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Volume 13 issue 6 June 2013

ANCIENT EGYPT explores the WORLD WIDE WEB ...

THE DEATH OF ANTONY & CLEOPATRA

 This month’s NETFISHING continues its look at the history of Egypt by seeing what the World Wide Web has to say about the final defeat and death of Mark Antony & Queen Cleopatra VII.

The opposing forces of OCTAVIAN and ANTONY & CLEOPATRA met, at sea, on 2nd September 31 BC when, as history records, the battle of Actium was lost when Antony abandoned his forces and followed Cleopatra back to Egypt. Sensing defeat, this may have been the expedient course of action for Antony (who hoped to gather new forces and fight again), but it permanently damaged both his reputation as a warrior and the confidence of his remaining forces.

More recent research has shown that the original battle plan could have won the battle, as, like Nelson, centuries later, Antony and Cleopatra had intended to cut the line of the Roman fleet and engage the Roman flagship in battle. Unfortunately, at the decisive moment, it appears the wind failed leaving the attacking Egyptian fleet at the mercy of the oar-powered Roman vessels. Mark Antony’s outstanding military reputation for victory was destroyed by his failure to defeat Octavian in battle at Actium. Refer:

http://www.unrv.com/fall-republic/war-octavian-antony.php

http://www.unrv.com/fall-republic/actium.php

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/cleopatra-commits-suicide

Unable to gather new forces Antony awaited his fate, as his troops deserted him and joined the forces of Octavian. On 1st August 30 BC, Octavian finally entered Alexandria. Believing Cleopatra VII dead, and with no army, Mark Antony attempted suicide, but failed, and was taken to Cleopatra, where he died in her embrace. Cleopatra became the prisoner of Octavian. She had sent her son, PTOLEMY XV Caesarion, away from Egypt to escape, but he was captured and executed by Octavian. Refer:

PTOLEMY XV Caesarion: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caesarion

http://www.tyndalehouse.com/egypt/ptolemies/ptolemy_xv.htm

http://www.digitalegypt.ucl.ac.uk/chronology/ptolemyxv.html

http://www.livius.org/ps-pz/ptolemies/ptolemy_xv_caesarion.html

http://virtualreligion.net/iho/ptolemy_15.html

The murder of her son may have been the decisive factor in causing Queen Cleopatra to commit suicide, for she would have had no wish to be paraded in Octavian’s ‘triumph’ back in Rome, and be ritually strangled before a baying Roman mob – the normal fate of the defeated ‘enemies of Rome’. Quite how she died is still the subject of some debate, but the bite of an asp still appears the most likely method. This would be fitting, as the ‘asp’ was actually a smaller species of the Egyptian cobra, the embodiment of the Egyptian goddess Wadjet. So it could be said that the Egyptian goddess was performing one last service for the final ruler of Egypt, by saving her from humiliation and death at the hands of her enemies.

Cleopatra, the last of Queen of Egypt, committed suicide on 12th August 30 BC and Octavian became the sole ruler of Egypt. The events of her death were recorded by her doctor, OLYMPUS, who examined her body and questioned her guards after being summoned by Octavian to see if the Queen could be revived. It is clear that Octavian suspected Cleopatra would try to kill herself rather than be taken captive to Rome, but her death, in Egypt, made it easier for him personally to lay claim to both her treasury and her land. Nevertheless, Octavian honoured Cleopatra’s last request and she was buried beside her beloved Antony, in Alexandria, in a location now lost to us. Their tomb may now indeed be beneath the sea. Refer:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleopatra

http://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/miscellanea/cleopatra/rixens.html

http://www.examiner.com/article/the-death-of-cleopatra-and-mark-antony

http://news.discovery.com/history/ancient-egypt/cleopatra-poison-death.htm

http://nobodysangel191.tripod.com/ancient_egypt/id22.html

http://www.ancientegyptonline.co.uk/Cleopatra-death.html

http://www.stephaniedray.com/2010/07/05/how-did-cleopatra-really-die/

Olympus, Cleopatra’s doctor, eventually returned to Greece where he married into a family called Plutarch. His diaries, left in the family library, were used many years later by the famous historian PLUTARCH, who consulted them in preparing his work Life of Antony. This, in turn, was used as the basis for the ending of the fabulous 1963 film Cleopatra, staring Elizabeth Taylor. Whilst much of that film is incorrect, the final sequence, the death scene of Cleopatra, is based on Plutarch’s work (and the records of her doctor Olympus):

“One of the guards cried angrily ‘Charmian, is this well done?’ And the woman answered, ‘Very well done, and befitting a princess descended from so many noble kings.’ ”

So when you next watch that film remember the ending is based on historical records and spare a thought for the last Queen of Egypt, a remarkable woman, whose life has echoed down the centuries to us today. We hope she is finally at rest with her beloved Antony.

Victor Blunden

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