Cleopatra Flashcards
Who was the First Triumvirate?
Julius Caesar, Pompey and Crassus
Describe Antony meeting Cleopatra for the first time
Tarsus- meeting on the boat, she went up and down the river repeatedly, the boat was very extravagant
Who was the Second Triumvirate?
Mark Antony, Octavian, Crassus
Who were Julius Caesar’s two main assassins?
Brutus and Cassius
Who we all of Cleopatra’s children?
Caesarion(by Caesar), Alexander Helios and Cleopatra Selene(by Antony), Ptolemy(by Antony)
Cleopatra’s family history..
Cleopatra’s descendants were the Ptolemaic family, one of Alexander’s generals
What is a client king?
A client king was a king in charge of a Roman area, like Ptolemy
Why was Caesar in Egypt to begin with?
Caesar was in Egypt because he was chasing Pompey after their civil war, however Cleopatra’s brother had already decapitated Pompey thinking that it would please Caesar
How did Caesar make Cleopatra queen of Egypt?
He got her to marry her brother Ptolemy XIII and made them joint rulers
What were the Donations of Alexandria?
They were gifts from Mark Antony to all of Cleopatra’s children of Roman territories
Who did Mark Antony and Octavian negotiate with?
They negotiated with Sextus Pompey, a pirate who had control of the Mediterranean Sea, on his boat
What happened with Antony’s Parthian and Armenian campaigns?
He was successful in fighting in Parthia but not in Armenia because he was so underprepared
How did Cleopatra prepare for the Battle of Actium?
In preparation for the battle Cleopatra got loads of ships and stationed them where she would be able to make a quick getaway if things went wrong for Antony
What did Mark Antony and Octavian do after Caesar’s death?
Antony got Caesar’s blood stained toga and said he would get rid of all his assassins from Rome, and Octavian marched on Rome to get his adoption legalised
What was Octavian’s relationship with Caesar and why did this cause problems?
Octavian was biologically Caesar’s nephew, and this caused problems when Antony refused to let his adoption by Caesar become legalised
What did Antony spend winter in Alexandria doing?
He was playing games and drinking lots with Cleopatra and their friends, he used to dress up like a slave and get beaten by the people of Alexandria for fun, the story about them going fishing
Who were Antony’s other wives?
He was married first to Fulvia, who he had kids with, then he had a political with Octavia(Octavian’s sister)
Talk about the Roman government
The Roman government was made up of patricians and plebeians(common people) and there was a hierarchical system with the two consuls at the top being the most important. Consuls were changed yearly
What title was Caesar given shortly before he died?
Dictator for life
How many people deserted from Antony to Octavian?
Loads of people deserted Antony to join Octavian, but none the other way around
What happened with Antony’s will?
Octavian opened it and read it to the Senate, which made them angry as Antony had written things like wanting to be buried in Alexandria
What was the Treaty of Brundisium?
When Antony and Octavian divided up the Empire, giving Antony the East where Egypt- Cleopatra- was, and Octavian the West
What advantages/disadvantages did each person have in the Battle?
Mark Antony- bigger ships, however the were undermanned and too big and slow to move properly
Octavian- smaller, more agile ships which were properly manned
Possible triggers for the Battle?
Caesarion being born, Antony divorcing Octavia, Donations of Alexandria
What did Antony do after the Battle?
Went onto Cleopatra’s ship but they didn’t see each other for three days, tried to negotiate with Octavian, built a house that was extended off the coast of Alexandria
How was Octavian portrayed after the Battle?
Plutarch made him look very magnanimous- he helped Antony’s army and guys on the boats because he deserted them
How did the ancient writers portray Antony?
They make him look as if he is under a spell from Cleopatra- ‘as if woken from a heavy night of drinking’- but Plutarch makes excuses for him
How did the sources portray Cleopatra?
Cleopatra comes across as being very manipulative and controlling of Antony, as well as a huge distraction to his proper business in Rome- none of the writers like her
What was Plutarch interested in?
A person’s character- their vices and virtues, what made them do things
