Category: Today’s Photo

Today’s Photo

That’s Cleopatra VII depicted on a coin at the time of her reign as queen of Egypt, 51-30 B.C. (she co-ruled with her brothers and son Caesarion, but was effectively in charge from 47-30). I’ve concluded from Stacy Schiff’s biography that, unlike Roman woman of the time, Cleopatra was educated, strong-willed and independent, and it was those characteristics, rather than pure beauty that was her great appeal. The coin would substantiate that. (Roman noble woman did not even have their own names: Julius Caesar’s two sisters were both named Julia, Octavian’s sister was Octavia.)

The Macedonian Greeks ruled Egypt from Alexander’s conquest in 332 B.C. until Cleopatra’s death 302 years later. Alexander’s lifelong friend Ptolemy I Soter was given control of Egypt when Alexander died in 323; he made it into an independent Ptolemaic kingdom in 305.

Cleopatra VII had four children, a boy with Julius Caesar; then with Mark Antony, boy and girl twins and another son. The fathers acknowledged the children, but Cleopatra was never married to Caesar, and not married to Antony under Roman law. (A Roman could not marry a foreigner.) Antony’s divorced wife, the sister of Octavian (Caesar Augustus), raised Cleopatra’s three surviving children. Caesar’s son, 17 by then, was murdered by Octavian’s command in 30 B.C.

She was the wealthiest individual in the Mediterranean world at the time; one of the wealthiest ever (an estimated $100 billion). Alexandria was the largest, most cosmopolitan and attractive city during her reign, far out-shadowing Rome, whose time was to come, and Athens, whose time had passed. It too captured the hearts and minds of many Romans.

Oh, and it’s highly unlikely that Cleopatra’s suicide was from snakebite.

Today’s Photo

I didn’t take any photographs today so Today’s Photo is from last February 10th instead. It was taken in Savannah on a very cool — no, frankly it was cold — morning. A pretty day, though. Click the image to enlarge the photo. This is what much of the city’s old residential area looks like.

Today’s Photo

I own all the Beatles studio tracks on CD, so the announcement today that the iTunes Store has The Beatles is of little consequence to me. But, at least at this writing, I love the photo at Apple.com.

You can buy the thirteen albums and the two Past Masters albums and more as a box set from iTunes for $149.

Of course, you can get the The Beatles Stereo Box Set in real CDs for $129.99 from Amazon.

Today’s Photo

Donna took this photo from Fais Do Do of Tulsa this morning at 8:25. I personally don’t want to fly in a balloon, but I must say, the view is dazzling and I envy her that. That’s Balloon Fiesta Park below from the south end — you can see the Creamland Dairy cow balloon, AiraBelle, at the bottom of the picture.

Here’s the view in the other direction.