All language subtitles for Ancient.Empires.S01E03.Cleopatra.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP2.0.H.264-NTb_track3_[eng]

Let us go. It's time.

You're sure?

There'll be no going back.

I'm sure.

We present you
Ptolemy Caesar,

king of kings
and the one and only heir

to the late
Julius Caesar.

The one and only heir.

Cleopatra
is one of those

enigmatic figures in history.

PATRICK The image that
most people have of Cleopatra

today is entirely
a product of popular culture.

Cleopatra's reputation
has been sullied by the Romans.

They wanted to portray her
as an arch-villain.

A whore
who slept her way to the top.

A sexually
wanting female fatale.

Today we are seeing
a more empathetic view

of Cleopatra,
simply striving for survival.

Cleopatra
is always willing to do

anything to stay in power.

To kill her siblings,
whatever it takes.

She can see
the entire chess board

and when she's outta moves,
she makes up moves.

In an age
where men dominated the world,

she outsmarted them all.

Ha!

Egypt.

Once among the most powerful
kingdoms on Earth,

is recovering from turmoil.

Six years earlier,

a bloody coup...

Sent Egypt's
King Ptolemy Auletes

and his young daughter
Cleopatra into exile in Rome.

But now with the help
of Roman soldiers,

they return in triumph.

By Cleopatra's time, Egypt
already has a very long history.

Several thousand years
of rule by Pharaohs,

a brief period of Persian rule.

And then in 332 B.C.,
Alexander the Great

comes to liberate
Egypt from the Persians.

When he dies,
his general Ptolemy

takes over in Egypt and thus
begins Ptolemaic dynasty.

These are
Macedonian Greeks

who passed themselves off
as the heirs

to Alexander the Great

whom they're
not really related.

And as Pharaohs, which
they are not really either,

but they've
established themselves

as the legitimate
rulers of Egypt.

While
the Ptolemys control

the rich kingdom of Egypt,

the military superpower
of the ancient world

is now Rome.

And it's thanks to Rome that
Auletes seizes back his crown.

He immediately takes revenge
on the uprising's leader...

His eldest daughter, Berenice.

The greatest tradition
of the Ptolemaic royal family

is rivalry and assassination,
plotting, coups.

This goes back all the way
to the very beginning

of the Ptolemaic dynasty.

Look away if you wish.

Auletes' deals
with his usurping daughter,

Berenice,
in classic Ptolemy style.

It's like a real life
Game of Thrones

with the Ptolemys.

They seem to constantly
be killing each other.

Cleopatra
grows up knowing

that her other family
members at any point in time

could slip a dagger
into her back.

This is a nest of vipers.

And she's going to survive
in that environment

and she's going
to need to be willing

to do those things
herself as well.

With Berenice's execution,

14 year old Cleopatra becomes
her father's oldest child

and the future ruler of Egypt.

We know
really almost nothing

about Cleopatra's mother.

She may have been killed
by Cleopatra's older sister,

Berenice,
when she came to power.

Cleopatra's
Father Auletes

looks to Cleopatra
to continue the family line.

It is Cleopatra
that is serving as his protege.

Everything that
he's worked for as king,

all of it is invested
in Cleopatra

and making sure that she comes
to power in a secure Egypt.

At this point in time,

Egypt was filled
with natural resources

and precious materials.

It was known as the bread
basket of the ancient world.

It alone produces
more grain than it consumes.

It can feed Rome,
it can also starve Rome.

The Ptolemys are
ruling Egypt from Alexandria

in the westernmost
part of the country.

Economically,
it is the center

of a great trade network funneling

not only the agricultural
product of Egypt,

but also luxury products
coming from further east

and the coffers
of the government are increasing

exponentially with all
of that mercantile activity.

Culturally, Alexandria
is the be all and end all.

The Ptolemys brought scholars,
men of letters, physicians.

So the city
of Alexandria shapes Cleopatra.

Cleopatra
learns everything

she can get her hands on.

Art and science,
oratory, mathematics.

But far more important,

is that she knows
nine languages.

Those nine languages
include Ancient Egyptian,

which believe it or not,
none of the Ptolemys

had known before.

We don't know exactly
what ethnicity Cleopatra had.

The Ptolemys
were Macedonian Greek,

so it's very likely that
Cleopatra was mostly Greek.

That being said,
there are some interesting gaps

in the family tree,
especially on her mother's side,

in which some Egyptians
could have intermarried

with the family,
but we really can't be sure.

In 51 B.C.,

four years
after taking back his throne,

Cleopatra's father
dies of natural causes.

And at age 18,
she becomes queen of Egypt.

But as a woman,
she cannot rule alone.

In Auletes will,
he places Cleopatra

as co-regent with Theos,

her younger brother
who's only ten years old.

Cleopatra
will take Theos as her husband.

Sibling marriage
in ancient Egypt

goes all the way back
to the beginning of time.

You have the myth of god Osiris

who marries
his sister wife, Isis.

Sibling marriage
is not something

that was ever practiced
in among Greek Macedonians.

So the idea seems
to enter the Ptolemaic history

'cause they have pulled it
from mythology.

The assumption
in this case

was that because
Cleopatra's co-ruler

was so much younger
than she was,

that Cleopatra would
be the dominant partner

in that relationship.

Cleopatra
sees her brother's young age

as a chance
to grow her own power,

but she's not alone.

Theos attracts others
looking to elevate their status.

His advisor, Pothinus,
and Sister, Arsinoe.

Arsinoe
plays this shadowy role.

She seems to be a supporter
of the faction of Theos.

And so throughout
the beginning of the reign,

Cleopatra
has to look at Arsinoe

as a potential threat
to her throne.

Majesty, please relax with us.

Mm-hmm.
Thank you, Pothinus.

And what is the source
of your new found generosity?

Majesty,
should we remind your sister

what happens to Queens
who try to upstage

their male consorts?

As a student
of our history, she should know.

The same fate
as advisors who mistake

the king's power for their own.

Pothinus
can be regarded

as a kind of a sinister force
behind the throne.

He has personal ambition

and he tries to position Theos
to become the leader

by suppressing the power
and aspirations of Cleopatra.

There's a tremendous amount
of wealth and manpower

available to anyone
who could take control of Egypt.

Cleopatra has
already shown inclinations

to act on her own behalf.

This minimizes
the influence of those elite

that make up
the inner circle of Alexandria.

Cleopatra's drive
for autonomy is very risky.

Consider that
the last four Ptolemaic Queens

who wanted sole rule
were killed for it.

