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Cleopatra

by Eugenia Salza Prina Ricotti

Cleopatra
In his life Caesar had many women. He never missed one of them and had relations with all the ladies who crossed his way. The last one of his mistresses was the very young Cleopatra, his sunset’s love. Suetonius doesn’t tell much about her, but Plutarch, as a real Greek, doesn’t let slip from his hands the occasion to tell such a fascinating story and a love which took place in such a beautiful and exotic scene.
In the 51 B.C. in Aegypt at Ptolemaeus Auletes’ death, Cleopatra, the eldest of his children, acceded to the throne. At this time Cleopatra had only seventeen or eighteen years and associated with her after she married him was the eldest among his brothers, Ptolemaeus XII, a ten year old boy, who was a submissive tool in the powerful courtiers hands among which three important persons did whatever they wanted: one of them was Potinus, the eunuch, typical scheming courtier, then there was the Teodolus of Chios, the young boy’s preceptor and along with them came the army chief Achillas.
Very soon these three shady personages clashed with Cleopatra who strong, intelligent and autocratic, was a hard nut to crack. All the three hated the young queen and, at the end they succeeded to expel her. To save her own life she was obliged to flee and she went east were she hoped to be able to form an army and with this come back to Alessandria and take again hold of her throne. It was just when the two contenders where sharpening their arms and were ready to affront each other, that Caesar who was chasing Pompeius fleeing after the battle of Pharsalus, came. Here he found out that all the cabal around Ptolomaeus XII had already treacherously killed Pompeius and, to win his favor, had kept his head ready to offer it to him as a welcome gift. It seems that Caesar did not appreciate it. Plutarch tells us that when Caesar saw the ghastly trophy, disgusted he turned his head. then taking in his hand the signet ring of his rival he began to weep.
Caesar however entered Alessandria as a victor and availing himself of Ptolemaeus Auletes testament, took to himself the task to arbitrate the question among Cleopatra and her brother. Potinus of course did not want such mediation and was trying in every way to persuade Caesar to depart, but Caesar did not pay him the least attention and settling himself in the royal palace, sent messengers to Cleopatra asking her to come back. Of course the return of the queen was not in Potinus and his friends plans; the wanted her dead and if ever they had succeeded in capturing Cleopatra they would immediately have killed her.
Thus Cleopatra had to find a system to elude their vigilance and reach alive the Roman general. Of course she didn’t hide to herself that it was a difficult task. She had to pass through Achillas army which was camped all around Alessandria, then she had to escape Potinus’ militians who kept a good ward inside the town’s walls and at the palace’s doors. She absolutely had to find a way to get there with no one spotting her.
Anyway Cleopatra didn’t loose her heart. The young Aegyptian had always been an artist in spectacular coming on the scene. Thus taking with herself only a man very devoted to her, Apollodorus of Sicily, and a bunch of carpets, she embarked in a little and modest boat, probably very much like the ones that we see in the old Nilotic mosaics with a poor fisherman inside, a small vessel which would never attract the attention. At night she alighted just in front of the royal palace where it had its particular mooring place, then, laying down on the carpets, had Apollodorus roll her in, and, after having tied the bundle with a leather strap, the man entered the palace carrying it on his shoulders and went to Caesar.
It is not difficult to imagine the scene of the young girl who, under the amused eyes of the Roman general, emerged from the roll of carpets with her ruffled hairs, her flaming cheeks, and more than anything else with her splendid graceful figure that seems to have been really perfect, worth, as it was said, of Venus. Her face was not beautiful, Plutarch tells us, but she must have had splendid eyes, long, slightly slanted and far set in her face as we see her in the British Museum. a face with a prominent nose, also if not as prominent as the one that we see on some of her coins. Certainly she must have had strong features, but not disagreeable: her face must have been what today we describe as interesting, the kind of face that could even be more pleasant than the smooth beauty of a doll.
And what can we say about the grace and the elegance with which she moved around, and of her voice, this voice so much praised by Plutarch also if he had just said that her face was not up to it?
“Her conversation – writes the author of the Parallel Lives – had a special irresistible fascination and the perfection of her figure, accrued her appeal, and left a deep wound in the heart of any one who came in her presence. People was fascinated just to hear her talking. She used her voice as if it was a many stringed instrument and she could speak any language she wanted.”
Thus there was no reason to wonder if also Caesar was attracted by this young woman. For him it would have been his last love story before the sunset, a love when he still retained all his strength. As for what concerned Cleopatra she was looking forward to be conquered: her life was in danger and the Roman general meant safety. But it was not only for that that the young woman decided to fall in his arms. In him the queen saw an intelligent, daring, fascinating man and, above everything else, a dominator. Thus between the 20 years old Egyptian queen and the middle aged, fifty year old Caesar, began a relation that lasted until his death.
Caesar liked Cleopatra and decided not to depart leaving her alone in this quandary. He tried to stabilize the situation and make her stand sure, but at this moment the party which was adverse to the Romans and to Cleopatra raised up a savage war. It was a difficult campaign, Alexandria ended by being under siege and at a certain moment there was the impression that the Roman fleet was on the point to fall in the enemies’ hands, and at this moment Caesar preferred to burn it. As a consequence a terrible fire devastated the city and the famous library was reduced to ashes; a terrible loss for all the humanity. The war went on with alternating ups and downs, but at the end the Romans won, many enemies were killed, and even the young king died drowning. Thus Cleopatra was saved and widowed.
For Cleopatra to thank her saver was the logical thing, and for Caesar it was logical to take the prize of his labours. Which better solution could exist for this than to go up the Nile in one of the splendid Ptolemaic pleasure crafts? Luxury boats full of works of art and treasures as the one that Callissenos of Rhodes describes to us. The two lovers sailed on the calm waters of the great river between the two narrow green strips of fields which flanked the Nile; they admired the majestic temples; studied in the ancient bas relief the mysterious hieroglyphic tht Cleopatra knew still how to read. They passed by Thebes the ancient capital with its pink granite stones and the fantastic coral like constructions gleamed against the blue African sky. They would go farther, and, as Suetonius tells us, they should even reached Etiopia if the armed escort had not refused to go on.
But the dream was finished and life was resumed. When they came back Cleopatra was expecting a son from Caesar, a child who at his birth was called Ptolemy, but that she, later on after her Roman lover’s death, called Caesarion from his father name. Caesar before going to Rome, set stably his mistress on the throne putting on her side as a husband and co-regent another little brother, twelve years old Ptolemy XIII; beside this, thankful for the company and all the attentions that she had at his regard, she left her three Roman legions that helped her to keep in order the Egypt.


Bibliografphy
Scientific divulgation
E. SALZA PRINA RICOTTI, Dossier L'amore a Roma in Archeo, VII, 10 (92) October 1992, pp. 54-99

Academic Papers
E. SALZA PRINA RICOTTI, Amori ed amanti tra la repubblica ed il principato, Publishing house. L’Erma di Bretschneider, Rome, 199