The Macedonian queen of Egypt
The portraits dress her as an Egyptian goddess, which makes the family tree the better story. Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator was queen of Egypt, and she styled herself a new Isis. Britannica gives the full name as "Cleopatra the Father-Loving Goddess," and notes that the Greek root of her name means "Famous in Her Father."
She was the last queen of the Macedonian Ptolemaic dynasty. Alexander the Great died in 323 BCE. Rome annexed Egypt in 30 BCE, the year she died. Between those dates a Greek-speaking court ruled the Nile. The Metropolitan Museum's essay on the Ptolemaic period places Alexander's taking of Egypt in 332 BCE, and the dynasty's start in 305 BCE, when his general Ptolemy became Ptolemy I. It lasted until 30 BCE, after her defeat.
Greek was a major language beside Egyptian, with Demotic in use except on monuments, and the Ptolemies remained Hellenistic rulers. She was born in 70 or 69 BCE, daughter of Ptolemy XII Auletes. Her mother was most likely his wife and sister, Cleopatra V Tryphaena. Britannica is plain about the bloodline: there was little if any Egyptian blood in it.
Plutarch, as Britannica retells him, says she alone of her house learned Egyptian. From 51 BCE she co-ruled with her brother Ptolemy XIII. She was about 18, and about eight years older than he was, and she was the dominant partner. A marriage between them is likely but not proven. The first decree that puts his name first is dated October 50 BCE. She later fled to Syria and returned in 48 BCE at Pelusium, as Pompey was murdered and Caesar arrived.
The winter siege in Alexandria ended with Ptolemy XIII drowned in the Nile. She then ruled with another brother, Ptolemy XIV. In June 47 BCE she gave birth to Ptolemy Caesar, called Caesarion, "little Caesar." Britannica says his paternity cannot now be known. When Caesar held a four-day triumph in 46 BCE, her sister Arsinoe was paraded in it. Cleopatra was in Rome when Caesar was murdered in 44 BCE. Ptolemy XIV died, and she ruled next with the infant Ptolemy XV.
One more Roman detail is easy to enjoy. She kept a villa beyond the Tiber, and Britannica says a golden statue of her may have stood in the temple of Venus Genetrix. The queen who learned Egyptian was also a guest in Caesar's city, and then a partner in Antony's eastern policy, without ever stopping being a Ptolemy.
Antony came after the Battle of Philippi in 42 BCE. She sailed to Tarsus up the Cydnus, dressed as Isis, and he met her as Dionysus. Twins, Alexander Helios and Cleopatra Selene, were born in 40 BCE. Antony also married Octavia. In 34 BCE the Donations of Alexandria set golden thrones on a silver platform. Caesarion was proclaimed Caesar's son. She was named queen of kings, and the boy king of kings.
Actium came on 2 September 31 BCE. Antony fell on his sword after a false report that she was already dead. She died in Alexandria on 30 August 30 BCE, with two servants, at age 39. She had been queen for 22 years and Antony's partner for 11. The popular ancient belief is an asp. Britannica notes that a snake is unlikely to have killed three adults, that some classical writers say poison, and that some modern scholars suggest Octavian had her murdered. She and Antony were buried together.
The Greek court, the Egyptian goddess, and the Roman ending all sit in the same life. A queen of Egypt can still be the last of a Macedonian house, and that is the line to share. Tomorrow's question asks how many fighters stood in a famous pass.