Scholar, seductress, alchemist: who was the real Cleopatra?

"Ask a 10-year-old child who Plutarch is and they'll scrunch up their brows – but Cleopatra? Their eyes light up with glee. Her name has permeated through time with far more recognition than the men who wrote about her."

"I learned – with nose deep in my own books – that Cleopatra had been a scholar too. She was a polyglot and could speak at least eight languages. Her interest in alchemy and healing remedies was cited in later texts, suggesting she'd once published her own research."

"The disdain of ancient sources that sought to dismiss her as exotic and seductive has corrupted her legacy. But I take pleasure in knowing that her name has permeated through time with far more recognition than the men who wrote about her."

Cleopatra VII has been systematically vilified throughout history by ancient sources that dismissed her as exotic and seductive, distorting her true legacy. Despite this disdain, her name has achieved far greater historical recognition than the men who wrote about her. The author, with Ghanaian, Sudanese, and British heritage, discovered a personal connection to Cleopatra while studying African studies. Rather than engaging in debates about Cleopatra's skin tone, the author explored why she felt connected to this historical figure. Research revealed Cleopatra was a accomplished scholar and polyglot fluent in at least eight languages, with documented interests in alchemy and healing remedies, suggesting she published her own research. Cleopatra lived closer in time to the modern era than to the ancient pyramids.

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