Cleopatra, Rome, and the birth of a new world
In August of 30 BC, two events changed the history of the Mediterranean forever: Octavian's entry into Alexandria after defeating Mark Antony and Cleopatra, and, a few days later, the death of the last queen of the Ptolemaic dynasty.
Those events were not just the end of a power struggle, but the close of an era that had begun centuries earlier with Alexander the Great and the beginning of a new world dominated by Rome.
Alexander the Great and the birth of Cleopatra's Egypt
In the 4th century BC, Alexander the Great created one of the greatest empires of antiquity, spreading Greek culture from Greece to Egypt and the Orient.
After his death in 323 BC, his generals divided his territories and created new kingdoms.
One of them, Ptolemy, took control of Egypt and founded the Ptolemaic dynasty, a family of Macedonian origin that ruled the country for nearly three centuries from Alexandria.
Under their rule, Egypt maintained its wealth and its importance in the Mediterranean, turning Alexandria into a great commercial and cultural center.
Many years later, one of his descendants, Cleopatra VII, would become the last queen of this dynasty.
Cleopatra and Mark Antony versus the power of Rome
When Cleopatra came to the throne, Egypt was still a rich and important kingdom, but Rome had already become the great power of the Mediterranean.
The Egyptian queen was an intelligent ruler who tried to preserve her country's independence against the growing Roman power.
Meanwhile, Rome was going through a political crisis following the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BC.
In that power struggle, Octavian and Mark Antony stood out—former allies who ended up turning against each other.
Mark Antony, who controlled Rome's eastern territories, joined Cleopatra in a political and personal alliance to create a bloc capable of stopping Octavian. However, the latter considered this union a threat to Rome and managed to turn much of the Roman world against them.
The defeat of Mark Antony and Cleopatra at the naval battle of Actium in 31 BC left the fate of Egypt practically decided.
The day Octavian took Alexandria
After the victory at Actium, the Romans advanced toward Egypt with their troops.
Their goal was to put an end to the resistance of Mark Antony and Cleopatra once and for all and gain control of one of the richest territories in the ancient world.
On August 1, 30 BC, Octavian entered Alexandria, the great Egyptian capital.
The city was not only an important place because of its beauty or its monuments; it was the economic and cultural heart of Egypt.
For Rome, this conquest was of enormous value.
Egypt provided wealth, fertile land, and a supply of wheat that was fundamental to feeding the Roman population.
With this victory, Octavian increased his power even further.
The death of Cleopatra and the end of an era
After Octavian's arrival in Alexandria, Mark Antony and Cleopatra were left with no chance of victory.
Mark Antony, erroneously believing that Cleopatra had died, took his own life.
The queen, alone against Roman power and knowing she would be taken to Rome as a prisoner, died on August 12, 30 BC.
Ancient sources say she used a venomous snake to end her life, although historians also consider other possibilities.
With her disappeared the last Ptolemaic queen, and a tradition of independent government that had been born after the death of Alexander the Great came to an end.
Two days in August that changed history
August 1st and 12th, 30 BC marked the beginning of a new stage in the history of the Mediterranean.
Egypt became part of the Roman domain, and its riches fell under Rome's control.
Octavian became the most powerful man in the Republic and, shortly after, under the name Augustus, initiated the Roman Empire.
From then on, Rome came to dominate a large part of the Mediterranean, and the old kingdoms born after the conquests of Alexander the Great disappeared.
History remembers Cleopatra as a fascinating queen, but her fall represents something much larger: the end of an era and the birth of another in which Rome would dominate the lands of the Mediterranean for centuries.
