PART A SOURCE ANALYSIS
Source A
Cleopatra was insatiable for sexual
passion and money. She was
swayed by great and {praiseworthy}
ambition, but also limitless
boldness. She gained royal power
over the Egyptians by love, and
hoped in the same manner to
obtain royal power over the
Romans.
Cassius Dio, Roman History 51.9.4
The strength of Rome was so sight
that no king of Egypt could hope to
save the falling Kingdom by any
power a king could command, but a
queen of Egypt, with this power of a
different order, might actually
convert the very strength of Rome
to be the instrument of her
purposes
(ER, Bevan)
Cassius praises and celebrates Cleopatras beauty and bold
ambition to achieve greatness. It is clear that she was a
strong female leader that utilised her femininity to gain
royal power in a male-dominated world.
Her goal-oriented persona prevented Egypt from being
entirely dominated from Rome.
Dio expresses his admiration for Cleopatras independence
who went against the social norms of her time through his
description of swayed by great and praiseworthy ambition,
but also limitless boldness. Communicating the power that
Cleopatra held at the time.
Despite his praises, the source seems biased due to it being
written during the time of her reign.
Source B
Cleopatra VII is represented as a beautiful and powerful
leader in this sculpture, portrayed through her; jewel
encrusted golden headdress, featuring the horns of
goddess, Hathor, and two plumes.
The black basalt sculpture is depicted in a traditional,
idealised Egyptian style which does not reflect a realistic
appearance.
An element of bias is present as the statue seems to have
been oversexualised to portray her power as a seminal
feminine figure.
The sculpture aimed to reflect social and religious
hierarchies in the composition and to portray her sexuality
as her strongest feature.
For example, the pharaoh-god was greater than man and
therefore had to be shown as such.
Source C
This primary source reveals Egypts stance during the
start of Cleopatras reign; that it was a failing kingdom
that was doomed to resurrect by any man.
The source illustrates how low the Egyptian civilisation
had gotten, and how important it was that Cleopatra
took on the role as Pharaoh.
Rome was extremely strong during the 1st century BC
Cleopatra was able to manipulate her enemies to be her
weapon.
 Source D

In exchange for providing Antony
with funds, Cleopatra demanded
(and was granted) the execution of
Arsinoe, the pretender Ptolemy VIV
and of the Admiral Sarapion, all of
whom threatened both her crown
and the throne she hoped to pass
to her children
Cleopatras reckless use of power and her determination
to do anything to stay in power is shown.
She chose her allies well, was extremely intelligent
Her insatiable yet ambitious tactics made powerful men
such as Mark Antony and Julius Caesar listen to her

Professor Andrew Mason

CORROBORATION

Through the critical analysis of Sources A, B, C, D and a range of other sources, todays society is able to
gather a deeper understanding into Egyptian society at the time of Cleopatras reign. A majority of the above
sources present a positive perspective of Cleopatras views and the way she governed Egypt during the turn
of the 1st Century BC. A recurring theme of Cleopatra VII represented as a beautiful and significant leader is
prominent. Many people viewed her as a goddess, one greatly alike the god of Hathor, and this is clearly
shown in Sources A, B, and C. Source B represents her as a beautiful and powerful leader through her; jewel
encrusted golden headdress and the featured horns and plumes of goddess, Hathor. While others, such as
Source C and D reveal her intelligence and powers of manipulation. How she was able to resurrect a decaying
ancient kingdom thought to be doomed to rise again. In conclusion, through reference to sources A, B, C,
D, and other research, we are able to gather a deeper understanding on Cleopatra and how she was one of
the most significant figures to have ever lived, bringing with her reign the resurrection of a decaying ancient
kingdom; powerful new alliances with Rome, and a stable leader to the throne of Egypt.
 PART B EXTENDED RESPONSE
Over the next two thousand years, she would be renowned for her outstanding physical beauty, inspiring innumerable
works of art depicting her as an alluring temptress, and insatiable yet ambitious tactics in which she used to control
Egypt. Undoubtedly, the Egyptian Queen, and the last ruler of the Macedonian dynasty, Cleopatra VII; was a significantly
seminal figure in the turning of the 1st Century BC. Cleopatra VII Philopator, known to history simply as Cleopatra, was
born in 69 BC, into a troubled royal dynasty and a decaying ancient kingdom. Cleopatras leadership distinguished her
from the other Cleopatras of her day, for the sole reason that she was a strong female leader that utilised her femininity
to gain royal power in a male-dominated world. Thrust into royalty at the young age of 17, her father was exiled, leaving
her to seize power. Cleopatra understood, as her father was controlled by the Romans, the only way to achieve success
and long-term stability in Egypt was to find alliances. She effectively utilised her wits and sexuality to climb the political
hierarchy and eventually become the Pharaoh of Egypt; with a luxurious reign of 21 years. Through reference to sources
A, B, C, D, and other research, we are able to recognise how Cleopatra is one of the most significant figures to have
ever lived, bringing with her reign the resurrection of a decaying ancient kingdom; powerful new alliances with Rome,
and a stable leader to the throne of Egypt.