As a way to build
influence beyond Alexandria,

Cleopatra goes where few
Ptolemys have been before.

She travels 400 miles
into Egypt's hinterland...

to lead
a sacred procession.

Cleopatra
is a kind of chameleon

who is able to move very easily

between the Egyptian
and Greek worlds.

Alexandria
is a largely Greek city,

and so it was very different
from the rest of Egypt

where people spoke Egyptian
and were following

ancient Egyptian traditions that
had been around for millennia.

Cleopatra's siblings
tended to focus

all of their energy
on guarding the support

of the Alexandrian elite.

Cleopatra, however,
is also interested in gaining

support of the wider
Egyptian population.

One of the first things
that Cleopatra does,

she institutes and enthrones,

the new Buchis bull,

the incarnation
of the creator god Ptah,

and a very, very important
religious ceremony.

I adore your majesty
and praise your soul.

Oh, great god,
Self-created.

Cleopatra
identifies herself

with the Egyptian goddess Isis,

who is the goddess of fertility,
of magic and of nature.

And by doing this,
she's making herself

more popular with the Egyptians

and she's seeking
to legitimize her rule.

Is she doing this
because she's actually

really interested
in these religious ceremonies

or is she doing this
just to be seen

by the Egyptian population?

That's anyone's guess.

Cleopatra's
main objective is to remain

the sole leader of her country.

Each one of her moves
is calculated

to ensure that she achieves
that objective.

Being the sole
and only ruler of Egypt.

Fueled
by her popularity in the south,

Cleopatra jostles for power

with her brother
for the next two years.

Cleopatra
wants to be the sole ruler

and the only way
that she can do this

is by pushing her brother
into the background.

She alone is signing petitions.

She alone is putting
her signature on documents

and she also has coins
that are made

in her own image to the point
where people wonder

if there happens to be another
ruler alongside Cleopatra.

Her actions only sharpen

her rivalry with her brother.

The Ptolemys
are always trying

to plot against
and kill one another.

If you're going to survive,

you need to be
constantly on your guard,

not just against
a threat of an external coup,

but against
your own family members.

In 49 B.C.,
Theos and his faction

make a move to get rid
of Cleopatra once and for all.

In Alexandria,
there was a significant portion

of the population
that were against Cleopatra

and the proof of the pudding
is Theos is successful

in driving Cleopatra
physically out of Alexandria.

Cleopatra flees
to the Sinai

where she tries
to raise an army.

But she's held back
by her brother's forces.

And it looks like
any attempt to retake

Alexandra will be thwarted.

Cleopatra's
extremely vulnerable.

She's in the middle
of the desert

and really
she has very few options.

We can't wait any longer.
We must withdraw.

Flee?
Survive.

You are popular in the south.

We can raise
another army in time.

I need one now.

Cleopatra
knows just where to turn.

Her father's former ally, Rome.

As an 11 year old in exile,
Cleopatra witnessed

her father cut a deal
with Rome's greatest general.

Welcome, Auletes.

Magnus or Pompey the Great

is Rome's premier general.

He has conducted many
successful military campaigns

and he is emerging
as one of the most powerful men

in the ancient world.

Auletes promises
Pompey the equivalent

to about three and a half
billion dollars today.

And in return, Pompey promises
10,000 Roman mercenaries

to help Auletes
take back his kingdom.

Cleopatra
learns from her father

that Rome can be bought,

but she also learns
about the power of Rome

and its ability
to protect the dynasty

and protect
the throne in Egypt.

Like her father,
Cleopatra asks Pompey for help,

but now he has problems
of his own.

As Cleopatra clashes
with her brother in Egypt,

Pompey has found himself
on the losing side

in a civil war
with Julius Caesar.

Pompey goes
to Egypt looking for help

from his Egyptian allies.

But as soon
as he steps foot on shore,

Cleopatra's brother Theos and
his advisors have him killed.

Four days
after Pompey's murder,

Caesar follows
his rival to Egypt.

Theos hoping to carry favor

with the victor
has a strange gift for him.

And Julius Caesar
is revolted

because Pompey
was a noble Roman

who did not deserve
to be butchered

like a sacrificial animal.

At the time that
Caesar appears in Alexandria,

Cleopatra has miles
of burning desert behind her.

She has no food,
no water,

and her enemies want
to take her head off.

On the other hand,
my sense of Cleopatra

is that she's
constantly thinking,

constantly coming up with ideas
to ensure her survival.

Despite the risk,

Cleopatra decides
to meet with Caesar in person.

I'm going to Alexandria.

Your majesty. Please.

Send an emissary.

I am my best ambassador.

Cleopatra makes
a calculation

that if she wants
to get Caesar on her side,

she has to go to him directly

and she has to show him
that she is going to be

a better partner
than her younger brother Theos.

Cleopatra
is 200 miles behind enemy lines.

She needs to get
to Caesar in the palace

and she needs
to do it undetected.

She decides that she's gonna
take the small canals

of the delta and find
her way into the harbor

of Alexandria
and do so surreptitiously

in a small boat.

It has to be remembered
Cleopatra is an outlaw.

She could be killed,
so it's a huge gamble for her.

Cleopatra
gets a trusted servant

who puts her in a bundle
of dirty laundry

and convinces the guards
that he's on his way

to wash the laundry.

She doesn't try
to come in with an army.

She's coming in
in a pile of laundry.

I mean, it's brilliant.

Cleopatra's decision
to meet Caesar in person

says a lot about the confidence
that she has in herself.

If she can get
into a room with someone,

she can convince them
of whatever she wants.

Please, Caesar,
I just want to talk.

Leave us.

Rome is dependent
on Egypt for food.

Egypt is itself
incredibly wealthy,

and Caesar knows
that stabilizing Egypt

is going
to be necessary.

He can't simply come back
to Rome and leave Egypt

in the midst of the Civil War
between brother and sister.

My father was a trusted
and generous partner of Rome.

He gave much gold and grain
and I promise to do the same.

What about your brother?

Put us both on the throne...

under your protection.

And I can ensure we both
respect the power of Rome.

You will have no choice.

One of Cleopatra's
great strengths

is that she is a brilliant
political tactician.

She knows that Caesar
is depleted

because of the civil wars
that he's fought.

Cleopatra's going
to offer him the money

and the goods
and the riches of Egypt,

and she will be somebody
that he can depend on.

Caesar agrees
to put Cleopatra

and her brother Theos
on the throne as co-rulers.

Caesar has the authority
to do this because Auletes

listed the state of Rome
as the executor of his will.

And now with Pompey gone,
Caesar thinks that he is Rome.

