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Review
| The Reign of Cleopatra, by Stanley M. Burstein. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2004. 216 pages. $45.00, cloth.
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| Alongside Alexander the Great, Cleopatra VII was one of the most controversial political figures in the Greco-Roman world. In both instances, positive and negative images of their personalities and accomplishments began in their own lifetimes. Stanley M. Burstein attempts to disentangle fact from fiction in this biography of the Egyptian queen, "the last and, in many ways, the most remarkable of the successors" of the Macedonian conqueror. In a succinct narrative, he discusses the Ptolemaic background, Cleopatra's life and accomplishments, the administration of Egypt, and Egyptian social and Alexandrian intellectual history. As queen, Cleopatra's goal was twofold: to avoid the humiliation endured by her father Ptolemy XII and to restore Egypt to its 3rd century BCE greatness. As this could only be done with Roman support, the queen entered into alliances with the Dictator Caesar and the Triumvir Mark Antony, alliances cemented with the closest personal ties. Burstein makes it clear that the Romans were the senior partners and that Cleopatra ruled at their pleasure, but her financial resources made her indispensable, certainly to Antony who, long before he met Cleopatra, had been drawn to strong willed women. While granting that Cleopatra's role as a lover of Roman leaders (her earlier seduction of Gnaeus Pompey is not mentioned) is not negligible, the author is at pains to emphasize that her other roles of mother and queen are more important. In these roles, Cleopatra was calculating and ruthless. |
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The Egyptian queen was never merely the sexual predator that our ancient sources would have us believe. She played for an important stake in the world of her day. However, after the defeat of Actium, which Burstein argues was not her fault, it was clear that she had gambled and lost. History, we are often reminded, is written by the victors, and Cleopatra's reputation suffered accordingly. While for Augustus, it was important that his defeated foe seem formidable, his successors soon created the image of Cleopatra that is familiar to us from the sources and from popular culture (e.g., Elizabeth Taylor in Lucan's Pharsalia to celluloid acres). And yet, as our author acutely points out, symbols change over the years to meet the new needs of different audiences. Consequently, Cleopatra has now become a positive symbol for Egyptians, Arabs, feminists, African Americans, and others who see themselves as victims of the established order. |
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Can a "truthful" biography of such a controversial individual as Cleopatra ever be written? Knowing the biases of the sources, Burstein puts his faith in archaeological discoveries for providing the historian with the best evidence with which to write an objective account, and the present work makes effective use of inscriptions from petitions through decrees, including one signed by Cleopatra herself. Besides access to new archaeological evidence, another advantage a modern historian has is a greater awareness of social and economic issues. Ancient historians, with a few exceptions like Plutarch who did not consider himself a historian, concerned themselves almost exclusively with political and military matters. Burstein's interest in social history is evident in his excellent chapters describing Egypt and especially Alexandria with its polyglot population of Egyptians, Jews, and Greeks. In a book of this nature, the author can only touch on what life must have been like in the most general terms. Nevertheless, he marshals a wide range of sources to bring the volatile city alive. If all the talk of multiculturalism seems a bit strained, the author serves to remind us that multiculturalism and social segregation can and do exist side by side. |
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The Reign of Cleopatra is part of Greenwood Press' Guides to Historic Events of the Ancient World series, which has a mandate to be a "library in a book." Hence, The Reign of Cleopatra has a chronology of events and a narrative followed by brief biographies of significant figures and deities surrounding the queen (which are very useful for showing that Cleopatra could draw on a number of strong willed Ptolemaic women as role models). Further, if a student reader wished to write a paper on this subject, he/she would be gratified to find a good selection of primary documents of both literary sources and inscriptions, a glossary, notes (of interest to more than just the student), an annotated bibliography including web sites, and an index. There are also maps and illustrations. Well-written and level headed, this biography will be of interest to high school students and lower-level undergraduates. It should be an important acquisition for high school and college libraries. |
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| California State University, Northridge |
Frank L. Vatai |
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