Cleopatra was undeniably Egypts greatest queen, a significantly seminal figure in her time period. Despite living in an
era of male sovereignty and one that deemed women unfit to rule; she was able to bring peace, order and prosperity to
a decaying kingdom, thought to be doomed to resurrect by any man. This is seen through the lines of no king of Egypt
could hope to save the falling Kingdom by any power a king could command expressed by ER, Bevan in Source C;
suggesting that Cleopatras reign was clearly significant and a surprise to a dying Egyptian society. The source illustrates
how low the Egyptian civilisation had gotten, and how important it was that Cleopatra took on the role as Pharaoh.

Though her campaign through the ranks of political hierarchy were not as easy as sources make it out to be. Cleopatras
goal-oriented vision and confident drawl is what gave her power over powerful men such as Julius Caesar. She realized
that both her brothers had neither the influence nor intelligence to compete with the politics of the time, and that she
was going to have to network with such men on her own, to make any difference. Something that she knew how to do,
according to Sources A in which both Cassius and Plutarch praise her as insatiable for sexual passion and money
and that the impact of her spirit was irresistible. These philosophers celebrated Cleopatras beauty and bold ambition
to achieve greatness. It is clear that she was a strong female leader that utilised her femininity to gain royal power in a
male-dominated world. Using this irresistible spirit and charm, she was able to strategically have children with two of
Romes most prominent men, and thus tying alliances to Rome. These two men were Julius Caesar and Mark Antony.

Furthermore, despite her romance with Caesar and Antony, Cleopatra wanted Egypt to remain independent of Rome.
She built up the Egyptian economy, establishing trade with many Arabic nations. Egypt was the largest supplier of
grain to Rome and so that the grain supply was not disrupted it was vital that the country be politically stable. The
expanding Roman Empire had a growing number of mouths to feed and when Cleopatra came to power, she was
faced with a famished nation and a growing Roman shadow. Because of Egypt's fragile state, she was forced to be
extremely resourceful in ensuring Egypt's survival. She had to find a balance between giving Rome some control over
Egypt, and keeping the Romans at bay so as to prevent a complete overtake of Egypt.

In a completely different aspect of Egyptian society, Cleopatra also impacted greatly on the conventional fashion trends
of Egypt. Cleopatra skilfully combined both Greek and Egyptian elements in her wardrobe. The peplum is descended
from the ancient Greek peplos style, a long tube-like garment belted at the waist and cleverly folded to give the illusion
of a flared piece of fabric at the hips. But the Queen mixed these more modest gowns with seductive Egyptian fashions.
As depicted in Source B, her hair was perfectly coiffed and attended to, often arranged in the melon hairstyle of her
day which combined multiple braids into a bun at the nape of the neck. In which many of her followers did the same.
Many sculptures of Cleopatra such as the one in Source B represented her as a beautiful and powerful leader through
her; jewel encrusted golden headdress and the featured horns and plumes of goddess, Hathor. Hathor is an Ancient
Egyptian goddess who personified the principles of joy, feminine love, and motherhood. To think that society related
Cleopatra to the Ancient Egyptian goddess, meant they thought extremely highly of her.

In conclusion, through reference to sources A, B, C, D, and other research, we are able to recognise how Cleopatra is
one of the most significant figures to have ever lived, bringing with her reign the resurrection of a decaying ancient
kingdom; powerful new alliances with Rome, and a stable leader to the throne of Egypt. In an era when Egypt was roiled
by internal and external battles, Cleopatra held the country together and proved to be as powerful a leader as any of
her male counterparts.
 PART C REFERENCES
Text Books
Roberts, P.R, Excel HSC Ancient History Book 1, @ 2002 Peter Roberts and Pascal Press

Hibbert, C.H, Rich and Poor in Ancient Egypt, Arcturus Publishing, 2005

Morgan, J.M, Leaders of Ancient Egypt, Cleopatra, Ruling in the Shadow of Rome, the Rosen Publishing Group, 2003

Jackson, G.M, Women Who Ruled, ABC-CLIO, First Edition (June 30, 1990)

Websites
Biography.com Editors, Cleopatra VII Biography, July 28, 2016, A&E Television Networks
http://www.biography.com/people/cleopatra-vii-9250984,

Bryce Hike, Cleopatra Facts, Pictures and Dress Ancient, November 16, 2013, Hub Pages,
http://hubpages.com/education/Ancient-Egypt-Queen-Cleopatra-Facts-Pictures-and-Dress

Bois, Danuta. Cleopatra VII. Distinguished Women of the Past and Present, 18 December 2005,
http://www.distinguishedwomen.com/

Anonymous, Cleopatra: Last of the Pharaohs, 18 December 2005,

http://users.bigpond.Net.au/gary_fletcher/Cleopatra.html#Top

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleopatra

Articles
The Lost World of Cleopatra. Current Events. January 1999, 1-5.

Online Magazine
Chip Brown, The search for Cleopatra, National Geographic, July 2011,
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/07/cleopatra/brown-text

Video Documentary
FULL LENGTH DOCUMENTARY, Cleopatra: A Time watch Guide, BBC Documentary, May 9, 2015,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GavqbD_lhk

Strange Events, The truth about Cleopatra, Documentary, Mar 21, 2016,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aj-kFLVVxj4

Online Encyclopedia
Joshua J. Mark, CLEOPATRAS YOUTH & ASCENT, ANCIENT HISTORY, 28 February 2014,
http://www.ancient.eu/Cleopatra_VII/

New World Encyclopedia Writers, Cleopatra VII Philopator, August 21, 2015, New Word Encyclopedia Org,
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Cleopatra