The establishment
by Julius Caesar of Cleopatra

and Theos is not acceptable
to Theos and his faction.

Because there is resentment
that a foreigner in the form

of Caesar is trying
to control the affairs of Egypt.

And resentment
grows into a grudge,

grows into opposition,
eventually grows

into an open revolt,
and that leads to open warfare.

Within days,
a 20,000 strong armed mob

loyal to Theos rises up.

Outnumbering Caesar's forces
by five to one,

they trap him in the royal
palace with Cleopatra.

Caesar has
4,000 battle weary troops.

It's safe to say
that he probably thought

he was on a bit of a whistle
stop tour through Egypt.

He was going to take Pompey
and go back to Rome

and none of this is turning
out the way that he expected.

At this point,
Cleopatra's sister, Arsinoe,

joins the Alexandrian side

and becomes the leader
of that faction.

Arsinoe's attack
on the palace represents

a serious level of threat.

She poisons their water supply.

She launches naval assaults.

Caesar tries to reassure
his men that reinforcements

are on their way,
but the truth is

neither he nor Cleopatra
can say when they're coming.

Go now!

They're outnumbered.
Time is running out.

And if the palace falls,
they will die.

As Arsinoe's
forces trap Cleopatra

and Caesar
inside the royal palace--

Let me in.

Cleopatra
tries to break the deadlock.

Caesar and Cleopatra
are running short of options.

But they do think
they hold one trump card

and this is Theos
who is still under guard

in the palace
under their care.

Caesar and Cleopatra
agree to allow Theos

to leave the palace
with the assurance

that he will ask
the Alexandrians to stand down.

Of course, he instead
foments the rebellion even more.

One might think that
this is a plan that backfired,

but it shows
Cleopatra's political acumen.

She's doing it
so that Caesar can see

that Theos is definitely
not to be trusted.

After a grueling
six month siege,

Caesar's reinforcements
finally reach Alexandria.

Caesar's troops sally fourth
from the Royal Palace,

defeat the Alexandrian troops
with the help of their allies

and lift
the siege of Alexandria.

Theos reportedly tries to escape

and his boat
capsizes and he drowns.

Although his body
is never found,

there is of course
a theory that Caesar

or Cleopatra's men
had him killed.

The death
of Cleopatra's brother, Theos

removes an important obstacle

in Cleopatra's way
for sole rule.

It also removes Arsinoe

because she is captured
by Caesar and sent to Rome.

Egypt has truly
fallen under Caesar's thumb.

The people will blame you.

Would you prefer to stay here?

I could have you
executed immediately.

Cleopatra is now queen of Egypt.

She gains more through personal
relationships and diplomacy

than she ever could
on the battlefield.

This is her superpower.

Somebody who can basically

will what she wants
to happen politically.

Cleopatra would like
to be the sole ruler of Egypt,

but alas,
she has another brother.

So Caesar installs
her next brother, Ptolemy XIV,

at this time about 11 years old,
as her co-ruler

to uphold the tradition
of the Ptolemaic dynasty.

Cleopatra's greatest
risk now comes from the man

who helped her get back
to the throne: Julius Caesar.

They've made a powerful
alliance, but at the same time

she recognizes that
that power could be taken

quickly away if Julius Caesar
turns against her.

To keep Caesar on her side,

Cleopatra takes
a calculated risk.

While it might seem
to Cleopatra's advantage

to have Caesar
make a hasty exit from Egypt,

she invites Caesar on a cruise
up the Nile

to see the interior of Egypt.

For Cleopatra,
the trip down the Nile

is a key piece of propaganda.

So this shows everybody that
she has the protection of Rome

and that she is now
the ultimate ruler of Egypt.

Caesar knows that if he wanted

to conquer Egypt he could,

but he's still
consolidating his power

after this bruising civil war.

And it's really useful for him
to have an ally in charge

of Egypt who he knows will
report to him and him alone.

That's especially the case
because all of Egypt's resources

and fertility could just
as easily go to fund and feed

the army of one of his enemies
as it could go to him.

We've won.
Why not enjoy yourself?

My enemies never rest.

The relationship
between Caesar and Cleopatra

has a clear political dimension.

Cleopatra is getting protection
from the most powerful empire

in the world,
but there does seem to be a side

to the relationship that is not
merely pragmatic or political.

With Cleopatra,
I think we can

talk about her
emotional intelligence,

her ability to give people
what they're looking for you.

Now, Caesar at this point
has a reputation

as a profound
adulterer and womanizer

throughout
the Mediterranean world.

Well, I think it was
a meeting of the minds,

but whether it was
really a deep-seated love affair

or whether
it was a love affair

of convenience
is an open question.

After nearly a year in Egypt,

Caesar finally departs
to fight the last

of Pompey's supporters
and end the Civil War.

And he's left Cleopatra
behind as his new ally.

She's guaranteed
Egypt's resources.

He's given her in exchange
12,000 soldiers,

and she's also
pregnant with his child.

It would be impossible
to stress how advantageous

it was for Cleopatra
to have Caesar's child.

It cements this impossibly
important union for her

with Rome, and it ties Caesar
tremendously to her fortunes.

Cleopatra has Rome
on her side with Caesar.

She has Egypt in her pocket.

She is as powerful,

and more importantly for her,
as secure

as she has seemingly been...

...in her entire life

Four years after becoming queen,

Cleopatra's new alliance
with Caesar gives her the power

she needs to create
a strong and stable Egypt.

Cleopatra is very clever
about how she uses victory

in the Alexandrian war

as an excuse
to have a complete purge

and ensure that it's only her
allies and supporters

who are left standing.

She wants to show her people

that she's a totally
competent ruler,

rebuilding the economy

and really get the country
back up and running.

It's easy to forget today,

but among Cleopatra's
many accolades

was that she was
an astute businesswoman.

The main industries of Egypt
were all under royal control,

exporting wheat,
linen, flax, papyrus, gold.

So if Egypt's economy
did well, which indeed it did

after emerging from
the doldrums of civil war,

much of that was
down to Cleopatra herself.

We've recently found the papyrus

in which an official
asks for some favors.

And we have a subscript,
which we think is written

in Cleopatra's own hands
that says, "make it happen."

She is micromanaging her country
and trying to ensure

that everything
is working properly.

And that again speaks volumes

of her administrative capabilities.

Protected by Rome,
Cleopatra rules Egypt in peace.

And she soon gets a chance
to turn her relationship

with Caesar
into a lasting personal bond.

In 47 B.C.,
Cleopatra gives birth

to her first child,
the son of Julius Caesar.

