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Cleopatra the Egyptian.
LEGRAS Bernard.

Cleopatra the Egyptian.

The Beautiful Letters
€21,00 €0,00
N° d'inventaire 25084
Format 15.5 x 21.5
Détails 300 p., paperback.
Publication Paris, 2021
Etat Nine
ISBN 9782251452135
The story of Cleopatra VII, Greek queen and female pharaoh, has been based primarily, since Antiquity, on literary sources that present her in a negative light, as an "Egyptian," which devalued her both as a "barbarian" and as a woman. This ideological discourse, which reproduced the propaganda of the victor, Octavian-Augustus, must be compared with historical documents from Cleopatra's Egypt: papyri, inscriptions, archaeological and iconographic sources. The publication of these sources has indeed accelerated since the beginning of the 21st century, both through discoveries made in the collections of museums and papyrology institutes and through advances in Alexandrian archaeology thanks to underwater excavations. A more authentic Cleopatra emerges from the study of these documents, a queen who asserted herself as a stateswoman. She defined herself as Greek and Egyptian, a dual identity accepted by her subjects. His aim was to restore to his kingdom the power it had at the beginning of the Hellenistic era, by completely linking its destiny to the advantages given to it by control of Egypt, and by forming subtle alliances with Rome.
The story of Cleopatra VII, Greek queen and female pharaoh, has been based primarily, since Antiquity, on literary sources that present her in a negative light, as an "Egyptian," which devalued her both as a "barbarian" and as a woman. This ideological discourse, which reproduced the propaganda of the victor, Octavian-Augustus, must be compared with historical documents from Cleopatra's Egypt: papyri, inscriptions, archaeological and iconographic sources. The publication of these sources has indeed accelerated since the beginning of the 21st century, both through discoveries made in the collections of museums and papyrology institutes and through advances in Alexandrian archaeology thanks to underwater excavations. A more authentic Cleopatra emerges from the study of these documents, a queen who asserted herself as a stateswoman. She defined herself as Greek and Egyptian, a dual identity accepted by her subjects. His aim was to restore to his kingdom the power it had at the beginning of the Hellenistic era, by completely linking its destiny to the advantages given to it by control of Egypt, and by forming subtle alliances with Rome.