The image drawn by Cleopatra in today's popular culture is based on how she is portrayed in Roman writings, according to historian Bo Eriksson:
- She is described with a hatred.
The image and the sexualization that exists there has been strengthened and adapted to today's modern society, he says.
Described as a wise philosopher
To the east, in the Arab world, the historical description of Cleopatra seems to be completely different.
Egyptologist Okasha el-Delay has found hundreds of texts from the Middle Ages that have not been published before.
In the Arabic scriptures, scholars of the time have collected oral accounts of Cleopatra and studied Egyptian hieroglyphs, Egyptian culture, and maps.
- There is an admiration in the Eastern texts.
It is emphasized that she is wise, a philosopher who was knowledgeable in medicine.
This is certainly not how it has been seen in Western culture, says Bo Eriksson.
Can one be sure that the Arabic scriptures paint a more true picture?
- Spontaneously, I think it is more true.
It gives a counter-image to the one based on Roman men's image of her.
We know that she was a scholar and had other interests than seducing Romans, says historian Bo Eriksson.
Want to know more about Cleopatra? Watch The History of the World on SVT2 on Tuesday at 8 pm or on SVT Play.