The name that
Cleopatra gives her son

by Caesar
is Ptolemy Caesar.

But his nickname
by the Alexandrians

is Caesarion, meaning
Little Caesar or Caesar's son.

With the birth of Caesarion,

Cleopatra now has a direct,
permanent link

to the most
powerful man in Rome.

She can utilize Caesar
as her link

to the Roman government,

turn Caesar to her advantage

and further
secure her own position.

For Cleopatra,
Caesarion presents the prospect

of extending the alliance
with Rome into a new generation.

Of course,
she cannot prove his paternity

and others could
certainly claim otherwise.

Since Caesarion's name alone

cannot tie him to Caesar,

in 46 B.C.,
the 22-year-old Cleopatra

makes one of the boldest
decisions of her life.

Cleopatra travels to
Rome to basically ask,

"Please recognize our son."

It is a major risk
for Cleopatra

to take the young
Caesarion to Rome,

which compared to Alexandria

is an unpleasant and potentially
dangerous place for her to be.

But for her,
the rewards are worth it

because if Caesarion is acknowledged,

then not only will he be
the heir to Ptolemaic Egypt,

he would also have access
to Caesar's legacy in Rome,

an entirely
different form of power,

authority and a potential
future to go along with that.

If Caesar refuses
to recognize Caesarion,

that really changes
the relationship

between Cleopatra and Rome.

If you so much
as look at the boy,

there'll be
whispers in the Senate.

Why all the commotion?

He's not even
a citizen of Rome.

One of the key people
that Cleopatra meets

while she's in Rome
is Marc Antony.

Now, Marc Antony,
by this time

had distinguished
himself on the battlefield.

He had been instrumental
in various campaigns

in Northern Gaul.
But not only that,

he had come to be
Caesar's right-hand man.

Caesar... hold your son.

Caesar doesn't say,
"This is my son,"

but he allows
Caesarion to use his name,

which is kind
of like a tacit admission.

Caesar's recognition
of Caesarion

is more personal
than it is formal.

But it is the informal
personal connections

that matter to Cleopatra.

It is the idea that she has
Caesar's personal support

and his willingness
to work on her behalf.

At the time
of Cleopatra's visit to Rome,

Julius Caesar's power
is exponentially expanding.

He's becoming the more dominant
single force in Roman politics.

Caesar houses Cleopatra,
not in the city of Rome,

but in his villa.

But at the same time, Caesar's
lawfully wedded Roman wife,

Calpurnia is there in Rome.

Rome is scandalized.

There are already
a lot of concerns

that he is seeking
to have far too much power.

And so consorting
with an Egyptian queen,

supreme ruler in her own right,

certainly
doesn't help matters.

In late 46 B.C., Julius Caesar
gets what's called a Triumph.

A Roman Triumph
is a giant military parade

and a show
of Rome's might and power.

When Caesar appears
in public for the Triumph,

he has his face painted red
because red is the color

of the god Jupiter,
the chief Roman god.

Just for a day,
Caesar is becoming a god.

Caesar's Triumph
celebrates his victories

in Egypt, the Middle East,
North Africa,

and Gaul where he defeated the
Gallic chieftain Vercingetorix.

There is a long Roman tradition
of publicly executing enemies.

This was the climax
of the Roman Triumph...

...where the captured enemy
would be strangled to death

...in front
of the entire Roman crowd.

One of the prisoners
to be paraded through the city

in this Triumph is Arsinoe,
Cleopatra's 18-year-old sister.

Please...

You have to help me.
I know you will. Please.

I'm going to lose everything.

You are my queen.
I am nothing.

Nothing...

I can't help you.

Then why are you here?

To remind myself...

...how dangerous you are.

I don't think that Cleopatra

can rest completely comfortably

until her sister
has been dealt with.

I don't think
that one ever lost sight

entirely of one's
siblings as a Ptolemy.

But Cleopatra's plan

to finally rid herself
of Arsinoe fails.

Arsinoe is a young, frail girl.

Although she is
ferociously ambitious,

she really engenders pity
from the Roman population.

Julius Caesar
does not want to...

portray himself
to the Roman public

as some kind
of a savage barbarian.

The princess...

...will be spared.

Given the murderous nature
of the Ptolemaic dynasty,

the idea that Arsinoe
is still alive

is extremely
worrying to Cleopatra.

She will always be a rival
as long as she still lives.

There's a vile rumor circling
that my sister is still alive.

She'll be confined
to the temple of Artemis

and live there
under Roman guards.

No, she was supposed
to be executed, not exiled.

Caesar keeping Arsinoe alive
indicates that, for Caesar,

Cleopatra ultimately is little
more than a political tool.

Knowing that he needs Egypt,
he needs those resources,

Caesar still
acknowledges the fact

that he might
have to turn against her.

To protect her position,

Cleopatra travels
between Rome and Egypt

for the next two years,

maintaining
her relationship with Caesar.

When she was out of Egypt,
the country was secure.

There were no revolts
and there was no attempt

at a palace coup
to overthrow her.

So she was very, very confident

that she could be in Rome

and her country was
functioning and loyal to her.

Caesar's enemies
seeing the Queen of Egypt

in the outskirts of Rome
with her son, the future king,

and knowing
that she's Caesars mistress,

stokes all of their worst fears,

that Caesar wants to become
a king,

and that his loyalty
is to Cleopatra.

This is not
an outlandish concern

because Rome
after all at this time,

is still a republic,
which has elected officials.

Rome established that republic
by overthrowing a monarchy.

Cicero,
one of Rome's leading statesmen,

indicates that there's a rumor

that Cleopatra
is in fact pregnant yet again

with another
child of Julius Caesar.

If that child happened
to be a boy,

that son being born in Rome
to a Roman citizen

would certainly trump
Caesarion's position

as the heir of Julius Caesar
in Italy.

Cleopatra's relationship
with Caesar

gives her immense power
and immense possibilities.

But it's all...
blown apart.

Ah!

On March 15th, 44 B.C.,

Caesar is assassinated
by a group of senators

who are worried that he is
seeking to install a monarchy.

This throws everything
into disarray for Cleopatra.

Caesar is dead.

They murdered him.
You're not safe here anymore.

For Cleopatra, this
is a disaster beyond reckoning.

Suddenly her patron is gone.

Suddenly her position in Rome
couldn't be more precarious.

Cleopatra has gone
from being as secure

as she has ever been
in her entire life

to overnight she finds herself
under threat

and her entire position
called into question.

