克里奥佩特七世，埃及托勒密王朝的第一位女王，她在历史书页上被刻画成一位才貌双全、机智灵活、有着强大手腕和复杂心思的女性。在公元前51年，她登上了王座，依据她祖母的遗言取代了她的兄弟托勒密十三世。史料中，那位埃及美女以其倾国倾城的姿色赢得了罗马帝国君主们的仰慕，但丁、莎士比亚等文学巨匠也将她形容为“绝代妖妇”。随后，一些文人或艺术家以克里奥佩特七世为角色创作出各种艺术品，这些传说版本塑造了一个个不同的“埃及艳后”形象。但是，历史上的克里奥佩特七世究竟长什么样子呢？英国国家博物馆曾举办过一场关于她的展览，有11尊雕像展出，其中每一尊女王都面庞平板甚至丑陋。英国博物馆职员指出，大多数故事都是虚构和夸张。而那些认为她丑陋的人认为，在她去世后，没有关乎外貌传说的流行化。但实际上，真实的克里奥佩特七世并非矮小肥胖、谦逊坏牙且鹰勾鼻子。然而，即便如此，她如何能够俘获两个当时最有势力的男人呢？即使古今之人的审美观念不同，也没有至于好到千里吧。
当然，英国人这样说，但埃及人其实并不认同，他们觉得英国媒体在诽谤他们的女王，他们更愿意相信他们过去经历过的一名才华横溢的女子。Egyptian Museum Director Rameses Wissa said, "The radiance and charm of Cleopatra's face are undeniable; her slender nose and dignified features make her stand out among the queens of old." Egyptian antiquities expert Zahi Hawass added, "British people say Cleopatra was ugly and fat, but this is false; they should see the well-preserved frescoes of Cleopatra in the Luxor temple. If Cleopatra were as unattractive as British scholars describe, why would two Roman consuls fall deeply in love with her?"
But history will always reveal the truth – archaeologists have made stunning discoveries. They found documents signed by Cleopatra herself and evidence of her residence in ancient Egypt, which confirm that she was a clever ruler who governed through intelligence rather than just beauty or desire.
Belgian archaeologist Pierre Tallet concluded after studying the documents: The papyrus is a genuine administrative document from ancient Egypt. The date inscribed on it – February 23rd, 33 BCE – coincides with the reign of Ptolemaic Kingdom under Queen Cleopatra VII.
The content of these documents is not remarkable except for one word at the end - genestho (Greek for "allowed"), written in cursive script with clear female handwriting. Ancient Greek historian Plutarch wrote in his famous work Parallel Lives that after Caesar's death, Cleopatra sought protection from Antonius but encountered an obstacle. Therefore, she immediately turned to Antonius' most powerful general Cassius to secure protection first by bribery before winning over Antonius himself.
Egyptian historian Ahmed Fakhry believes that this document may be signed by 'the Egyptian queen' herself and represents a significant display of her political acumen while other historians such as Alan Bawden suggest that these findings demonstrate 'Cleopatra was not just beautiful but also resourceful'.
While debate continues about her looks or reputation might persist forever; we now have no doubt about her cunningness. Her name has become synonymous with an enduring legacy beyond mere physical beauty or fleeting allurement.
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