by Karen Essex
“No, no,” Caesar said wearily. “Give us a moment. I’ll fetch him myself and bring him in.”
“We can handle it, sir,” said the soldier.
“Yes, yes, but I’ve got a way with him,” said Caesar. “Besides, I shall make a little speech to the mob. I’ll tell them their queen is back, and that Caesar shall ensure peace in their kingdom.”
“Have the wine sellers discount their wares to the crowd,” Kleopatra suggested, remembering her father’s old ploy for placating his people.
“Excellent,” Caesar replied.
“As you wish,” the soldier said. Bowing courteously to Kleopatra but not meeting her eyes, he left.
“My brother has always been a nuisance,” Kleopatra said, leaning on her elbow.
“I imagine he has,” Caesar said. “Not to worry. He shall be made to understand.”
“General?”
“You may call me Caesar, my darling young queen, and I shall call you Kleopatra.”
“Caesar. Do be careful.”
“Never worry over me,” Caesar said, waving his long fingers in the air, fanning away her concerns. “It isn’t necessary. No one shall be hurt. At least not yet.”
GLOSSARY
Consul The Roman consulship was the highest political office in the Republic. Each year, two consuls were elected, who presided over the senate and the military. They assumed the duties of the former kings (the Republic replaced the monarchy in 509 B.C.E.), but the fact that they shared power and only served for one year safeguarded against one man assuming supreme power.
Equestrian class The equites originally made up the cavalry in the Roman army, but later the term was applied to the wealthy citizenry beneath the patrician class. The equites were mainly businessmen or capitalists, while the patricians were a smaller group of large landowners.
Exegete A city official in Alexandria.
Fasces The Roman standards. When Caesar entered Egypt flying the fasces, the Egyptians took it as an act of aggression.
Fellahin The class of Egyptian peasant farmers who labored on small plots of land and shared their crops with the crown. They were responsible for producing the bulk of Egypt’s grain crop.
Greek phalanx From approximately the eighth century B.C.E., the Greeks had organized their armies into the columnar unit of the phalanx, thus inserting discipline into what was formerly mass fighting. The soldiers were called hoplites, taken from hoplon, or “shield,” which was carried in the left hand so that the right hand was free to thrust with the spear. Each soldier was dependent upon the man on his right to protect that side of his body.
Hetaira The Greek word for “companion,” but used euphemistically for a Greek woman, slave or free, who traded sexual favors for money. Greek courtesans who were companions to men of rank were often educated, and sometimes had additional professions, such as hostess or entertainer. In the Greek world, the hetairai were more than tolerated—they were taxed.
Mouseion Literally a temple to the Muses in Alexandria, the Mouseion became the center of all learning in the Greek world. The Ptolemies funded the Mouseion, encouraging the finest minds to study and research there by giving them generous salaries and allowing them to live tax-free. Callimachus, Apollonius of Rhodes, Theocritus, Euclid, and Eratosthenes were just some of the scholars who lived and worked at the Mouseion. The tradition of research and learning continued well into the Byzantine period, until the Mouseion was destroyed by the Christians, who disapproved of “pagan” knowledge.
Novus homo A new man, or the first man in a family to hold the Roman office of consul, thus becoming a member of the nobility. Their descendants could then be known as members of the nobiles, the “well-knowns,” an exclusive group of senators whose ancestors had held a consulship. Cicero was a novus homo.
Nome Under Ptolemaic rule, Egypt was composed of forty-two nomoi, or nomes, which were loosely comparable to states. The typical nome stretched along the Nile for approximately fifty miles. Its villages were governed by a nomarch, who spoke both Greek and Egyptian and was appointed by the king.
Optimates and Populares In Julius Caesar’s time, politicians were either populares, those who worked through and on behalf of the citizenry, or optimates, or “best class,” the senatorial conservatives who believed that the wellborn were best suited to govern. Caesar, despite his illustrious heritage, was a populare. Pompey was clearly an optimate.
Quaestor An official elected for a one-year term to serve as a financial administrator, usually to a general on a campaign or a governor of a client kingdom. Caesar began his political career as a quaestor in Spain.
