As featured on Sloto Magazine Summer 2021
Cleopatra is one of the immortal figures in world history. She remains one of the first few female rulers in the world, along with Kubaba (Queen of Sumer) and a handful of powerful women that ruled in Egypt prior to Cleopatra’s time.
Fun Fact #1
Cleopatra was actually Cleopatra VII. We rarely talk about the other six Cleopatras, which include the original Cleopatra, who was Alexander the Great’s sister.
Fun Fact #2
She is famous for having liaisons with powerful Roman men like Caesar and Marcus Antonius. But don’t think she was seduced by these influential men; on the contrary, Cleopatra was an important and powerful woman whose clever power politics may have contributed in her relationships with these men.
Fun Fact #3
Cleopatra was in Rome at the time of Caesar’s assassination.
Fun Fact #4
Cleopatra was not just a savvy ruler but also a writer. She wrote a treatise titled ‘Cosmetics’, but it wasn’t something like a Cosmo article about makeup; it was a book with medical remedies for conditions such as dandruff and hair loss.
Fun Fact #5
Cleopatra made a bet against Marcus Antonius, when she boasted that she could host the most expensive dinner in history. To win the bet, she simply took one of the pearls from her earrings and dissolved it in a glass of vinegar and wine, before gulping it down!
Fun Fact #6
The Egyptian Queen is often depicted in film and art as a beautiful woman, but reports from her contemporaries state that her looks were not particularly striking. However, she is said to be a great conversationalist and had a great character which gave her presence an irresistible charm.
