Season 1, Episode 5: Cleopatra, Part 2

This week, we're talking about one of the more maligned women in history: Cleopatra VII of Ptolemaic Egypt! Cleopatra was the last pharaoh, but she was not an actual Egyptian: Her ancestor, Ptolemy I, was a Macedonian Greek who claimed the land in part by running off with Alexander the Great's mummified corpse. The Ptolemies were...a lot. In this episode, Clerika discuss the hot mess incest express that was Ptolemaic Dynasty, and how Cleopatra made the best of the absolute shit sandwich she inherited. We cover her early reign--during which she was kicked out by her own court--and her "epic romance" with Julius Caesar, who was old enough to be her dad. Asides include whether or not a severed head EVER makes an appropriate gift, and which one of us would have willingly banged Caesar. Sources: Cleopatra and Antony: Power, Love, and Politics in the Ancient World by Diana Preston Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff Got Something to Say to Us? [email protected] Social Media! @rudehistory on twitter, instagram, and facebook rudehistoryeducation on tumblr