c l e o p a t r a
Cleopatra VII Philopator was the last of the Ptolemaic rulers of Egypt, which started with Ptolemy I following
the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BCE. In her time (50 - 30 BCE), Ptolemaic rule was tied with Rome, and a civil war
was raging between Julius Caesar and his legions and the conservative Republican Senate, supported by Pompey.
While in exile from Egypt, Cleopatra is said to have smuggled herself into Caesar's palace and pleaded her case as
ruler. Her tactics worked, and Egypt was placed under her rule rather than annexed into
the Roman Empire under Caesar. She had a son with Caesar and later children with Marc Antony, who stepped in as ruler of
the region following Caesar's assassination and the division of Roman rule between Antony, Octavian
and Marcus Lepidus. Cleopatra was considered to have great beauty, though historians wrote more of
her wit, intelligence and charming manner than her outstanding appearance. Like her contemporaries, she was not shy
about using power and assassinating her rivals; at various times, she had her siblings killed in
order to secure her place on the throne. Her luck ran out when Octavian's forces defeated Antony's and Cleopatra's
armies in the Battle of Actium and Octavian invaded Egypt. Whether she committed suicide by asp bite or
drinking a mixture with hemlock is subject to debate, but she and Antony did die before they could be taken
back to Rome as prisoners of war. She died in 30 BCE at approximately 40 years old.
Cleopatra and Marc Antony are said to be lovers of opals; there's a story of Marc Antony banishing
a Roman senator for refusing to sell an opal that was to be a gift for Cleopatra. The opal in
this pendant is a thin Australian opal - likely a Boulder opal - extracted from an underlying matrix
of brown ironstone. The faceted green tourmaline makes a striking contrast, and the distinctly
Egyptian cartouche flair of the 1 1/2" pendant recalls the glamour and glory of the last of the ancient
rulers.
Cost: $164.00 USD
Cost of gift shipment (domestic shipping only): $5.95 USD
m a k e i t a g i f t
s h i p m e n t :
Looking to ship this item separately as a gift? Gift shipment includes gift boxing and an occasion specific
card sent to the recipient via USPS Priority Mail. Fill out the fields below including this
jewelry item name, the recipient name and address, and occasion and this item will be
sent to the recipient with a card and note. See the gift box section
for samples of shipments with different occasion specific cards. Cost of gift shipment (domestic shipping only): $5.95 USD
c a t e g o r i e s :
- Color: blue
- Color: green
- Material: quartz softie
- Material: gem rainbow
- Type: necklace - short
- Geek Chic: school daze
- Cool Finds: cool stones
- Something Special: iconic pieces
The pendant and chain are robust to toddler tugs, but as with
all beaded jewelry: do not let young toddlers chew on it.
