The Murder of Cleopatra History's Greatest Cold Case

287 Pages·2013·4.32 MB·English

by  Pat Brown

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Published 2013 by Prometheus Books
The Murder of Cleopatra: History’s Greatest Cold Cas.e Copyright © 2013 by Pat
Brown. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, digital,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, or conveyed via
the Internet or a website without prior written permission of the publisher,
except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Every attempt has been made to trace accurate ownership of copyrighted
material in this book. Errors and omissions will be corrected in subsequent
editions, provided that notification is sent to the publisher.
Cover image © 2013 iStockPhoto
Cover design by Nicole Sommer-Lecht
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Prometheus Books
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Brown, Pat, 1955-
The murder of Cleopatra : history’s greatest cold case / by Pat Brown.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-61614-650-4 (pbk.)
ISBN 978-1-61614-651-1 (ebook)
1. Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, d. 30 B.C. 2. Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, d. 30
B.C.—Death and burial. 3. Queens—Egypt. 4. Egypt—Kings and rulers. 5. Egypt
—History—332-30 B.C. I. Title.
DT92.7.B78 2013
932.021092--dc23
2012040641
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Printed in the United States of America
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
NOTE TO THE READER
PROLOGUE: THE MYTH OF CLEOPATRA’S DEATH
Chapter 1: The Coldest Case
Chapter 2: The Phantom Cobra
Chapter 3: The Stage: Ancient Alexandria
Chapter 4: The Making of the Queen:
Part One—The Ancestors
Chapter 5: The Making of the Queen:
Part Two—The Macedonian Lineage
Chapter 6: The Making of the Queen:
Part Three—The Family
Chapter 7: Cleopatra VII Becomes Queen
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Chapter 8: Julius Caesar
Chapter 9: Mark Antony
Chapter 10: Octavian
Chapter 11: The Road to Actium:
Part One—The Conflict
Chapter 12: The Road to Actium:
Part Two—The Partners
Chapter 13: The Road to Actium:
Part Three—The Preparations
Chapter 14: Actium
Chapter 15: Plan B—The First Attempt to Flee Egypt
Chapter 16: Plan C—The Second Attempt to Flee
Egypt
Chapter 17: A Motive for the Murder of Cleopatra
Chapter 18: The Unforeseen Murder of Antony
Chapter 19: The Capture of Cleopatra
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Chapter 20: The Reconstruction
Chapter 21: Octavian’s Triumph
AFTERWORD: WHAT THIS NEW VIEW OF
CLEOPATRA MEANS TO WORLD HISTORY
Photo Insert
NOTES
BIBLIOGRAPHY
INDEX
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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This exploration of the life and death of Cleopatra VII has been
one of the most fascinating adventures of my life, and, once I
decided there was a story to tell, I knew I needed others along with
me who wanted the ideas I developed to get out into the world.
The journey started in 2003 with Discovery Channel and Atlantic
Productions, and if they hadn’t selected me to analyze this part of
history and be the host of The Mysterious Death of Cleopatra, this
book likely would not have been written.
Next I have to thank my wonderful and incredibly supportive
literary agent, Claire Gerus, who believed in this book and fought
to find a publisher who would believe in it is as well. She brought
me to Steven L. Mitchell and Prometheus Books, who took this
book on and brought it to fruition. I can’t thank Steven enough for
choosing this story of Cleopatra for publication.
Finally, I want to thank the people of Egypt for making my two
trips so enjoyable, and, especially I want to thank Dr. Zahi Hawass,
who oversees everything archeological in Egypt, who saw me
without an appointment, and who set up my wonderful trip to
Tapasoris Magna. And my utmost thanks to Dr. Said Gohary,
whose hospitality and conversation along with his lovely wife, Dr.
Jocelyn Gohary, made both my trips to Egypt so very special and
helped me immensely in my understanding of ancient Egypt and
the times in which Cleopatra lived.
And, finally, my readers; thank you for having a mind that is
open enough to read this new look at history and being willing to
give Cleopatra the extra attention she has always deserved.
—Pat Brown
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