Roman legion The Roman legion evolved over the years to suit the needs of the times, but in Julius Caesar’s day it was a unit composed of approximately 4,800 infantry and 300 cavalry. The unit was further divided into ten cohorts that fought in a series of lines. The legion was more sophisticated than the phalanx; it allowed generals to command from the rear, and it allowed for diversity of weaponry and for greater reserves.
Talent A unit of currency, equal to 6,000 drachmas.
Tribune of the People Tribunes were elected from the plebeian class, historically, to protect the plebeians from the patricians. Nonetheless, many tribunes, such as Antony, were from very old and wealthy equestrian families. The tribunes had the all-important power of veto over the senate.
TIMELINE (All Dates are B.C.E.)
3200 Begins Egypt’s dynastic period
2700–2255 Egypt’s old kingdom (the time of the great pyramid, built by the pharaoh Cheops, c. 2572)
2255–1570 Egypt’s intermediate kingdom and middle kingdom
1570–1070 Egypt’s new kingdom
—Amenhotep I (r. 1551-1524)
—Hapshetsut (r. 1504-1483)
—Ramses II (r. I279-I2I3)
1070–332 Egypt is ruled by a series of outsiders: the Tanis kings, Libyan chieftains, Cushites, Assyrians, Persians
753 Founding of the city of Rome
332–331 Alexander the Great (king of Macedonia) enters and subjugates Egypt, liberating the country from Persia
—Founds the Mediterranean city of Alexandria at the site of the fishing village of Rhakotis
—Becomes the first Macedonian pharaoh
323 Death of Alexander; Ptolemy I becomes ruler of Egypt
305 Ptolemy I becomes Pharaoh (November 7)
80 Ptolemy XII Auletes, father of Kleopatra VII, ascends to the throne
70/69 Kleopatra VII is born
60 First Roman triumvirate (Caesar/Pompey/Crassus)
58 Auletes in exile in Rome
55 Auletes reinstated by Gabinius, Governor of Syria; his troops are led by Antony
51 Kleopatra is named co-regent with her father
—Death of Auletes
—Kleopatra presides over the installation of the sacred bull in Hermonthis
—Kleopatra marries her half brother Ptolemy XIII
49 Kleopatra flees to Upper Egypt
48 Kleopatra moves her headquarters to Askalon
—Caesar is victorious in Pharsalos (August 16)
—Caesar enters Egypt
ACCOLADES FOR KLEOPATRA
“Mesmerizing…both deeply informed and irresistibly sexy. You will smell the lotus perfume, witness the royal intrigue, and feel the erotic passions of ancient Egypt as never before. Kleopatra is alluring, cunning, spicy, and alive in a way that is fresh and unforgettable.”
—BRUCE FEILER, AUTHOR OF WALKING THE BIBLE
“A true hidden history. With empathy and mercilessness, Essex has taken complex events and daunting legends and made them not just comprehensible, but thrilling.… This authentic, brilliantly reimagined chronicle sets new standards.”
—MIKAL GILMORE, AUTHOR OF SHOT IN THE HEART
“Essex does for Kleopatra what Josephine Tey did for Richard III. She paints a fresh portrait of the woman male historians, not to mention Hollywood, cast as a femme fatale—a cliché.… A satisfyingly complex picture of both
the woman and the political realities of the time.”
—CAROL THURSTON, AUTHOR OF EYE OF HORUS
“I was captivated by KLEOPATRA. While entertaining, it also restores important historical truths long ignored about a fascinating woman. A terrific read.”
—J. RANDY TARABORRELLI, AUTHOR OF JACKIE, ETHEL, JOAN
“Authentic history and a delightful story mesh perfectly.… Essex brings Kleopatra to life.”
—DOROTHY GARLOCK, AUTHOR OF MORE THAN MEMORY
“Represents a paradigm shift in thinking about women in history.”
—DR. MARY BESS DUNN, PROFESSOR OF EDUCATION, TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY
“Kleopatra finally gets her due as the brilliant, many-faceted woman she was. Essex’s research is meticulous and her prose is as compelling as her subject.”
—SUSAN FORD WILTSHIRE, PROFESSOR OF CLASSICS, VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY, AND AUTHOR OF ATHENA’S DISGUISES
