What Ethnicity is Cleopatra?
From 51 to 30 BC, Cleopatra VII Philopator served as the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt’s last active monarch. She was born in 69 BC and died on August 10, 30 BC. She belonged to the Ptolemaic dynasty and was a direct descendant of Ptolemy I Soter, an Alexander the Great buddy and Macedonian Greek general….
From 51 to 30 BC, Cleopatra VII Philopator served as the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt’s last active monarch. She was born in 69 BC and died on August 10, 30 BC. She belonged to the Ptolemaic dynasty and was a direct descendant of Ptolemy I Soter, an Alexander the Great buddy and Macedonian Greek general. Egypt became a province of the Roman Empire after Cleopatra’s death, bringing to an end the second-to-last Hellenistic kingdom and the period that had spanned from the rule of Alexander (336–323 BC). She was the only Ptolemaic monarch to study Egyptian; her original tongue was Koine Greek.
When Ptolemy XII Auletes was forced into exile to Rome in 58 BC due to an uprising in Egypt (a Roman client state), his rival daughter Berenice IV succeeded to the throne. Cleopatra is thought to have traveled with her father during this time.
When Ptolemy returned to Egypt in 55 BC with help from the Roman forces, Berenice was slain.
What Ethnicity is Cleopatra?
Greeks made up the majority of the ruling class in Alexandria, including Cleopatra, who was descended from the general Ptolemy I Soter of Alexander the Great. They would have distinguished themselves from the predominantly Egyptian population by speaking Greek and adhering to Greek customs.
