Classical Wisdom Litterae - February 2022

Kingship was different; this power was limited to a few, within a family dynasty made up of men and women. In this context, women could serve a real purpose. Alexander the Great descended from just such a line of strong Macedonian kings, demanding that his mother Olympias act as a ruthless political operative herself. This was the kind of regime Alexander had planted in the Egyptian soil when he conquered it—one of exclusivity and totalitarianism and loyalty. The Ptolemies styled themselves as Egyptian kings of old, often abandoning their native Greek outfits and dressing the part. They inhabited the archaic god-king character with relish, wearing all the extravagant crowns and collars, and even engaging in repeated incestuous brother-sister marriages. The Ptolemaic Dynasty was an extraordinary mix of an Egyptian prudent fondness for the status quo and the hypercompetitive Greek world of political decentralization. There were backbiting and competing entourages, assassinations, even regicides—but despite all that, the Ptolemaic was still the longest-lived dynasty in all of ancient Egypt, lasting around 300 years in total. DRAMA Queen of the Afterlife After her death, Cleopatra’s opposition to Rome set her up as a hero and martyr for peoples of the East. Queen Zenobia of Palmyra modeled herself on the Egyptian queen, claiming genealogical descent from Cleopatra, as she fought against Rome during the third century. 16 Litterae | Issue 70