Cleopatra’s father was known as Ptolemy XII, he died in the spring of 51B.C. His will stated that Cleopatra, who was 18 at the time, would marry her brother Ptolemy XIII. Ptolemy XIII was only ten years old at that time and they were to rule together. She had to figure out how to remove her ten years old brother from power. Because her brother was only ten at the time he could easily be influenced. However, he had three crooked advisers at his disposal. They were Pothinus, Achillas, and Theodotus, and all three also wanted to control Egypt.

Pothinus was the person who managed the guards as well as all the servants. The servants included maids, cooks, and gardeners. Achilles commanded the Egyptian army and Pothinus taught the boy public speaking. It was to their benefit that Ptolemy XIII became the sole pharaoh and that Cleopatra is out of the command of Egypt. Cleopatra got news of Caesar’s arrival in Egypt and heard he had summoned both siblings to the palace. Caesar, a man of thirty-one years older than Cleopatra, who was only twenty-one at the time, was amazed at her ambition and her goal to succeed.

Achilles the other advisor of young Ptolemy wanted to destroy Cleopatra. He knew she was supported by the strongest man in the world and Caesar would only leave Egypt if he was pushed back to Rome. Achilles, controlling the Egyptian army, ordered twenty thousand men to surround the palace and trap Caesar. The people of Alexandria saw Caesar confined and believed he was weak. They started to join the soldiers attacking the Romans, which only helped the Egyptian army. Caesar knew the soldiers could be held back and he kept the Royal family inside the palace.

Cleopatra, Ptolemy, Pothinus, and Arsinoe, her half-sister, were not allowed to leave the palace. Somehow Arsinoe slipped outside and joined Achilles in his struggle to remove Caesar. Achilles and Ganymedes, her advisor soon had Achillas murdered for arguing and disagreeing with their intentions of taking over the throne. After the defeat of Cleopatra’s enemies, Caesar controlled Egypt. Although having full control of Egyptian territory, he had no intention of ruling it. He trusted Cleopatra to be his ally, but she would need a pharaoh to rule by her side. Seeing her younger brother Ptolemy XIV, he ordered them to rule jointly.

Dendera temple has beautiful scenes from Cleopatra and Caesar.

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