Soon after the brutal murder,

Marc Anthony presents Caesar's
will to the Roman public.

To the people of Rome,
I leave 75 denarii each.

The rest of my
estate will fall to my--

...to my principle
heir Gaius Octavius.

The big winner in Caesar's will

is his grandnephew,
Gaius Octavius.

He is named as Caesar's heir,

heir to most
of Caesar's fortune,

and Caesar offers
him posthumous adoption.

Caesarion's mere existence
is a threat to Octavian.

This puts Cleopatra in

an extremely uncomfortable
and dangerous position.

Fearing for her safety,

Cleopatra flees Rome for Egypt.

Cleopatra's
possible second pregnancy

that seems not to have
had anything come of it.

There's certainly
no birth recorded.

With Caesar's assassination,

Cleopatra realizes
she can no longer cultivate

dependencies
with those above her.

She has to get others
dependent on her

from a position of advantage.

Caesar's death
leaves Cleopatra again exposed

to her greatest rival...

her sister, Arsinoe,

who Caesar banished to the Roman
controlled city of Ephesus.

Arsinoe now
thinks it's her chance

to stake a claim
to the Egyptian throne.

Arsinoe reaches out to some
of Egypt's priestly class

who recognize her claim
to the throne over Cleopatra's.

And she quite likely colludes

with the now
15-year-old Ptolemy XIV,

who is Cleopatra's co-ruler.

With Arsinoe deep
in Roman territory,

Cleopatra cannot strike back directly,

so she tries
a different tactic.

So what great prize
did our sister promise

to win your support, hm?

That one day you would
rule together as equals?

Shortly after
Cleopatra comes back to Egypt,

Ptolemy XIV disappears
from the record.

Many historians believe that
Cleopatra poisoned her brother.

Cleopatra was famous
for her knowledge on poisons,

and supposedly she even
tested poisons on prisoners.

Removing this base
of support from Arsinoe,

removing the potential threat...

...this is what she has
literally been raised to do,

which is to backstab
her siblings.

She is having to rule,

and to plan
and to plot,

to turn herself into
an ironed-fisted monarch.

In 44 B.C., after
7 years on the Egyptian throne,

Cleopatra finally gets
what she's been striving for.

Absolute power.

With the death of Ptolemy XIV,
an opening has been created

for Caesarion to be installed
alongside Cleopatra as co-ruler.

Having Caesarion as her
co-ruler is really perfect

for Cleopatra,
because he's a baby.

She controls him completely.

By making her
three-year-old son king,

Cleopatra tightens
her own grip on the throne.

For the next two years,
she rules over a stable Egypt.

Meanwhile, Rome is in chaos.

The assassination
of Julius Caesar precipitates

a horrific civil war...

...in which Marc Anthony,
Caesar's trusted general,

and Octavian,
Caesar's grandnephew,

join forces
and pursue the assassins

across the Mediterranean in
order to bring them to justice.

After the defeat of Caesar's
assassins on the battlefield,

Octavian and Anthony
split the empire between them.

So Marc Anthony controls

the eastern part
of the empire,

which includes Greece
and Syria and Turkey and Libya.

Octavian rules
the territories to the west

like Gaul and Spain,
and he's basically close to Rome

where he can
cultivate his image.

The alliance between the two men

is anything but natural.
They are rivals.

Neither one has any reason
to trust the other.

And the Roman world
it's holding its breath

wondering when the two
of them will come to blows.

In order to shore up
his position against Octavian,

Antony decides to engage
in military campaigning.

This, for the Romans, is the
classical way of getting ahead.

This is a way for Antony
to stay in the forefront

of Roman politics.

To do this though,
he needs resources

and so as many Roman generals
have in the past,

he turns to Egypt,

believing that there
shouldn't be any problems

with him getting
whatever food and manpower

and resources he needs.

Cleopatra sees in Antony's need
for funds an opportunity.

As opposed
to hurrying to donate,

she thinks how
she can negotiate.

She wants something
from Antony.

Majesty,

your presence is requested in
Tarsus by General Mark Antony.

Requested?

Demanded.

He doesn't have time
to meet with intermediaries.

Neither do I.

Antony, who is based
out of Tarsus in Turkey

at this point,

sends several letters
to Cleopatra summoning her

and she refuses to
respond and to visit him.

This is a huge bet on herself.

Mark Antony now has to come
begging Cleopatra for money,

which is a remarkable rise
for a woman

who once hid to meet Caesar
in a carpet bag.

Cleopatra knows

she can put Antony off
for the short term.

but in the long term,

she realizes that she has
to have the Romans on her side.

When Cleopatra finally comes
to Antony, she comes to him,

not as a subject, bringing
money or tribute or taxes,

but as a sovereign over
a great power meeting an equal.

Cleopatra is
a master of political theater,

but even
Cleopatra outdoes herself

with her appearance in Tarsus.

She comes in on a barge,
the sails are purple,

the barge is painted gold,
the oars are made of silver.

The oarsmen are keeping time
to the sound of flutes.

And in the midst of all of it,

Cleopatra is
dressed as Aphrodite,

the Greek goddess of beauty,
pleasure, and fertility.

She has to charm him.

She has to form
an alliance with him

and she knows that
the best form of alliance

is a personal one.

Please.

Antony was a partier.
He was a lady's man.

He liked to drink, he liked
to gamble, he liked pleasure.

And so, she's really speaking
right to Antony's soul.

You certainly drink
more than Caesar.

I have 60,000 men
waiting to be paid.

Must we talk all night
about Caesar?

I might be able to help

if you fix one
of Caesar's greatest mistakes.

Cleopatra agrees
to provide Antony

with gold and grain
for his army,

but not without conditions.

In exchange for all
she's doing for Antony,

Cleopatra wants
something in return.

She gets Antony to agree
to Arsinoe's execution.

As ruler
of Rome's Eastern Empire,

Antony controls Ephesus

where Arsinoe lives in
exile under Roman Guard.

Political violence
is a necessity

of Cleopatra's position,

both as a Ptolemaic queen
of Egypt,

but also as a player
in the Roman Republic.

She exists in a world where
power is a murderous game...

...and it's either
a case of kill...

...or be killed.

Soon after Cleopatra agrees

to fund Mark Antony's army,

she invites him to Alexandria
to cement their new alliance.

Through Antony,
Cleopatra had a Roman leader

who was in
the palm of her hand.

This was not the same
relationship with Caesar.

This was not her
cow-towing to a superior.

This was now her in a position
where she was the superior.

It's not only gold
this one wants.

Then what else?

A victory to outshine Caesar.

