Cleopatra: Not So Easy on the Eyes

A coin depicting Cleopatra and her lover Mark Antony shows that the Queen's intellect got her farther than her looks alone.

Though one might assume that Cleopatra, the legendary Queen of Egypt that used her feminine wiles and intellect to save herself and her kingdom, was beautiful, literary evidence has always pointed to the contrary. Scholars and Roman historians often spoke of her unmatched wits and intellectual capabilities, yet they never spoke of how she looked. It's easy to assume that if she was able to seduce Julius Caesar and Mark Anthony, she must have been pretty stunning - a la Elizabeth Taylor. Because, after all, beauty is power, right?

Now we can see that Cleopatra was indeed, no great physical beauty. An ancient coin dating back to 32 B.C. (just one year before the fateful Battle of Actium) depicts her image on one side, and Mark Antony's on the other. And neither pose is particularly flattering.

Romans were known for their lifelike portraiture in their art; they fancied depicting real people, warts and all, unlike the idealistic depictions of ancient Greek art. So, it is safe to assume that Cleopatra and Mark Antony's portraits on these coins are authentic, hooked noses, thick necks, big eyes and all.

It seems that when it came to the art of love and war, brains won out over beauty. At least in Ancient Rome and Egypt.

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