Who Was Cleopatra?
On a dark night in ancient Alexandria, in Egypt, a small boat glided into the royal harbor. Quietly, it moved past huge ships resting at anchor. No one noticed the little boat, its oars lightly splashing the water. The lone boatman headed to the palace wharf and tied the boat to the dock.
He lifted his cargo out of the boat. It was a long leather sack for storing bedclothes. He then hurried with his bundle through the back entrance of the palace to the royal guest rooms. The king of Egypt had an important visitor, a general from Rome named Julius Caesar. Maybe the sack held fresh sheets for the general’s bed. Or maybe not . . .
At the door to Caesar’s rooms the man told the guards he had a delivery for the general. The guards checked with Caesar, and the boatman was allowed to enter. As the doors closed, he loosened the straps and the sack dropped to the floor. There were no bedsheets in
this sack! Imagine Caesar’s surprise when standing before him was twenty-one-year-old Queen Cleopatra of Egypt.
According to the wishes of their late father, the previous king of Egypt, his two eldest living children were supposed to rule together. But Cleopatra’s brother wanted to kill her and rule Egypt alone. She had run away from Alexandria because she was afraid for her life. At this time, 48 BCE, Rome was becoming a powerful empire. And Caesar was the most powerful Roman general. With Caesar’s help she might convince her brother to rule with her as their father had wanted. When she learned about Caesar’s visit, she snuck back to Alexandria, and into the palace, to meet the general. Caesar was impressed with Cleopatra’s cleverness and courage, and that night he agreed to help her remain queen of Egypt.
Cleopatra would go on to rule Egypt for twenty more years. Such a long reign was a rare thing in the Mediterranean world of her time, the first century BCE. There had been many strong women in Cleopatra’s family. But she would stand out among them all. She ruled an ancient and important kingdom; she led her own armies and commanded fleets. Cleopatra was the best-educated woman of her time, and the richest. In fact, Cleopatra was worshipped as a goddess in her lifetime and beyond. But she was also a loving mother. And what she accomplished made her one of the most famous women in history.
Copyright © 2026 by Kathryn Waterfield. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
