Antony and Cleopatra

The passionate romance between Mark Antony and Queen Cleopatra is one of the great love stories of history. However, two thousand years of romantic imagination have buried the truth about this famous couple beneath layers of myth. Anthony was not simply a soldier, and in fact had little military experience or talent. Born into an aristocratic family, his rise to power had more to do with political skill and sheer luck. Cleopatra was not Egyptian in any meaningful way, but the last of a dynasty of Greeks. Only through Roman support could she cling onto power in a royal court where her own family were the most dangerous rivals and where murder was common.

In this history, based exclusively on ancient sources and archaeological evidence, Adrian Goldsworthy unearths the true story of their passion, ambition and ruthlessness. It may not be the story we expect or even wish for, but it is every bit as fascinating as the myth.