

A vivid account — ADRIAN DODSON