Cleopatra VII Philopator became co-ruler of Egypt at age 18 - sharing the throne, awkwardly, with her 10-year-old brother. They were the last royal family of a kingdom that had already lasted 3,000 years. By her early 20s she had pushed her brother aside and was running things herself.
Most members of her family - Greek by background - never bothered learning Egyptian. Cleopatra did. According to the Greek writer Plutarch, writing more than a century later, she spoke many languages - perhaps as many as nine - including Egyptian, Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic. She was famous for her intelligence and clever conversation as much as for her looks.
She formed powerful alliances with two of Rome’s most famous men, Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, hoping to keep Egypt free. When Rome’s army defeated them, Cleopatra refused to be paraded through Rome as a captive. According to legend, she died from the bite of a venomous snake - and Egypt became a Roman province soon after.
