In film and television, Cleopatra was embodied, among others, by screen goddess Elisabeth Taylor. But in real life, the Egyptian queen would not have been a classic beauty.
Cleopatra was the last queen of Egypt. She was crowned at the age of 18 and achieved world fame through her collaboration with Caesar.
It is believed that the native Greek was an extremely educated woman. It is said that Ptolemy XII’s daughter spoke nine languages. Auletes’ also received lessons in philosophy and oratory.
Her intelligence and education were praised during her lifetime, but her appearance was not. As evidenced by a now-excavated bust (see photos below), she appeared rather fat and grumpy.
Dominican archaeologist Kathleen Martinez (57) has been researching the Cleopatra case for twenty years and is convinced that this portrait shows the ‘real’ Cleopatra.
A year ago, she is said to have tracked down secret tunnel systems in ancient Egyptian temple complexes and found coins, oil lamps, ceramics and amulets.
Not a Liz Taylor-esque beauty
“The popular image we know of Cleopatra is the beautiful queen who was adored by Roman politicians and generals,” said Clare Pickersgill, deputy director of the Newcastle Archaeological Museum, in 2007 after unearthing a coin with Cleopatra’s face. But research contradicts this.
Newcastle University Archaeological Museum director Linsay Allason-Jones said: “The statue is a far cry from Liz Taylor and Robert Burton. Roman writers have always reported that Cleopatra was intelligent, charismatic and had a beautiful voice. However, her beauty was not reported.”
Source: Krone
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