Cleopatra (68 B.C.-30 B.C.)

As queen of ancient Egypt, Cleopatra is one of the famous female rulers in history. Her family had ruled Egypt for more than 100 years before she was born around 69 BC. The stories and myths surrounding Cleopatra's tragic life inspired a number of books, movies, and plays, including Antony and Cleopatra by Shakespeare. Cleopatra has become one of the most well-known ancient Egyptians.Cleopatra was a direct descendant of the Greek general of Alexander the Great who became Ptolemy I Soter. All of his male successors were called Ptolemy and all of his female successors were called Cleopatra. The clever, ambitious and determined woman who was also known for her beauty. Initially she jointly ruled Egypt with Ptolemy XIII but each vied for total power. Ptolemy angered Julius Caesar by killing General Pompey. Cleopatra took advantage of this and arranged her famous meeting with Julius Caesar by being rolled into a Persian carpet and presented to the Roman in this unusual fashion. She became the mistress ( and possibly married) of Julius Caesar and gave birth to his son, Caesarion. After the assassination of Caesar Cleopatra became the mistress and then the wife of Mark Antony. This alliance ended when they lost the Battle of Actium during which Octavian invaded Egypt. Both committed suicide. The famous death of Cleopatra was from the snakebite of an asp.