Publisher's Synopsis
This volume presents the work of a lively international symposium accompanying the special exhibition Cleopatra of Egypt: from History to Myth, held at the British Museum in 2001. Scholars working in the fields of Egyptology, Classics, Islamic and Cultural Studies here enhance our understanding of Cleopatra VII, last queen of Egypt and - 2,000 years after her dramatic death - still an icon for our times. The book is divided in four sections: Cleopatra and Egypt; Cleopatra and the Hellenistic Greek Tradition: Cleopatra and Rome; Cleopatra Abroad. Nineteen contributors explore such issues as the presentation of Cleopatra in written and visual sources; her known deeds as queen of Egypt; perceptions of Cleopatra in antiquity and the Islamic world, and the unexpectedly far-reaching influence of the last queen of Egypt as an icon of female power.
