Meggie Macdonald

Continuing excavations in Egypt have head to the identification of three sites with the potential of housing the remains of two of the most famous lovers in history:  the Egyptian Pharaoh Cleopatra, and the Roman General and triumvir Marc Antony. 

An article from The Toronto Star seems to be caught between reporting on plans for archaeological work and discussing the aesthetic value of one of ancient history’s most beguiling figures. 

The three sites are all near Alexandria, the Ptolemaic capitol of Egypt, and home of the famous Library where Cleopatra and Antony committed suicide following their defeat at Actium by the future Roman emperor Augustus in 31BC. 

The issue of the Pharaoh Queen’s beauty is and will continue to be hotly contested.  Coins from the period show a rather mannish profile, which some suggest accurately reflected Cleopatra’s looks.  Others, more rightly so in the opinion of this writer, suggest that the coinage profile took on the attributes of the Ptolemaic dynasty to lend legitimacy to each ruler.  Thus, if you consider all the coins available showing the face of any Ptolemy, you will likely note that they are all very similar.  Ptolemy I was a Macedonian general under Alexander the Great who took Egypt as his kingdom and took the name of Pharaoh after Alexander’s death in 323BC.  Cleopatra bears a truly remarkably resemblance to the first Macedonian Pharaoh, with physical characteristics that were unlikely to have been purely genetic.

This writer is much more interested to see what the Egyptian digs unearth, particularly if the body of Marc Antony is conclusively identified.  Neither Antony nor Cleopatra will likely be anything like what anyone expects, but they will certainly still be the great lovers who faced oblivion rather than slavery to Rome.