![]() Reports of Mark Antony (and his friend Lucius) dressing up to take part in religious festivals and tales of lavish feasts and extravagant symposia at which great quantities of wine were consumed did nothing to improve his standing in Rome. ![]() Rough seas made it impossible for Mark Antony to leave Egypt until the spring of 40BC, but it was generally rumoured around Rome that he stayed in Egypt because he was under the spell of Cleopatra. He and Cleopatra were nearly inseparable and enjoyed feasting, gaming and hunting, and attended (and possibly even took part in) a series of plays. Mark Antony’s sojourn in Alexandria seems to have been a very happy one. After quelling a small rebellion in Syria he made for Alexandria where he received a jubilant welcome. She announced her intention to return to Egypt and invited him to join her. ![]() Cleopatra begged clemency for the priests of Artemis who were the guardians of Arsinoe, but extended no such request for Serapion or for a young pretender who claimed to be Ptolemy XIII raised from the dead.Ĭleopatra must have been overjoyed to remove the last contenders for her throne and would have been delighted when Mark Antony announced that he was also giving her the territory of Cilicia. Unfortunately, Arsinoe was killed on the steps of the temple of Artemis at Ephesus causing further scandal in Rome. In short, Cleopatra seems to have entirely captivated him.Ĭleopatra then advised Mark Antony that it was in fact her sister Arsinoe who encouraged Serapion to give the Egyptian fleet to Cassius and Brutus (this may well be true) which made it an easy matter for Cleopatra to persuade Mark Antony to order Arsinoe’s execution. Cleopatra charmed him with her wit and vivacity and her wealth and regal connections appealed to his vanity and greed. ![]() Then followed a series of lavish dinners using gold and jewel encrusted plates and goblets, all of which were given to Antony as a gift at the end of the feast. Eventually he realised that she was not going to come to him and he accepted her invitation to dine on board her ship. Mark Antony sent a reception committee to her ship and waited in his pavilion, but Cleopatra never came. When her ship finally docked a large crowd had assembled at the docks. She also reputedly ordered that the opulent purple sails of her gold-prowed ship be drenched in perfume so that the divine scent would beguile the onlookers who lined the shore to witness her arrival (Cleopatra’s perfume was most likely a perfume based on Rose and Neroli) and her female attendants were dressed as Nereids (sea nymphs) and Graces. She may well have been wearing the famous pearl earrings retrieved from Mithridates (which were estimated to be worth 10 million sesterces each) in addition to other costly pieces of jewellery, and would certainly have been beautifully made up and manicured to make the most of her beauty. ![]() Knowing that he had recently declared himself the incarnation of Dionysius (who was often associated with Osiris in Egypt) she was dressed as Isis-Aphrodite (the consort of Dionysius). In 41 BC, despite her limited finances and the famine currently sweeping through Egypt, Cleopatra set out at the head of an ostentatiously equipped fleet to impress and seduce Antony. ![]()
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