Scan barcode
A review by mahiyaa
Cleopatra: Last Queen of Egypt by Joyce A. Tyldesley
informative
fast-paced
5.0
I absolutely loved reading this book. It isn't terribly long, and is definitely a good starting point for people who don't have a strong background in Egyptian history, or Cleopatra's life, but want to start somewhere.
The book focuses less on being a traditional biography of Cleopatra's life (a feat that might be impossible seeing how little we know of her & the lack of largely unbiased sources), but is rather a reframing & contextualization of the politics and cultures she was a part of. Through this, we get a glimpse of Cleopatra's life that is less reliant on the western lens. Subjects like Cleopatra's ethnicity, what she looked like, her reputation as a foreign seductress and villain to Rome (and her status as a Mother-God in Egypt) are discussed against the background of the Egyptian culture and Ptolemic propaganda of the time, as well as Plutarch & Diomedes' accounts, plus her Western legacy in general.
All in all, an amazing read for people who want to examine Cleopatra as a politician and ruler, whether you've read heavy-languaged history books before or not!
The book focuses less on being a traditional biography of Cleopatra's life (a feat that might be impossible seeing how little we know of her & the lack of largely unbiased sources), but is rather a reframing & contextualization of the politics and cultures she was a part of. Through this, we get a glimpse of Cleopatra's life that is less reliant on the western lens. Subjects like Cleopatra's ethnicity, what she looked like, her reputation as a foreign seductress and villain to Rome (and her status as a Mother-God in Egypt) are discussed against the background of the Egyptian culture and Ptolemic propaganda of the time, as well as Plutarch & Diomedes' accounts, plus her Western legacy in general.
All in all, an amazing read for people who want to examine Cleopatra as a politician and ruler, whether you've read heavy-languaged history books before or not!