The Cleopatras
Discover the powerful story of the seven queens of Ancient Egypt!
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The Cleopatras
Narrated by:
Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones
Buy Now for ₹500.00
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Narrated by:
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Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones
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Written by:
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Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones
About this listen
Cleopatra: lover, seductress, and Egypt's greatest queen.
A woman more myth than history, immortalized in poetry, drama, music, art, and film.
She captivated Julius Caesar and Marc Antony, the two greatest Romans of the day, and died in a blaze of glory, with an asp clasped to her breast - or so the legend tells us.
But the real-life story of the historical Cleopatra VII is even more compelling. She was the last of seven Cleopatras who ruled Egypt before it was subsumed into the Roman Empire. The seven Cleopatras were the powerhouses of the Ptolemaic Dynasty, the Macedonian family who ruled Egypt after Alexander the Great. Emulating the practices of the gods, the Cleopatras married their full-blood brothers and dominated the normally patriarchal world of politics and warfare. These extraordinary women keep a close grip on power in the wealthiest country of the ancient world.
Each of the seven Cleopatras wielded absolute power. Their ruthless, single-minded, focus on dominance - generation after generation - resulted in extraordinary acts of betrayal, violence, and murder in the most malfunctional dynasty in history.
Professor Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones offers fresh and powerful insight into the real story of the Cleopatras, and the beguiling and tragic legend of the last queen of Egypt.
Praise for The Cleopatras:
' A great storyteller with an eye for detail, a vivid prose style, and a penchant for pop culture.' BARRY STRAUSS
'A real treat for those who relish epic histories of family power' SIMON SEBAG MONTEFIORE
'Admirably readable' ROBIN LANE FOX
'Unlocks the fascinating history of many queens' KARA COONEY
'A vivid account' ADRIAN DODSON©2024 Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones
Critic Reviews
A thrilling biography, filled with the imperial ambitions and merciless intrigues of one of world history's most brutal families, the Ptolemy dynasty of Egypt. Llewellyn-Jones's book places female power at the center through its seven Queen Cleopatras, culminating in the gripping story of the last of the Cleopatras and her alliances with Caesar and Antony. A real treat for those who relish epic histories of family power. (SIMON SEBAG MONTEFIORE, author of The World)
Admirably readable, written with verve and a fine feeling for the ancient context of these seven queen Cleopatras and their modern afterlives. The first six are seldom studied, but here, what we can know of them is cleverly related to the seventh, the famous Cleopatra. (ROBIN LANE FOX, author of Homer and His Iliad)
We are all familiar with the sensationalized infamy of Cleopatra VII, Octavian's propagandistic tale told and re-told for centuries in history books and on the stage and screen of a woman who imperiled her people. But there has always been far more to Cleopatra's story. Llewellyn-Jones's The Cleopatras unlocks the fascinating history of the many queens of her era, taking the reader into the political intrigue, murderous violence, incest, and epic power struggles that marked their dynasty and examining the ways in which these queens somehow wielded power within a deeply patriarchal regime. (KARA COONEY, author of When Women Ruled the World)
Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones has produced a vivid account of the history of Egypt under Greek rule. Without sensationalizing, he brings the Cleopatras and their dynasty, the Ptolemies, to life, in all their splendor, power, intrigue, incest, debauchery, and ultimate annihilation. (AIDAN DODSON, author of Nefertiti, Queen and Pharaoh of Egypt)
A fascinating and beautifully written look into the complex lives of not one but seven Cleopatras: the ruthless and determined queens who acted as the power brokers of Egypt's Ptolemaic dynasty. (JOYCE TYLDESLEY author of Cleopatra)
Throughout, Llewellyn-Jones highlights the queens' ruthless determination, framing them as women with a developed sense of gender dynamics and of patriarchy's inequities, whose political project was often-and quite explicitly-to seize power from men. It's an innovative take on an ancient dynasty.
A fascinating look at myriad dynastic dramas that will appeal to readers who want to learn more about the ancient world. This lively recounting of an ancient Egyptian dynasty through a feminist lens is perfect for history students."
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