Up to this time,
Antony has not defeated

quote, "a foreign enemy
of stature,"

so he needs a big win.

So, he looks for
military success against

the so-called Parthians.

Parthia is a region of the world

that basically goes
from what is now Eastern Turkey

over toward Afghanistan.

Parthia has inflicted
a humiliating defeat

on the Roman army at the battle
of Carrhae, in 53 B.C.

and killed
the Roman General, Crassus.

Caesar was planning
to make war on Parthia

when he was assassinated.

This war against Parthia
is on the agenda for Rome

and it's Antony who wants
to fulfill this destiny.

Lord Antony,
how are your plans for Parthia?

Preparations are underway.

There's every reason to believe

that Cleopatra
saw Antony's campaigns,

not simply as
an extension of Roman power,

but as a mechanism
to extend her own power as well.

We think of Cleopatra
as the queen of Egypt,

but earlier versions
of the Ptolemaic Kingdom

had tentacles of power
that stretched up

along the eastern coast
of the Mediterranean

towards Asia Minor.

Funding Antony's army
gives Cleopatra a lot of clout.

If he was, in fact, successful
in conquering the Parthians,

an enormous chunk of Asia Minor

would be brought
to Cleopatra's realm,

restoring Egypt
to its former position of glory

by adding to it as much
territory as she possibly can.

Why don't I show you
the real Alexandria?

Several times during
Antony's visits to Alexandria,

they would go out
incognito to visit taverns

and drink together.

Come, this way.

Sources describe Antony and
Cleopatra's social relationship

as debaucherous,
as rowdy, and as fun.

They tell us
about a drinking society

that the couple
co-founded in Alexandria

called the
Inimitable Livers Association,

a frat party in
an ancient context, if you will,

in which participants
would compete to see

who could drink the most
without passing out or dying.

Antony falls in
love with Cleopatra

and what emerges is one of
the most passionate love affairs

ever recorded
in the ancient world.

Antony and Cleopatra's
relationship takes on

a new dimension in 40 B.C.

Cleopatra gives birth to twins,

Alexander Helios
and Cleopatra Selene,

meaning the sun and the moon.

The naming
of the children suggest

that Mark Antony and Cleopatra
are now master and mistress

of the universe

because what they're
announcing to the world

is we now have the sun
and the moon in our hands.

As Cleopatra deepens
her relationship with Antony,

back in Rome,

his partnership with
Octavian grows more tenuous.

In order to cement
his alliance with Octavian,

Antony marries
Octavian's sister, Octavia.

He has multiple
children with her.

This is a basic
way of cementing a bond

between two powerful individuals
and two powerful families.

But despite this,
Antony is not discreet

about his extramarital affairs

and he continues his
relationship with Cleopatra.

Roman wives are used
to looking the other way,

but still, this is
a fairly spectacular dalliance

that might provoke Octavian
and rub him the wrong way,

to see his sister
mistreated in this manner.

After four years
of preparation, in 36 B.C.,

Antony leads an army funded
by Cleopatra into Parthia.

Antony's strategy
is to invade Parthia

by way of Armenia,
which is a Roman ally.

On his way, he picks up 6,000
cavalry that are given to him

by the Armenian King.

Antony now has
a well-financed army,

60,000 Roman soldiers,

30,000 allies,
almost 100,000 strong.

If Antony defeats Parthia,

he becomes more important
in Roman politics.

And this, in turn,
allows Cleopatra to exercise

a greater degree of control
over Roman politics.

But unfortunately,

Antony's invasion of Parthia
is an unmitigated disaster.

He winds up losing 24,000 men

and then the 6,000 Armenian
cavalry he was given betray him

at the orders of their king.

It's one of the worst defeats
in Roman history.

The Parthian unit that
causes Antony the most problems

are the mounted archers.

We get the English phrase,
"a parting shot,"

and that derives
from the Parthian tactic

of seemingly fleeing,
but actually shooting back.

Antony's loss to Parthia
is almost the best thing

that could
possibly happen to Cleopatra

because she needs Antony
personally invested in her.

She needs Antony
personally dependent on her.

So, Cleopatra actively
invests in Antony's reputation,

in building him back up.

With the full
funding of Cleopatra,

Antony launches a campaign
of revenge in Armenia.

He deposes the king who
had previously betrayed him

and declares the best possible
victory that he could obtain.

Cleopatra celebrates Antony's victory

with a Roman-style triumph.

Then, at a second,
more lavish event,

she dares to challenge Rome.

It will become known as
the Donations of Alexandria.

It's time.
You sure?

There'll be no going back.

I'm sure.

In this ceremony,

Antony gives lands
to his children by Cleopatra.

They are claiming rule
over a kingdom

that stretches from the
Nubian Desert to Southwest Asia

to Eastern Mediterranean
to Europe.

I mean, they were
claiming land, namely Parthia,

that they hadn't
even conquered yet.

This is Cleopatra
making a statement.

Egypt is going to dominate

and she will be
the most powerful person

in the ancient world.

This is an amazing
power grab by Cleopatra,

but it's also a challenge
to Rome and the Romans.

News of Cleopatra's brazen claim

makes its way rapidly to Rome.

And one statement pushes
Octavian to the breaking point.

"At the end of the ceremony...

...the royal couple...

...presented a teenage boy

to the adoring spectators.

We present you, Ptolemy Caesar.

"The one and only heir...

To the late Julius Caesar.

Octavian sees himself as
the true heir of Julius Caesar.

So, he sees Caesarion being
named as the heir of Caesar

as a personal insult.

At the very least,
Octavian recognizes

that an ascendant Egyptian
empire is a potential reality.

He recognizes that
Cleopatra is now a threat.

Octavian is one
of those people in history

who was as powerful as he was

because he was so
seriously underestimated.

When first
he arrives on the scene,

he's got no military
experience whatsoever.

And he's a very deliberative,
controlling person.

I think somewhat ironically,

there's a tremendous
amount in common

between Octavian and Cleopatra.

Octavian in Rome is able
to create this mythology

around himself as the heir,
the successor,

the embodiment
of Caesar as a divine being.

Very much the same way that
Cleopatra is presenting herself

as the goddess Isis.

To fight back against Cleopatra,

Octavian violates one
of Rome's most sacred spaces,

the Temple of Vesta.

The Temple of Vesta
happens to be

where a lot of Rome's
elites store their wills.

It is forbidden for
a man to enter the temple

and it's also forbidden
to unseal a will

before a man has died.

But none of this stops Octavian.

He enters the temple
and he gets his hands

on Mark Antony's will.

