In today's society and surely recent history it is not only phenomenal but astounding that the family lines kept going with such inherent incest. I had to wonder if they did not realise the consequences. Frankly, as I turned the pages I found it does make for some very wide eyed reactions. With so many incestuous marriages and the habit of calling the off-spring by the same names but numbered it does bring up many questions.To help keep track the family trees are helpful for reference.

While many will have seen Elizabeth Taylor's portrayal of Cleopatra in the movie of the same name, this is vastly different.This is about the real-life Cleopatras and the powerhouses of the Ptolemaic Dynasty,  the Macedonian family who ruled Egypt after Alexander the Great and the Hellenic influence, including the high status given to having a daughter marry a Hellenic man. It is also heartening to read of the multicultural cohesion in Alexandria and beyond. There were several named Ptolemey - one nicknamed Potbelly another Chickpea, others were numbered.

These Cleopatras had a strong influence and grip on power in this ancient world, with some referred to as the Queen-King.One who married quite young, although it seems most did, or were betrothed from a young age, went to Alexandra with a substantial entourage to help her adapt to her new life as once she left her parents home and country she would never return.

Jones, is a professor of ancient history but his writing style does make reading this somewhat weighty content, book not only interesting, curious and relatively easy compelling reading. I found each morning I was keen to pick up the book and continue learning what happened with these powerful women and their real life influences, not the Hollywood versions.

The Cleopatras is a terrific book to dive into over the holidays with fascinating reading while learning about a significant part of the ancient world. It may also make you consider questions as to what happened and how they lost this power.

There are several photos which help to place  Cleopatras and the Ptolomeys, reliefs, tablets, coins and more.

Please bear in mind this is a significant book and I may add to this review over the next days.

The Author

Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones is Professor of Ancient History at Cardiff University. He has spent extensive time in Egypt, the Middle East and Iran and is a specialist in the histories and cultures of Near Eastern and Hellenistic antiquity and champions a global approach to the study of the ancient world and its reception. Lloyd has appeared on the BBC, Channel 4, in The Times and other media outlets and in many popular podcasts. He has worked closely with the British Museum on major exhibitions. His previous books include Persians: the Age of the Great Kings, Ancient Persia and the Book of Esther, The Hellenistic Court, Sister-Queens in the High Hellenistic Period, Aphrodite's Tortoise: The Veiled Women of Ancient Greece, and Designs on the Past: How Hollywood Created the Ancient World. He is currently writing a book on the ancient mega-city of Babylon.