Kleopatra (59 page)

“My brother has always been a nuisance,” Kleopatra said, leaning on her elbow.

“I imagine he has,” Caesar said. “Not to worry. He shall be made to understand.”

“General?”

“You may call me Caesar, my darling young queen, and I shall call you Kleopatra.”

“Caesar. Do be careful.”

“Never worry over me,” Caesar said, waving his long fingers in the air, fanning away her concerns. “It isn’t necessary. No
one shall be hurt. At least not yet.”

Consul
The Roman consulship was the highest political office in the Republic. Each year, two consuls were elected, who presided
over the senate and the military. They assumed the duties of the former kings (the Republic replaced the monarchy in 509
B.C.E.
), but the fact that they shared power and only served for one year safeguarded against one man assuming supreme power.

Equestrian class
The equites originally made up the cavalry in the Roman army, but later the term was applied to the wealthy citizenry beneath
the patrician class. The equites were mainly businessmen or capitalists, while the patricians were a smaller group of large
landowners.

Exegete
A city official in Alexandria.

Fasces
The Roman standards. When Caesar entered Egypt flying the fasces, the Egyptians took it as an act of aggression.

Fellahin
The class of Egyptian peasant farmers who labored on small plots of land and shared their crops with the crown. They were
responsible for producing the bulk of Egypt’s grain crop.

Greek phalanx
From approximately the eighth century
B.C.E.
, the Greeks had organized their armies into the columnar unit of the phalanx, thus inserting discipline into what was formerly
mass fighting. The soldiers were called hoplites, taken from
hoplon
, or “shield,” which was carried in the left hand so that the right hand was free to thrust with the spear. Each soldier was
dependent upon the man on his right to protect that side of his body.

Hetaira
The Greek word for “companion,” but used euphemistically for a Greek woman, slave or free, who traded sexual favors for money.
Greek courtesans who were companions to men of rank were often educated, and sometimes had additional professions, such as
hostess or entertainer. In the Greek world, the
hetairai
were more than tolerated—they were taxed.

Mouseion
Literally a temple to the Muses in Alexandria, the Mouseion became the center of all learning in the Greek world. The Ptolemies
funded the Mouseion, encouraging the finest minds to study and research there by giving them generous salaries and allowing
them to live tax-free. Callimachus, Apollonius of Rhodes, Theocritus, Euclid, and Eratosthenes were just some of the scholars
who lived and worked at the Mouseion. The tradition of research and learning continued well into the Byzantine period, until
the Mouseion was destroyed by the Christians, who disapproved of “pagan” knowledge.

Novus homo
A new man, or the first man in a family to hold the Roman office of consul, thus becoming a member of the nobility. Their
descendants could then be known as members of the nobiles, the “well-knowns,” an exclusive group of senators whose ancestors
had held a consulship. Cicero was a
novus homo.

Nome
Under Ptolemaic rule, Egypt was composed of forty-two
nomoi
, or
nomes
, which were loosely comparable to states. The typical
nome
stretched along the Nile for approximately fifty miles. Its villages were governed by a nomarch, who spoke both Greek and
Egyptian and was appointed by the king.

Optimates and Populares
In Julius Caesar’s time, politicians were either
populares
, those who worked through and on behalf of the citizenry, or
optimates
, or “best class,” the senatorial conservatives who believed that the wellborn were best suited to govern. Caesar, despite
his illustrious heritage, was a populare. Pompey was clearly an optimate.

Quaestor
An official elected for a one-year term to serve as a financial administrator, usually to a general on a campaign or a governor
of a client kingdom. Caesar began his political career as a quaestor in Spain.

Roman legion
The Roman legion evolved over the years to suit the needs of the times, but in Julius Caesar’s day it was a unit composed
of approximately 4,800 infantry and 300 cavalry. The unit was further divided into ten cohorts that fought in a series of
lines. The legion was more sophisticated than the phalanx; it allowed generals to command from the rear, and it allowed for
diversity of weaponry and for greater reserves.

Talent
A unit of currency, equal to 6,000 drachmas.

Tribune of the People
Tribunes were elected from the plebeian class, historically, to protect the plebeians from the patricians. Nonetheless, many
tribunes, such as Antony, were from very old and wealthy equestrian families. The tribunes had the all-important power of
veto over the senate.

“Mesmerizing…both deeply informed and irresistibly sexy. You will smell the lotus perfume, witness the royal intrigue, and
feel the erotic passions of ancient Egypt as never before. Kleopatra is alluring, cunning, spicy, and alive in a way that
is fresh and unforgettable.”

—B
RUCE
F
EILER, AUTHOR OF
W
ALKING THE
B
IBLE

“A true hidden history. With empathy and mercilessness, Essex has taken complex events and daunting legends and made them
not just comprehensible, but thrilling.… This authentic, brilliantly reimagined chronicle sets new standards.”

—M
IKAL
G
ILMORE, AUTHOR OF
S
HOT IN THE
H
EART

“Essex does for Kleopatra what Josephine Tey did for Richard III. She paints a fresh portrait of the woman male historians,
not to mention Hollywood, cast as a femme fatale—a cliché.… A satisfyingly complex picture of both the woman and the political
realities of the time.”

—C
AROL
T
HURSTON, AUTHOR OF
E
YE
OF
H
ORUS

“I was captivated by KLEOPATRA. While entertaining, it also restores important historical truths long ignored about a fascinating
woman. A terrific read.”

—J. R
ANDY
T
ARABORRELLI, AUTHOR OF
J
ACKIE
, E
THEL
, J
OAN

“Authentic history and a delightful story mesh perfectly.… Essex brings Kleopatra to life.”

—D
OROTHY
G
ARLOCK, AUTHOR OF
M
ORE
T
HAN
M
EMORY

“Represents a paradigm shift in thinking about women in history.”

—D
R
. M
ARY
B
ESS
D
UNN, PROFESSOR OF EDUCATION
, T
ENNESSEE
S
TATE
U
NIVERSITY

“Kleopatra finally gets her due as the brilliant, many-faceted woman she was. Essex’s research is meticulous and her prose
is as compelling as her subject.”

—S
USAN
F
ORD
W
ILTSHIRE, PROFESSOR OF CLASSICS
, V
ANDERBILT
U
NIVERSITY, AND AUTHOR OF
A
THENA’S
D
ISGUISES