Antony and Cleopatra
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4.2 • 10 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
The acclaimed historian reveals the truth behind the myths of antiquity's legendary lovers in "this thoughtful, deeply satisfying" dual biography (Publishers Weekly, starred review).
In Antony and Cleopatra, preeminent historian Adrian Goldsworthy goes beyond the romantic narratives of Shakespeare and Hollywood to create a nuanced and historically acute portrayal of his subjects. Set against the political backdrop of their time, he presents two lives lived at the center of profound social change. It is a narrative that crosses cultures and boundaries from ancient Greece and ancient Egypt to the Roman Empire.
Drawing on his prodigious knowledge of the ancient world, and especially the period's military and political history, Goldsworthy creates a singular portrait of two iconic lovers who were, in his words, "first and foremost political animals." With a close analysis of ancient sources and archaeological evidence, Goldsworthy explains why Cleopatra was often portrayed as an Egyptian, even though she was Greek, and argues that Antony had far less military experience than popular legend suggests. At the same time, Goldsworthy makes a persuasive case that Antony was a powerful Roman senator and political force in his own right.
A story of love, politics, and ambition, Goldsworthy's Antony and Cleopatra delivers a compelling reassessment of a major episode in ancient history.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Readers who recognize Goldsworthy (How Rome Fell) as Britain's most prolific and perhaps finest popular historian of Roman times will find him once again at his best. Shakespeare and Hollywood portray Antony and Cleopatra as star-crossed lovers, but historians understand that Antony (83 30 B.C.E.) was Julius Caesar's right-hand man, ruthless and ambitious. Cleopatra (69 30 B.C.E.) was not Egyptian but Greek, descended from Ptolemy, whose family had ruled Egypt for three centuries. She became Caesar's mistress in 48 B.C.E. In the Roman civil war that followed Caesar's assassination four years later, Antony shared power with Caesar's adopted son, Octavian (later emperor Augustus), until they quarreled. Antony and Cleopatra first met in 41 B.C.E. and ruled Egypt together for three years until Octavian's invading armies approached, at which point they both committed suicide. Unlike many competing authors, Goldsworthy never disguises the scanty evidence for many historical events. Some of his best passages review surviving documents, discuss their biases, draw parallels from his vast knowledge of Roman history, and recount what probably happened unless, as he often admits in this thoughtful, deeply satisfying work, even speculation is impossible. Maps.
