The legendary Egyptian queen Cleopatra VII came to power at the remarkably young age of 17 after the death of her father, Pharaoh Ptolemy XII, in 51 BC. She ruled Egypt for over 2 decades before taking her own life in 30 BC at the age of 39.
Cleopatra ascended the throne at the age of 17 and died at the age of 39. She spoke 9 languages. She knew the language of Ancient Egypt and had learned to read hieroglyphics, a unique case in her dynasty. Apart from this, she knew Greek and the languages of the Parthians, Hebrews, Medes, Troglodytes, Syrians, Ethiopians, and Arabs.
With this knowledge, any book in the world was open to her. In addition to languages, she studied geography, history, astronomy, international diplomacy, mathematics, alchemy, medicine, zoology, economics, and other disciplines. She tried to access all the knowledge of her time.
Cleopatra spent a lot of time in a kind of ancient laboratory. She wrote some works related to herbs and cosmetics. Unfortunately, all her books were destroyed in the fire of the great Library of Alexandria in 391 AD. C. The famous physicist Galen studied her work, and was able to transcribe some of the recipes devised by Cleopatra.
One of these remedies, which Galen also recommended to her patients, was a special cream that could help bald men regain their hair. Cleopatra’s books also included beauty tips, but none of them have come down to us.
The queen of Egypt was also interested in herbal healing, and thanks to her knowledge of languages, she had access to numerous papyri that are lost today. Her influence on the sciences and medicine was well known in the early centuries of Christianity. She, without a doubt, is a unique figure in the history of humanity
Cleopatra co-ruled with her two younger brothers Ptolemy XIII and Ptolemy XIV during her reign. However, she was by far the most dominant and influential of the three. She was an intelligent and strategic leader who brought prosperity and riches to Egypt through her partnerships with powerful Roman leaders Julius Caesar and Mark Antony.
Though her rule ended tragically with defeat by the Roman Empire, Cleopatra left an enduring legacy as one of the most famous female rulers in history. Her intelligence, determination and political savvy have made her story legendary even thousands of years after her death. At just 39 years old, her mark on history was already permanent.
