One of our Great Reads you may have missed in 2011.
August 2011 Non-Fiction Book of the Month.
Stripping the story of its Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton overtones, Adrian Goldsworthy goes back to available evidence to tell the true story of Antony and Cleopatra. He is an ideal guide to the political complexities of the time, the dynastic jostling, the power struggles and ambitions. In his hands, Antony and Cleopatra transform from legend to reality.
In this absolutely fascinating biography, based exclusively on ancient sources and archaeological evidence, Goldsworthy exposes many myths and gives us a fresh and truer account of these two iconic people. Did you know Cleopatra was Greek not Egyptian and that rather than being a bluff soldier it was Antony’s political skills that made him irresistible to Queen of the Nile? Read the opening extract and you will be hooked.
The love affair between Antony and Cleopatra is one of the most famous stories from the ancient world and has been depicted in countless novels, plays and films. As one of the three men in control of the Roman Empire, Antony was perhaps the most powerful man of his day. And Cleopatra, who had already been Julius Caesar's lover, was the beautiful queen of Egypt, Rome's most important province. The clash of cultures, the power politics, and the personal passion have proven irresistible to storytellers. But in the course of this storytelling dozens of myths have grown up. The popular image of Cleopatra in ancient Egyptian costume is a fallacy; she was actually Greek. Despite her local dominance in Egypt, her real power came from her ability to forge strong personal allegiances with the most important men in Rome. Likewise, Mark Antony was not the bluff soldier of legend, brought low by his love for an exotic woman - he was first and foremost a politician, and never allowed Cleopatra to dictate policy to him. In this history, based exclusively on ancient sources and archaeological evidence, Adrian Goldsworthy gives us the facts behind this famous couple and dispels many myths.
Adrian Goldsworthy studied at Oxford, where his doctoral thesis examined the Roman army. He went on to become an acclaimed historian of Ancient Rome. He is the author of numerous works of non-fiction, including Philip and Alexander: Kings and Conquerors, Caesar, The Fall of the West, Pax Romana and Hadrian's Wall.
