Skip to content
Home » Cleopatra’s Languages: Reimagining a Famous Queen

Cleopatra’s Languages: Reimagining a Famous Queen

Cleopatra's languages. She shown standing before Caesar

The online journal, Ancient Near East Today, has a thought-provoking article on Cleopatra’s languages. Ancient sources attributed to her the ability to converse in an astonishing number of languages. On the surface, that sounds like an indication of great intelligence and linguistic skill. However, historians have often discounted this aspect of her character.

A New View of Cleopatra’s Languages

a Roman bust believed to be of Cleopatra. Photo image for post on Cleopatra's Languages
Cleopatra VII, Roman bust (now in Berlin), photo Wiki public domain

Now a Dutch historian has a fascinating take on this topic. Without giving away his nuanced and intriguing argument, I’ll say only that, while he leans away from the view of Cleopatra the genius linguist, he offers support for a reassessment of her as a smart, ambitious queen with a striking imperial vision and respect as ruler for a variety of African peoples. If this scholar’s “read” of the evidence regarding Cleopatra is correct, then she and the African continent both gain importance in the place western historians have traditionally given them.

Further Reading

For the full argument, read the article in Ancient Near East Today, “Cleopatra’s Languages.”

You might also enjoy my post about the mystery surrounding the location of Cleopatra’s tomb.

The public domain photo at the top of this post is a painting by French artist Jean-Léon Gérôme, 1866, depicting Cleopatra being unrolled from the rug she hid inside to sneak back into the palace to meet Julius Caesar.

Latest Posts

book cover image Rose of Jericho

Rose of Jericho by Alex Grecian: Book Review

Set in nineteenth-century New England, Rose of Jericho combines gothic horror with historical fantas…

Read More
Seven for the Secret book cover image

Seven for a Secret by Lyndsay Faye, Book Review

I noticed this book on my shelf and was thinking how good it is. And somehow I never posted my revie…

Read More
Throne room fresco of bard and bird among the Mycenaean Treasures at Pylos

Mycenaean Treasures from Pylos

The treasures from the Griffin Warrior's tomb excavated in Pylos Greece are going on display for the…

Read More

2 thoughts on “Cleopatra’s Languages: Reimagining a Famous Queen”

  1. It’s definitely good that the archaeologist is not damaging the site or ignoring important information (we hope). Also awesome, however, that there’s an archaeologist out there who’s a wild, impractical dreamer. I wonder how many important tombs or other sites have yet to be discovered or made the focus of a twenty-year quest. Genghis Khan, for one.

    1. I also like wild dreamers, but I share the hope that the rigor of her work is as professional as she indicates–once a dig is messed with there’s no going back. I really liked the argument about the context of Cleopatra’s language use in this article. It’s very clever and thoughtful.

Comments are closed.