Cover image for Cleopatra : a life
Cleopatra : a life
Title:
Cleopatra : a life
Author:
Schiff, Stacy.
Personal Author:
Edition:
First edition.
Publication Information:
New York : Little, Brown and Co., [2010]

©2010
Physical Description:
viii, 368 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
Summary:
Her palace shimmered with onyx, garnet, and gold, but was richer still in political and sexual intrigue. Above all else, Cleopatra was a shrewd strategist and an ingenious negotiator. She was married twice, each time to a brother. She waged a brutal civil war against the first when both were teenagers. She poisoned the second. Ultimately she dispensed with an ambitious sister as well; incest and assassination were family specialties. Cleopatra appears to have had sex with only two men. They happen, however, to have been Julius Caesar and- Mark Anthony, among the most prominent Romans of the day. Both were married to other women. Cleopatra had a child with Caesar and- after his murder- three more with his protege. Already she was the wealthiest ruler in the Mediterranean; the relationship with Anthony confirmed her status as the most influential woman of her age. The two would together attempt to forge a new empire, in an alliance that spelled their ends. Cleopatra has lodged herself in our imagination ever since. -- From Book Jacket

The Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer brings to life one of the most intriguing woman in the history of the world: Cleopatra, the last queen of Egypt. Though her life spanned fewer than 40 years, it reshaped the contours of the ancient world.
Language:
English
Contents:
Introduction: That Egyptian woman -- Dead men don't bite -- Cleopatra captures the old man by magic -- The golden age never was the present age -- Man is by nature a political creature -- We must often shift the sails when we wish to arrive in port -- An object of gossip for the whole world -- Illicit affairs and bastard children -- The wickedest woman in history.
ISBN:
9781611297195

9780316001922
Format :
Book