"Cleopatra": Sex and sovereignty in the ancient world

In 34 BC, at the height of her power, Cleopatra VII joined her consort and ally, Mark Antony, atop a pair of golden thrones in an eye-popping, kingdom-dispensing (and ultimately ill-advised) extravaganza that would later become known as the Donations of Alexandria. The couple were, in the words of the 20th century historian Grace Harriet Macurdy, "the two most magnificent people in the world." So while it's true that the Cleopatra of history differs quite a bit from the Cleopatra of pop...