by Stephanie Dray | May 31, 2011 | Articles, Daughters of the Nile, FAQ, My Works
One of the mysteries surrounding the Ptolemaic dynasty is exactly why Cleopatra Selene’s son, Ptolemy, was murdered by his first cousin, Caligula. The traditional belief is that Caligula was simply a madman who resorted to crazy rages whenever the whim struck...
by Stephanie Dray | Oct 28, 2010 | FAQ, Fun Stuff
Today we say the rich are born with silver spoons in their mouths. In the ancient world, they said the wealthy were born to the purple. This phrase alludes to the royal robes dyed with a precious shade of deep purple originally created by the Phoenicians in Tyre....
by Stephanie Dray | Aug 31, 2010 | Cleopatra Selene, FAQ, Fun Stuff
Though no ancient sources directly link the two monarchs, it’s difficult to write a novel about the life of Cleopatra’s daughter Selene without referencing one of her mother’s bitterest enemies–Herod the Great, a villain of the New Testament....
by Stephanie Dray | Jul 5, 2010 | Cleopatra Selene, FAQ, Research
The story of Cleopatra’s death, as handed down to us by her conqueror, is that she killed herself by means of a poisonous snake. According to Suetonius, the stunned Octavian summoned snake charming Psylli to suck the poison from puncture wounds found on her arm....
by Stephanie Dray | Jun 6, 2010 | Cleopatra Selene, FAQ
In Professor Duane Roller’s new biography of Cleopatra, he theorizes there might have been some small part native Egyptian blood flowing through Cleopatra’s veins. I hope that is true. But even if it weren’t, there is no way to exaggerate the...
