![]() ![]() "As the Greeks settled in Egypt, you had two populations living side-by-side, both starting to pick up on each other’s culture. But then, how accurate can a coin portrait be? "People tend to think that her coins are more life-like and if you look at them, she’s not particularly beautiful, as she has a big nose and chin. They were there to represent ideas of queenship, rather what she actually looked like. "We haven’t got that many images of her and the ones we do have are very formulaic – either Classical, looking like a Greek or Roman queen, or Egyptian. Thanks to Shakespeare, Tiepolo and film portrayals by everyone from Elizabeth Taylor to Amanda Barrie, the modern image of Cleopatra is one of stunning beauty, something that Joyce says there is just no evidence to support. It is not just her role as a temptress that is questionable. Plus, she took over a country from her father that was fairly poor and strengthened the economy so that when she died, Egypt was in a good position." Power over beauty She ruled for over 20 years and managed to delay the Romans taking over Egypt, which was something that was threatening throughout her reign. ![]()
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