Octavian is one
of those politicians

for whom shared power
is not enough.

So, when he sees an opportunity
to take total power,

he's going to go for it.

The noble Mark Antony,
upon his death,

leaves all his lands
and his wealth to his children.

Not those by my sister...

...but those by
Queen of Eunuchs,

a worshiper, a beast god.

Octavian's reading
of Antony's will

suggests that Antony's intention
is to move the seat of power

from Rome to Alexandria,

abolishing the Republic and
replacing it with a monarchy.

He is clearly under the spell
of a foreign witch, Cleopatra.

The Romans
are weary of civil war

and so they might not
look too kindly upon the idea

that Octavian is trying
to spark another war

against a fellow Roman.

Instead, he's able
to paint Cleopatra

as the real enemy of state

and Antony
essentially as her dupe.

Antony has been seduced
by a sorceress in Cleopatra,

who has stripped him
of his manhood.

She is opposed, of course,
to everything that the good,

proper, patriarchal
Roman empire stands for.

After two years

of painting Cleopatra
as a foreign queen

who plans to conquer Rome,

Octavian is able
to convince the Senate

to declare war on Egypt.

Really, it's a war on Antony,

with Cleopatra as the scapegoat.

As Rome turns on Antony,

Cleopatra's kingdom
is also under threat.

And in 32 B.C.,
the two of them unite

against their common enemy, Octavian.

Will everything
be ready in time?

Yes, majesty.

As Antony gathers his forces,

Cleopatra supports him
in two very substantial ways.

A huge influx of gold with
which he can pay his soldiers

and a fleet of her own,
of some 60 ships.

Cleopatra is a foreign queen

and if they go invading
Octavian in Rome together,

this feeds right
into Octavian's propaganda.

So, their plan is to draw
Octavian away from Rome

and fight the battle at sea.

Cleopatra joins
Antony in western Greece,

near the Bay of Actium.

Their combined force now
includes 100,000 soldiers

and a fleet of 500 warships,
equal to Octavian's.

In the winter of 31 B.C.,

the forces of Octavian
moved more rapidly

than Antony anticipated.

Octavian's forces create
an unexpected blockade,

which cuts off
the supply line of Antony.

So, it becomes more
and more difficult for him

to acquire reinforcements.

As the weeks and months pass,

Antony's army condition
gets worse and worse.

They are deprived of food.

They are in a malarial area.

They are probably
suffering from dysentery

and quite a few of his
allies defect to Octavian.

As a way
of maintaining discipline,

he orders the execution
of an allied king

and even of a Roman Senator.

At this point, Cleopatra
finds herself in a multi-ethnic,

all-male military camp

where she's quite
unwelcome as a woman

and as an Eastern monarch.

Octavian's forces are
here and here, land and sea.

We draw them
North and our ships--

There is the other option, Sir.

There are some senior advisors
in Antony's camp,

in his army,
that see Cleopatra as toxic.

So, maybe if Antony
would stop taking decisions

from this foreign queen
and just hand her over,

this thing would be over.

There's no other option.
We fight by sea.

But Antony does
not betray Cleopatra.

It's all too easy
for us historians

to say, "We don't do love,
we don't do emotions.

"It's all rationality
and cold statecraft."

But we know as human beings

that often
the most powerful thing

for why people do something
is love.

And I find it
difficult to explain

some of Antony's behavior

if we don't add
love to the equation.

Cleopatra has a way
of taking circumstance,

even a bad circumstance,
and using it to her advantage.

Just when we think it
has to be all over for her,

she has another plan.

I'm not afraid
to go down fighting.

Perhaps we don't fight at all.

Octavian wants to end it here.

But if we pack our sails,
we can outrun his fastest ships.

Flee?

Survive.

It's unusual
to bring your sails with you

into an ancient naval battle.

The reason is that you
wanted your ships to be as light

and maneuverable as possible.

But by having
sails on their ships

where the enemy
presumably won't,

they will have an advantage

because with
the wind at their backs,

they'll move much more quickly

than the enemy can
in following them.

Sensing an unwinnable situation,

Cleopatra convinces Antony
to make a tactical retreat.

And what they'll do
is line up their ships

as if they're preparing to
engage in battle with Octavian.

But instead,
they'll maneuver to make a gap

in the opposing forces,
they'll sail through

and hopefully, live on
to fight another day.

Faced with all
the desertions of troops,

Antony doesn't
have enough men now

to man this enormous number
of ships.

And so,
he's faced with a dilemma.

If he abandons them,

Octavian may use
the ships against him.

And so he takes
the difficult decision

to burn some of his feet.

Fire!

The stakes at Actium
couldn't be higher.

If Octavian can
defeat Antony and Cleopatra,

then he will have control
of the Roman Empire.

But what if Antony and Cleopatra
are able to escape?

Then they might be able to live
and fight again another day

for Cleopatra are sky-high.

She has risked her entire power,
her entire kingdom,

the survival of her entire
dynasty on one man, Antony.

On the morning
of September 2nd, 31 B.C.,

Antony's warships
advance out of Actium

with Cleopatra's
vessels in the rear.

During the course of the battle,

Antony's forces are
able to open up the center

of Octavian's line
and give his ships

a means of escaping
the narrow bay of Actium.

Then the fog of war
seems to take over.

Our sources are confused about
what exactly is going on.

But what we do know is that
Cleopatra's ships

now try to make an escape
into the open ocean.

Antony tries to follow her.

His formation is completely
broken up.

And the Roman Forces
of Octavian

are able to take advantage
of the situation

and cause the destruction
of almost the entire fleet.

The impact of Actium

on Cleopatra
and Mark Antony is catastrophic.

Most of the army
defects to Octavian

so they are not going
to recover from this loss.

And the dream of Egypt
at the center of a world empire

has been shattered.

Like other great battles such
as Waterloo or Gettysburg,

it really reshapes what
the world will look like

for centuries
and millennia to come.

As soon as she's back in Egypt,

Cleopatra forges a plan
to protect her dynasty.

Caesarion now has a huge target
on his back

because Octavian is looking
for a way to murder

the last challenger to his rule.

Be safe.

So she takes Caesarion along
with a huge pot of gold

and sends him off to India.

In the hope not only
to protect him

but hopefully one day
he'll be able to raise an army

and perhaps even come back
and challenge Octavia.

After Actium, Cleopatra
becomes immensely resourceful.

She begins to cast about for
all possible means of escape.

For every possible way
to insulate her kingdom

from Octavian's approach.

Antony takes
the opposite attack.

