I've read several biographies/papers/studies about Cleopatra, and in all them she is described as being Greek, fair skin
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ShanaLD — 14 years ago(June 09, 2011 09:26 PM)
She did accomplish more than just getting knocked up. And you should also know that part of going for Caesar and Antony was to protect Egypt's sovereignty because at the time women were not allowed to rule without a male consort. She killed herself to avoid being killed by the Romans, common thing at the time to avoid being paraded around as something that has been conquered. You do realize that most of the "she was just a whore" stuff was perpetuated mostly by the Romans who defeated her in war? Common tactic especially when it comes to female rulers.
Just because someone makes a movie about Cleopatra doesn't mean that a movie could not be made of any of the women you mentioned. That would be like me complaining about Robert Serber having more biographies than Percy Julian.
And Indira Ghandi was a corrupt politician that certainly does not deserve any admiration for more than being the longest serving female prime minister.
Also Mother Theresa has her own share of things to be critical of. -
Jane_Claire — 14 years ago(July 03, 2011 08:27 PM)
'You do realize that most of the "she was just a whore" stuff was perpetuated mostly by the Romans who defeated her in war? Common tactic especially when it comes to female rulers. '
SO common. Ever heard of Lucrezia Borgia? -
archer1812 — 14 years ago(August 09, 2011 10:33 AM)
-Ancient Egyptians were not black, though there were blacks in ancient Egypt, mostly Nubians.
-Cleopatra wasn't an ethnic Egyptian (even if she was, she still wouldn't been black), she was from the Ptolemaic Dynasty, which means that she was ethnically Greek. -
jpat99 — 14 years ago(August 27, 2011 01:30 AM)
It is an example of one group of people invading and replacing another group people.(The Americas, Egypt). And when people debate about who is Black, or who is mixed, it always sounds silly to people who know that most Black Americans are mixed, and come in alf4l shades.
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archer1812 — 14 years ago(August 27, 2011 02:00 PM)
When it comes to "invading and replacing" in the Americas.. the only ones who were invaded and replaced were the native Americans (Amerindians), not the whites or blacks.
Anyway is apples and oranges, since both situations were different.. The Greeks didn't replace the Egyptians The Ptolemaic dynasty replaced the ruling class of Egypt which is a different matter. And generally, they didn't mix with the locals. And certainly not the ruling family who went as far as making it tradition to marry between siblings.
I'm still not sure what you're getting at.. Is your assertion that Cleopatra wasn't Greek? -
QinetiQ — 13 years ago(December 08, 2012 02:52 AM)
Yep,her beauty grew with the legend. She was probably just smart and manipulative.
As for being black or white, in general hollywood gives what is expected by the mass, and in this case people expect a 'white' cleo, since thats how they imagine her. -
Sally1829 — 12 years ago(May 18, 2013 10:37 PM)
True, her contemporaries described her as not particularly beautiful, but so clever and charming that she became enticing.
I still think that girl from HBO's Rome nailed the Cleopatra role. (http://www.imdb.com/board/21203457/) -
OnlyRocknRoll — 12 years ago(December 08, 2013 09:24 AM)
Archaeologists and Historians agree that there are FEW liknesses of Cleopatra. NO ONE is exactly sure what she looked like. Most of what is known of her looks is DESCRIPTIVE. Her allure was supposed to be her intelligence,education,and personality not to mention being an Egyptian royal.
The constant idiocy of people who want to claim Cleo as "black" is irritating. That word and concept, as now used, did not exist during her time on Earth. Her father was a Macedonian (from Europe) and little is known of her mother. Ptolemy inherited a harem when he took over Egypt. The harem was filled with women from every country that had submitted tribute to Egypt when it was the dominant power of the circum Mediterranean region.
Yes, Egypt is in Africa. But, it occupied an area very similar to the lands in between Europe and Asia. An area with a lot of traffic of various people blending for various reasons and circumstances. Is there a line of demarcation between Europe and Asia where the people on one side are Asian and on the other side European? NO.
The "myth" of Cleopatra's beauty has become such a strong icon over the millenia that if there is going to be yet another remake about her, the actress needs to be able to pull that off. Saldana can't do that. Jolie can.
"ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED??!!"
Maximus Decimus Meridius -
activista — 12 years ago(January 02, 2014 02:58 AM)
She may have been Greek,but she was also African. We'll claim who we want to claim, so step the hell off! Plus white people have always claimed historical figures even when they KNEW the historical figure in question couldn't be white (like Jesus,for example. So she could have been a black Greek,for all we know. And,yeah, Saldana would have been an interesting choice, if Hollywood had the balls to cast her (but they don't.)