Cleopatra: Facial Reconstructions with Stunning Motion & History Documentary | Royalty Now

Like her history, some of Cleopatra’s appearance is shrouded in mystery, but has always maintained a curiosity thanks to her seductive reputation. So, what did Cleopatra really look like? We dive into her history, the sources on her appearance, and reveal facial reconstructions with stunning motion at the end. Loved the History Chicks episode on Cleopatra as a source for this one, check out their podcast! 0:00 Early Life 3:59 Julius Caesar & Cleopatra 10:47 Marc Antony & Cleopatra 16:24 Death & Legacy 17:33 What did Cleopatra look like? 21:42 Reconstructions Revealed What do we know about Cleopatra's appearance? We only have notes about Cleopatra from Roman sources, so unfortunately there are no contemporary Egyptian accounts of her looks. Plutarch remarked that “Her beauty was in itself not altogether incomparable”, but then also says she “was conscious of her personal beauty and was intensely proud of it.” Cassius Dio said, “She was a woman of surpassing beauty, and at that time, when she was in the prime of her youth, she was most striking;” We do know her basic facial structure. Cleopatra had many coins minted in her image that still survive today, and we have several Roman statues that have captured her likeness. They all show a woman with full lips, a strong sloping nose, large expressive eyes, and a small forehead. It’s fortunate for us that the Roman statues exist, because during the Late Republic period, Roman sculpture was particularly realistic. The Egyptian portrayals of Cleopatra are more symbolic, and were not meant to be realistic. Just in the last week, a new statue head was unearthed, near the site of her rumored burial site, but scholars are currently in the midst of arguing whether this really depicts her or not, since it doesn’t really resemble her other statues. Even if Cleopatra was not the most physically beautiful woman, it is certain that her overall splendor made an impression. In clothing, Cleopatra created a fascinating blend of Egyptian and Greek fashions, also incorporating Roman influence. She would adorn herself with dark red and purple cloth, and as much gold jewelry and gemstones as possible. I’ve taken real Greek jewelry and added it to my re-creations. She famously wore this Hellenistic-style Diadem, and Melon hairstyle most of the time. She would use makeup to accentuate her features - kohl smudged around her eyes, and plant dyes used for blush and lipstick. What we don’t know for sure is Cleopatra’s exact ethnic background, although this is the subject of extensive debate. In truth though, Cleopatra is one of the least ethnically ambiguous figures in history. We know for a fact that she was descended for hundreds of years through the Greek Ptolemaic dynasty, with very clear ancestry records. And as we know from the history portion, the inbreeding in this family was insane, and didn’t leave much room for outside genetics to come in. There are a few question marks in Cleopatra’s lineage, and one is her mother. While she was most likely Queen Cleopatra V Tryphaena, we don’t have a solid record of it anywhere. However, if Cleopatra would have been the child of a concubine, she would have been considered a bastard, and there would have been remarks made about this, so that seems unlikely. While it’s technically possible that Cleopatra was mixed with sub saharan African, it’s much more likely that she is what we would consider a white greek woman. Because of this, we have to guess her hair and eye color. It’s likely that she had dark, curly hair, but interestingly, it’s been posited that she was a redhead, since several depictions of Cleopatra found in the city of Pompeii show her with vivid red hair. This could also be the result of wigs or henna dyes, which Egyptians and Romans were very familiar with. I’ve used a Roman statue for my re-creation, and of course keep in mind this is just one way Cleopatra may have looked. Find us here: Instagram: @Royalty_Now_ X: @Royalty_Now Tik Tok: @RoyaltyNow Patreon: Patreon.com/RoyaltyNow RoyaltyNowStudios.com This video creation and final image are ©Royalty Now.