Cleopatra would have been a social media star if she lived today. Known for charisma and her grand entrances, she was more renowned for her intellect and ruthless determination to rule. Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator was queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt from 51 to 30 B.C.E—and politics was her game.

Her role as an absolute monarch was complex—aside from the intrigues of the court and ongoing warfare. She embraced both Caesar and Mark Antony as protectors and lovers when the need arose and murdered siblings to gain power. A famine emergency marred her early years of rule; restive soldiers and general lawlessness were constant; and finances were strained. Historian Barry Strauss examines Cleopatra as a ruler at a crucial moment when Romans and Egyptians fought for domination.

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