The Cleopatras

The Forgotten Queens of Egypt

De: Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones

Narrado por: Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones

The definitive story of the seven Cleopatras, the powerful goddess-queens of ancient Egypt

One of history’s most iconic figures, Cleopatra is rightly remembered as a clever and charismatic ruler. But few today realize that she was the last in a long line of Egyptian queens who bore that name.  
  
In The Cleopatras, historian Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones tells the dramatic story of these seven incomparable women, vividly recapturing the lost world of Hellenistic Egypt and tracing the kingdom’s final centuries before its fall to Rome. The Cleopatras were Greek-speaking descendants of Ptolemy, the general who conquered Egypt alongside Alexander the Great. They were closely related as mothers, daughters, sisters, half-sisters, and nieces. Each wielded absolute power, easily overshadowing their husbands or sons, and all proved to be shrewd and capable leaders. Styling themselves as goddess-queens, the Cleopatras ruled through the canny deployment of arcane rituals, opulent spectacles, and unparalleled wealth. They navigated political turmoil and court intrigues, led armies into battle and commanded fleets of ships, and ruthlessly dispatched their dynastic rivals.   
  
The Cleopatras is a fascinating and richly textured biography of seven extraordinary women, restoring these queens to their deserved place among history’s greatest rulers.   

Reseñas de la Crítica

“An authoritative portrait of the tempestuous but impressive Cleopatra dynasty.”—Kirkus

“A thrilling biography, filled with the imperial ambitions and merciless intrigues of one of world history's most brutal families, the Ptolemy dynasty of Egypt. Llewellyn-Jones’s book places female power at the center through its seven Queen Cleopatras, culminating in the gripping story of the last of the Cleopatras and her alliances with Caesar and Antony. A real treat for those who relish epic histories of family power.”—Simon Sebag Montefiore, New York Times-bestselling author of The World

“Admirably readable, written with verve and a fine feeling for the ancient context of these seven queen Cleopatras and their modern afterlives. The first six are seldom studied, but here, what we can know of them is cleverly related to the seventh, the famous Cleopatra.”—Robin Lane Fox, author of Homer and His Iliad

“We are all familiar with the sensationalized infamy of Cleopatra VII, Octavian’s propagandistic tale told and re-told for centuries in history books and on the stage and screen of a woman who imperiled her people. But there has always been far more to Cleopatra’s story. Llewellyn-Jones's The Cleopatras unlocks the fascinating history of the many queens of her era, taking the reader into the political intrigue, murderous violence, incest, and epic power struggles that marked their dynasty and examining the ways in which these queens somehow wielded power within a deeply patriarchal regime.”—Kara Cooney, author of When Women Ruled the World

“Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones has produced a vivid account of the history of Egypt under Greek rule. Without sensationalizing, he brings the Cleopatras and their dynasty, the Ptolemies, to life, in all their splendor, power, intrigue, incest, debauchery, and ultimate annihilation.”—Aidan Dodson, author of Nefertiti, Queen and Pharaoh of Egypt

“A fascinating and beautifully written look into the complex lives of not one but seven Cleopatras: the ruthless and determined queens who acted as the power brokers of Egypt's Ptolemaic dynasty.”—Joyce Tyldesley, author of Cleopatra

Intriguing!!

This is a well researched and well written account of the seven Cleopatras and how they rose to power and maintain power.

Fascinating

Having received my undergrad in Ancient Greek civilization, I was massively undereducated in the information regarding the Ptolemies and Egypt in general. It's been fascinating to hear the lives of all these people and how they affected history. Even in college, my studies were so hyper-focused on Greece that knowledge on the Ptolemies were nil. The information given holds your interest throughout the entire book. I was at times horrified, titillated, intrigued, and amazed by the occurrences in this dynasty. I cannot recommend it enough.

Bloody Brilliant!!

Wonderfully narrated by the author and reads like a soap opera of the finest levels of chaos. I had a professor tell me once, there were many more Cleopatras far more attesting than Cleopatra VII (THAT Cleopatra) and boy was he correct. Absolutely riveting in terms of bringing depth and humanity to this colorful dynasty. Highly recommend!

Biggest complaint- author is biased against the Jewish faith

The author refers to the Jewish faith as “the cult of Yahweh” but doesn’t do the same for any of Greek, Roman, or Egyptian religions.

He also dismisses a report of salvation of a group of Jews from slaughter as “a made up salvation tale.” whether it’s made up or not, I don’t know. It just rubs me the wrong way how he phrased it. He could have faced it as “there are no other corroborating stories of this event”

Thorough on events, weak on analysis

If you're interested in a blow-by-blow history of the later and lesser Ptolemies, with some sidetreks into the Seleucids, this is a very thorough overview. It's not really what it claims to be though, there's no particularly clear focus on the Cleopatras and what it meant to be queen in this era, beyond a "people judge women in power more harshly," which yes is absolutely true but is rather superficial. I was hoping for more takeaway ideas, and mostly got chronology. Fair bit of unnecessary fat-shaming thrown about as well, as much as the author recognizes that the sources portray the Ptolemies in a sensationalist light he is more than happy to indulge in those titillitating details and assume he knows the inner minds of his subjects. Clearly knows his stuff (the "further reading" postscript is perhaps the most useful part of the book) but I think has tried a little too hard to write "for the masses" and overshot that target for anyone interested enough to pick up a book on this obscure a topic.

Unfocused story telling

I tried to listen many times, but the book does not do a good job of telling the story. No dates, no background, no clear idea what the author is trying to do.