how did cleopatra really die and was she really pretty?

Question

I heard that she was not as beautiful as history makes her..is that true?? Also, how did she really die, was it Octavian or poison snake that killed...Please give me more info about her that nobody knows...thanks , need as much info as possible

Answer 1

to the best of my knowledge, cleopatra is believed to have poisoned herself using a poisonous viper snake called an asp. it was done so because she didn't want to become captured by the new Roman Emperor Octavian who sought to destroy her in mind and spirit. however, no one knows for sure exactly how she died.

also, i have heard the same thing that cleopatra may have not been as awe-inspiring beautiful as historians and poets have made her out to be.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/cleopatra_vii.shtml

this link above will show you a good bio on the famous queen. it's provided by the BBC History department. it's a trustworthy site.

here is another bio by Encarta Encyclopedia. trustworthy too.
http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761574092/Cleopatra.html

this next link is by the BBC and is a radio program focusing in on the life of Cleopatra. you might need a program like Real Player or Windows Media Player to listen to it.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/2005_09_mon_02.shtml

Answer 2

I was just in Egypt a few weeks ago and I learned that there were many Cleopatras. The famous one by our standards wouldn't have been pretty to most of us. She was short and had unusually masculine features. Lots of inbreeding going on in those days. So she had harsh features and a hook nose. She was overweight because she liked to eat alot.
Why don't you just Wikipedia or Google her for all the info about her? She killed herself with a poisonous snake.

Answer 3

no pictures. nobody knows. There was a coin that showed her ugly. So the beauty thing can be a myth.

So how did she get Julius? I suggest that she needed to and it's very common for royalty to stick with royalty. You don't marry a commoner if you're a king. So since Julius was the emperor, it's only natural that the two got together. Besides, marriage was a great way to seal alliances.

Answer 4

Okay, lets tackle the beauty thing first...
The idea of beauty is always changing, and varies from culture to culture, and contemporary ideas of beauty may vary markedly from Cleopatra's time and culture.There is much debate over the issue of her beauty, which is now thought to be as much a myth as anything else about her. Some theories lean towards Cleopatra's power lying not in her beauty, but in her charms and intelligence. Marc antony was not drawn to her beauty, but to her wealth. Caesar, likewise, was drawn to her power.

Now, on to her death...
Its always been recorded that she chose death, that she cheated Octavian of the chance to choose for her. History records that Octavian and his soldiers found her dead.

Answer 5

no one really truly knows how she died, but Plato once wrote and said her laughter was "like music" she may not have been beautiful physically, but I think that what made her so fascinating and desirable was the fact that the woman was brilliant. she had a wonderful understanding war strategy, probably spoke around 8 or so languages....she was just a fascinating woman and I think that's what men found so intriguing about her.

She was THE very last Pharoah of Ancient Egypt. after her death the Romans of course stayed in control. and She wasn't actually Egyptian...she was Macedonian and was descended from Ptolemy I, a general of Alexander the Great who became king of Egypt after Alexander's death in 323 BC.

Answer 6

Yep- she wasn't that pretty (as ancient comtemporary sources tell us). What she was though was charming; very educated, seductive, and was one of the last living people to speak ancient Egyptian.
Every source says that she killed herself with a snake called an asp.
Cassius Dio is one author that really goes into the aftermath of the battle of actium (where Antony and Cleo got defeated); saying that she offered her sceptre to Octavious (and give up Antony) if he would keep her in power - he refused and she killed herself. I guess she wasn't that in love with him after all!

Hope it helps

Answer 7

Cleopatra committed suicide by letting an asp bit her on the breast.

As far as beauty goes, that is relative. From the records, she was considered very beautiful in her time. Our perception of beauty changes every generation or so...

Answer 8

She committed suicide with an asp snake which is common knowledge by now.

Judging from her busts and coin portraits she was certainly no beauty by today's standards and one Roman historian eluded to thjat fact too. She was charming, highly intelligent, spoke six languages fluently and many were attracted to that.

Michael

Answer 9

Cleopatra was gorgeous...and she did die by snake...no one killed her...she committed suicide...go to old movies that tried to tell things as accurate as possible...hey and find out about Mark Antony...she did the death thing because of him...

Answer 10

I would like to ask the same question as the op.