May 19, 2020
Last time, we saw Cleopatra grow up in the city of Alexandria, amid both luxury, excess, and the constant threat of death by family member. When her pharaoh father fled Egypt, she went with him, experiencing Rome for the very first time. General Pompey and some of their other Roman friends helped dear old dad win back his throne from his other daughter Berenice, and then, years later, he did something unfortunate: he left Egypt to Cleopatra AND her annoying brother Ptolemy XIII, and then he ALSO put them under Rome’s guardianship. She ruled well for a while, but her brother’s advisors conspired against her. Now Cleopatra’s a 21-year-old exile. How will she find her way back to greatness? Grab a fetching cloak, a burlap sack large enough to get rolled up in, and a strapping male companion. Let’s go traveling.
For a transcript, list of research sources and music credits, check out the show notes. To become a patron, go to my Patreon page.