Alexandria, Virginia

The ancient Roman and Greek societies received the most recognition but my interest resides elsewhere. The one civilization that drew much attention and had a lot of interaction with Rome and Greece is ancient Egypt. To the Roman and Greek peoples the Egyptian civilization was seen as a mysterious realm of exotica, power, and wealth. For these reasons I, just like the ancient world, wanted to know more about this culture. My main focus was the unique belief system the Egyptians possessed. I…

The acclaimed play written by William Shakespeare,The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, should go by another name, The Tragedy of Brutus. Brutus is the main character and hidden protagonist, he is a senate member scarred by Ceaser rising so quickly to kingdom. After being mislead by many friends he decides to assist in the murder of Julius Caesar. The noble Brutus is truly the only protagonist in the play, he should be the center of the play in the stead of the short lived and arrogant Julius Caesar.…

Her name is dripped with legend, power and seduction. She became the last in a dynasty of Macedonian rulers founded by Ptolemy and would use her powers of beauty and charm to seduce military leaders. Cleopatra, is quite known in popular culture as this divining figure, using her brains and beauty to rule in her way, portrayed by beauty icons in films and plays such as Elizabeth Taylor and Claudette Colbert. Everyone knows her legend but very few actually understand her true importance as a…

perceived these ideas and how we could use them to advance in the future. One example of a person who changed the way we as humans viewed geometry, astronomy, and arithmetic is Hypatia of Alexandria. Hypatia of Alexandria (as said by the researchers of www.ancient.eu) was born between c.350 and c.370 in Alexandria, Egypt. Little is known about Hypatia’s childhood, but…

Cleopatra was the kind of woman to watch the news. She followed traditions and was the last pharaoh of ancient Egypt before it became another part of the Roman Empire (BBC). As a ruler, she would watch her actions take effect, protecting her son from any challenges to succession by banishing, killing, and estranging her other family members. From a cultural standpoint, she was ethnically Greek, yet managed to build credibility among the Egyptians by learning their language. In the comical…

was highly regarded and persons would come from far off to hear him speak, witness his faith and virtue and for healing (p.58). Athanasius reveals that Antony’s piety and theological wisdom was so widely respected that he was asked to appear in Alexandria to refute the Arians which he did with many miracles beside (p.69-71). Antony’s fame spread even to Emperor Constantine who inquired of him by letter, (p.81) again affirming God’s declaration that, because of Antony’s efforts to defeat…

friction between them and their advisors because Cleopatra didn’t want or need a co-ruler and because many despised the fact that a woman held incredible power in Egypt. This split the kingdom and caused a civil war to break, forcing Cleopatra to flee Alexandria for the sake of her safety. In 48 BCE it was Ptolemy XIII who had the most power in Egypt. Julius Caesar arrived in Egypt that same year because he was chasing after Pompey the Great as Rome was also in a civil war between those two…

The document Life of Saint Antony of Egypt is a letter which tells the story of what it sounds like: St Antony’s life and piety. It was written by Athanasius, who was the bishop of Alexandria at the time. He expounds upon Antony’s piety and turns even what some might consider faults into some of Antony’s greatest virtues. For example, as a boy, Antony refused to learn to read, preferring to remain ignorant. Much of the world’s population may think this to be simple laziness. Here was a boy,…

Beginnings: Cleopatra VII Queen of Egypt was born around 69 B.C.E. (Cleopatra a Biography by Duane W. Roller pg. 15). She was born into a long line of Ptolemaic Kings and is considered to be the very last Macedonian Greek Queen to rule Egypt (Roller pg. 15). Her father was Ptolemy XII, no one is sure who her mother is and to this day she is still unknown, but she is thought to have been a part of the Egyptian Priestly Family of Ptah (Roller pg. 15). It is believed that it was her half Egyptian…

Cleopatra Ruler of Egypt by Kerrily Sapet was an interesting documentary to read, the life and rule of the mighty woman, Cleopatra. Sapet has written a few other historical documentaries and several other present documentaries in her career. She mostly focuses on children’s books on all types of subjects. In the book, she portrayed Cleopatra as a strong leader, even when most women were viewed as low class citizens and not leaders. Although this book would be considered more of a children’s…