Cleopatra & Mark Antony

So Cleo was a little white girl with red hair. Hmmm

 

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Sounds like quite a bargain.

 

Do Macedonians not ever have red hair?

 

Alexander the Great reputedly had blonde/reddish hair.

 

I must admit I don't know

 

My Cleo & Tony:



Phil Davis

 

My examples of both types. One a bit worn. The denarius purchased at the Hotel Drouot in Paris, 1997, from an Alan Weil auction of an old French collection

 

Ramses II had red hair too

 

Indeed! I've seen the photos of his unwrapped mummy showing his red hair.

 

Very nice,I only have a budget Antony and Octavia

 

Another style of Antony and Octavia
Silver cistophorus - Ephesus
39 BC

 

Bet you didn't know someone had a brownie camera back then

 

or perhaps

she married 2 of her brothers, did she also marry her son ? And was her mother also her Aunt ? WOW what a family

 

I hear that she was her own grandmother!

 

You both beat me too this. I’ll add that in ancient Egypt people with red hair where popularly associated with the worship of Set (who was interestingly though of as the “evil god”). The name of Ramasis’ father Seti means “of Set” and their family was probably associated with this god on account of their red hair.

As to Cleopatra this painting from Pompeii shows her with red hair. Many of her portraits statues (such as the one posted above) show traces of red pigment. She was probably a red headed Macedonian.

 

How was this painting identified as Cleopatra? Because it looks like her portrayals on coins, or for some other reason?

 

I’m not sure all the reasons or how certain the identification is (like many IDs) but I think the features are part of it, along with the royal diadem and probably the context it was found (would have to look up those details to know how strong the case is).

Also I was mistaken above it was found at Herculaneum and not Pompeii (which is a fabulous place to visit if you get a chance).

 

I think i messed up this post but anyway

I shouldn't open my mouth but I think he was Egyptian while Cleo might have been born in Egypt but was Macedonian. Now perhaps there was that Egyptian milkman that kept hanging around ... I was told that's where red hair came from

 

Back in my day, the milkman walked all the way from Egypt to deliver milk in Canopus jars. You kids don’t know what it was like