Antony is quite frankly
depressed after this loss,

it marks the end
of his role as one of

the two strongest men
in the Roman State.

And he knows that
he is going to have to submit

to Octavian's power.

Cleopatra tries to negotiate,

tries to do what she had always
done throughout her life.

Figure out
what can she give to Octavian

that will give her
some degree of flexibility.

So?

He said I could remain queen,
if I hand you over.

Dead or alive?

He doesn't care.

And do you?

I think there was
this common bond

between Antony and Cleopatra

and just as Antony would not
abandon her at Actium,

Cleopatra would not
abandon him.

Rejecting Octavian's offer,

Cleopatra prepares for
his inevitable invasion

by constructing her own tomb.

Cleopatra begins
to build a mausoleum

into which she piles
as many treasures as she can

possibly transport
across Alexandria.

What does any Roman ruler want?

They want goods,
they want treasure

and this she can use
to bargain with Octavian

for her kingdom, and her life.

In the summer of 30 B.C.,

Octavian renews his campaign
against Antony and Cleopatra

by actually invading Egypt.

Octavian lands his fleets
on the East and the West coast

of Alexandria and his forces
then surround the city.

Mark Antony leads
his cavalry

against Octavian's troops.

And he earns a surprise victory.

Even so, in the next few days,
most of his troops defect.

Wake up!

For Antony,
it is simply unbelievable

that he has been
outmaneuvered by Octavian.

Traitor!

He believes that it must be
the work of Cleopatra.

You sold me out.

You sold me out!

You're wrong.

Cleopatra doesn't betray
Mark Antony.

She may have realized that
it was not going to pacify

Octavian in the first place.

She may have been utterly
loyal to Mark Antony.

We really have no insight into
her thinking at that moment.

Taking refuge
in her tomb,

Cleopatra makes
a surprising declaration.

Cleopatra sends the message
to Antony

that she's committed suicide.

Why does she do this?

This is the great question.

Some historians
seem to think that

Cleopatra announces
her death publicly

in order to warn Antony.

To give him time to escape or
to die by suicide if he wishes.

Did she want to get rid
of him as a way to survive

and to present herself
to Octavia in saying,

"Look what I did for you?

I got rid of Antony."

We can't rule that out.

In any case,
Antony receives a message

that Cleopatra is dead.

This causes him to immediately
try to take his own life.

Open the door.

The Romans had a very rigid
idea of what constituted

an honorable suicide,
particularly for someone

of Antony's standing
and this was death by the sword.

Unfortunately, Antony misses
his vital organs.

So we think that his death
was quite painful and long.

In his dying moments,

Antony warns Cleopatra,
"Do not trust Octavian."

Don't believe his lies.

He'll parade you in Rome.

His prize.

With Antony's death,

Cleopatra has lost
her last ally.

She's now alone,

fighting for her kingdom
and fighting for her life.

Cleopatra seems
truly unnerved

by the death of Mark Antony.

She very rarely,
on the historical record anyway,

loses her calm
and her poise and here she does.

The grief seems really sincere.

If nothing else,

Cleopatra is
extremely resourceful.

She's very strategic.

And so we may imagine
that at this point,

even though all hope
seems lost,

that she's still planning
and plotting for a way out.

You'll come with me to Rome.

You'll live under my protection,
in your own home.

I call you now,
in all but name.

Cleopatra
has been to Rome.

Cleopatra knows what
a triumph is like.

She will not give Octavian
the satisfaction

of seeing her paraded
through the streets of Rome.

That's when she decides that
she will commit suicide.

Most likely way
for Cleopatra to kill herself

is some sort of poison.

Your majesty.

How that was applied,
I think we don't know.

The traditional story is that
Cleopatra hid a viper

in a bowl of fruit
and at the appropriate time,

was able to reach over
into the basket and got bitten.

The snake ties into the Roman
portrayal of Cleopatra

being very sly
and being very cunning.

And of course, a certain element
of her being a seductress.

Cleopatra, I don't think would
have abandoned herself

to a very uncertain end.

She was a woman who made crisp
decisions and entrusting

your fate to-- to a snake
doesn't sound like

it would have
been among them.

Everything seems to have
pointed to a death

that was
very well controlled.

There are a couple
of hypotheses,

one being that she carried
with her at all times,

a hairpin coated in poison.

So, should she ever need to
make a hasty exit, she could.

In my view,

Cleopatra was a very,
very principled individual,

and once her principles were destroyed,

she chose to take her life
rather than to compromise,

rather than to be second best,
rather than be humiliated.

It's a noble death.
It's a very calculated death.

Women tended in Roman history
to get points for doing things

like swallowing hot coals
and gashing their innards out.

And there's an enormous respect
for Cleopatra at this point

who proves herself
to be a woman of valor.

With her death,
Cleopatra becomes

the last independent ruler
in Egypt's 3,000-year history.

Cleopatra's death
is the end of an empire.

It's the end of the Ptolemies

and it's the end
of Egypt as we know it.

Cleopatra's suicide
was a final act of defiance

against the Romans
and against the men

who wanted to have her paraded

through the streets
as a prisoner.

When Cleopatra's backed into a corner,

she almost always
finds a way out.

Even at her death,
there's a victory.

Octavian decides that
he wants to either eliminate

or control
Cleopatra's legacy.

The one competing heir,
Caesarion, is killed.

Octavian is well aware that
even after her death,

Cleopatra is a potent symbol
of Egyptian power.

Perhaps a figurehead

for any Egyptian rebellion
against Rome.

So he eradicates
all of her statues,

all of her images on
temple buildings

and in this way,
crushes the potential use

of her personality.

She becomes little more
than a character

within the rise
of Octavian to Augustus.

The first emperor
of the Roman world.

And his portrayal of her as
this ultimate femme fatal,

unfortunately, is the image
that carries on

even into
the present day.

People are always going to be
fascinated and titillated

by this idea of a powerful woman

who's exercising influence
over men.

This was true for the Romans
who were writing the stories

that we still rely on for
our understanding of Cleopatra.

It's always easier to believe
that a woman was beautiful

and seductive
than it is to believe

that she was actually
intelligent and adept.

I think if you look
at the record,

she comes down to us
as a remarkably capable

and quite
brilliant woman.

At a time when women were
largely seen as property,

Cleopatra had taken the remains
of a broken and decrepit empire,

that was running along
at best on fumes.

And turned it into a potential superpower

that was able to challenge
the Roman Empire itself.

If not for a single instance
in history

at the battle of Actium,

we very well might be
speaking Egyptian today.