The name Cleopatra has an immense resonance in western culture, conjuring up images of romance, intrigue, actress Elizabeth Taylor, and the clash between ancient Egypt and the rising power of Rome.1 She is indelibly linked with some of Rome’s most powerful men: Julius Caesar, Mark Antony, and Octavian, who would become Rome’s first emperor. We might think of a young, exotic, and beautiful queen being rolled out of a carpet in Caesar’s presence, or clutching an asp to her breast to take her own life. That Cleopatra is rightly famous, occupying the Egyptian throne at what in hindsight was a pivotal point in Mediterranean history – if she and Antony had defeated Octavian then things might have turned out very differently indeed. A Hellenistic-style monarchy would have continued to rule in the east and, if Antony had consolidated himself in Rome as well, the two states may have been combined: Antony and Cleopatra’s empire. The ‘what ifs’ are intriguing. Less famous but no less interesting in terms of her position and the life she lived is that of Cleopatra’s daughter with Antony, Cleopatra Selene (Figure 24).2