The book, more than anything, tells us the biographies of both men first separately, so it is in continuous parallelism and in the real phase in which their destinies cross, it gives us a lot of data based on many ancient sources with which the story is constructed. The author's aim is to present this data and at times this can be a bit dizzying. The end result is real and profitable, but it can drown out some myths of romance and even of courage and bravery. I only regret that the final war against Octavian and the description of the battles throughout the book seemed a bit short to me.
Among the situations that were new to me is the way in which the author presents us with the environment of Mark Antony's Rome, the influence of his birth and surname, in addition to giving us enough light on how a Roman man grew up over time. In his military and political career, he points out Mark Antony's exploits, what he excelled at and also his greatest mistakes and weaknesses. As for Cleopatra, it makes her seem like a descendant of Greeks, which in fact she was, far from the idea of “Egyptian nationalism” that she probably never had, although it is very tempting to represent her as a true Egyptian with all her mystery and orientalism. Likewise, her really violent disputes with her brothers and sisters and the ever-present betrayal. Of course, on Antony's side, his defects and vices with alcohol, his violence and even cruelty in some aspects are also dealt with, there were many acts that surprised me a bit like the murder of Cleopatra's children by Octavian, or the traitorous executions, after offering forgiveness on both sides. Octavian, of course I always hated hehe, is actually portrayed as someone who managed the politics of the fourth civil war very well, presenting Antony as a weakling who was managed by an Egyptian and who let himself be carried away by passion, caring very little about the greatness of Rome. Unfortunately, the unfolding of events and the great catastrophe of Antony's army, from which he did not have enough strength to recover, as well as his degree of prostration and his recourse to Cleopatra for comfort, have disappointed me now that I actually know the story. Even the idea of Cleopatra's betrayal makes this biography truly realistic and, as I say, it can debunk some myths (of course, he is not the only one among biographers who has done so). Although, as the author says in the sentence I copied, no one needs this exact reality, especially given the impact that the story has had over the generations.
In recent years, there has been a lot of noise on social media about Cleopatra’s ethnic background. Goldsworthy holds the traditional view that she was Greek, not Egyptian. We know that her paternal ancestry was Macedonian Greek. We do not know who her mother was, but it is only speculation to claim, as some have, that she was part Egyptian or black African. Even if, for the sake of argument, she did have some African ancestry, her language, culture and education were Greek. She was apparently multilingual, and could speak Egyptian, the first of her dynasty to do so.
Cleopatra’s kingdom was rich and populous, but at the time of her rule Egypt was a vassal state of Rome. Goldsworthy explains that Cleopatra did not attempt to challenge Roman rule, but sought to work with it. The Romans were generally happy to rule through client monarchs, and for a long time Cleopatra was successful in persuading first Julius Caesar and then Mark Antony to support her as queen of Egypt. Indeed, Antony allowed her to add Cyprus, Crete, Cilicia and much of Syria to her kingdom. Interestingly, Goldsworthy says that she also wanted Judea, but could not persuade Antony to grant it to her, nor would he let her interfere in the affairs of that kingdom. The reason was, of course, that Herod “had proved himself a loyal and effective client” and it would have been a political mistake for Antony to depose him, even if Herod could not offer everything that Cleopatra could.
The question arises, of course, as to the motivations of all parties in the sexual relationships that Cleopatra had with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. I tend to see that, at least to begin with, sex was part of a package deal that Cleopatra provided to make the two powerful Romans do what she wanted. On their side, there must also have been a certain prestige in having the Queen of Egypt as their mistress.
by Ok-Confidence1784