Barbie Cafe': August 2010

"GODDESS QUEEN OF THE NILE CLEOPATRA BARBIE DOLL. This striking portrayal of Barbie® doll as Cleopatra captures the nobility of a divine queen. She wears a dazzling cape and skirt with exotic green and black design, featuring a golden rope embellishment. Her extravagant headdress lends a regal air with its ornate design with scarab and cobra details. The faux jewel and golden earrings, dagger, and scepter reveal the pharaoh's exotic origin. History and striking elegance meet to create an extraordinary doll. Designed by Linda Kyaw."

Do you know who Cleopatra was? Well if you don't, here it's:

Cleopatra is often remembered as an Egyptian femme fatale, a seductive libertine who killed herself for the sake of Roman general Mark Antony. There is little truth to it, I’m sure things didn’t happen the way history shows. Cleopatra was queen of the ancient kingdom not flowed in their veins a single drop of Egyptian blood. She was a Greek from Macedonia, the Egyptian capital, Alexandria was a Greek city, and the language of the court was Greek. Her dynasty was founded by Ptolemy, a Macedonian general of Alexander the Great, who after his death had become king of Egypt.

As for his debauchery, there is the slightest hint of love affairs of Cleopatra, except with Julius Caesar and, three years after the death of Caesar, Mark Antony. These bonds were not random but public unions then approved by the priests of Egypt and recognized as marriages. It is almost an “absurd” version that she was a sensual woman, who used all the tricks to seduce these men.

Julius Caesar, with around 30 years older than Cleopatra had four wives and numerous lovers. His soldiers called him "bald adulterer" and sang a label warning husbands who keep women under lock and key when he walked away. Marco Antonio, 14 years older than the young queen, was also a known womanizer. And in the end it was not for love of him that Cleopatra killed herself, but by the desire to escape the degradation at the hands of another conqueror.

The legend persists for more than 2000 years, mainly because poets and playwrights, including Shakespeare, have given more emphasis to the physical charms and passions than to the intelligence and courage of the queen. His deeds, however, show that she was a brilliant woman, witty, who spent his life fighting to prevent her country from being destroyed by the Romans.

Born in 68 or 69 BC, Cleopatra grew between the palace intrigue and violence. Her father, Ptolemy XIII, was a drunkard, a lecher whose fun was playing the flute. When he died Cleopatra became queen, ruling with her brother, Ptolemy XIV. Two years later, Ptolemy, dominated by a trio of intriguing, had forced Cleopatra exile in Syria. Showing since the bravery that characterized her life, she immediately organized an army and began to march through the desert to fight back for her throne.

What is the physical aspect of Cleopatra? The only instructions are some coins minted with his profile and a bust of Roman ruins unearthed about 1,800 years after her death. Show an aquiline nose, mouth and traced, with finely chiseled lips. Several ancient historians wrote about her "breathtaking beauty," but were not men who had personally seen. A more accurate description seems to be Plutarch, whose grandfather heard of Cleopatra by a doctor friend of the queen of the cooks. Plutarch wrote that in reality their beauty was not really so extraordinary that nobody could compare to it. "

All ancient writers agree, however, to recognize her talk "fascinating," its beautiful voice, "the skill and subtlety of her language." She spoke six languages, knew the history, literature and Greek philosophy, she was a shrewd negotiator and, apparently, a military strategist of the first order. She also had a great ability to surround herself with a theatrical atmosphere.

Whether the ruse was intended to prevent the killers in the pay of his brother, or was intended to impress Caesar, the fact is that its entry into the city was one of the most sensational of all time. Her courage and charm contributed to convince Caesar that good policy would repay him the throne. And shortly after the first meeting, where she come out of a carpet roll, she was pregnant.

Perhaps to impress Caesar with the wealth of Egypt, Cleopatra organized in the spring following an expedition to the Nile. For weeks, she and Caesar sailed the river in a boat-luxurious residence, accompanied by 400 vessels carrying troops and supplies. In June, Cleopatra gave birth to a son Caesarion or Little Caesar, Greek.

The newborn, the only son of Julius Caesar seems to have been the source of an ambitious plan to merge Caesar and Cleopatra for Rome and Egypt in a vast empire under their domain and its strain. Soon after the birth of the boy, Caesar sailed from Alexandria and began military operations in Asia Minor and North Africa, removing any remaining pockets of opposition. A year later, he returned triumphantly to Rome as dictator unchallenged. Cleopatra was already there with Caesarion, installed by Caesar in a stately villa.

As queen, with a royal court, Cleopatra began to exert influence on Roman life. It took Alexandria minters coins to improve the Roman coinage, finance specialists to organize the program tributary of Caesar. Astronomers have reformed the Roman calendar, creating calendar on which is based on our current system. Caesar had put up a statue of Cleopatra in a new temple built in honor of Venus, and issued a currency in which Venus and Eros identified with the figure of Cleopatra carrying Caesarion in her arms. Her power seemed absolute. Suddenly, 20 months after Cleopatra arriving in Rome, Julius Caesar was assassinated.

Nobody knows whether Cleopatra was taken to despair. At the end of a month, she returned to Egypt. We only know that in the struggle for power, which has plunged Rome into civil war, the contenders sought their assistance. It seems that their policy was cautious waiting to see who would become the successor of Caesar.

When Antony emerged as strong man of the East, Cleopatra was asked to meet him at Tarsus. For some time she was not aware of the call, then set sail with a magnificent fleet, bringing gold, slaves, horses and jewels. In Tarsus, instead of going to the land as a supplicant, Cleopatra waited quietly, anchored offshore.

After having maneuvered skillfully to Mark Antony, he became her guest, she confronted him with a dazzling spectacle: the oars of the galley, with silver tips, marking the beat of the music of flutes and harps, strings operated by beautiful slaves dressed as nymphs and graces, while others sprinkled incense from exotic perfumes. Reclined under a canopy of gold, Cleopatra appeared as Venus, fanned by boys who seemed cupids. When finished the banquet, Cleopatra gave to Marco Antonio a dish of gold, beautiful bowls, the sumptuous canapés and embroideries that had been used to serve him.

The next night offered a new party to Antony and his officers, and when they left, all guests received identical gifts. Her purpose was not to win the affection of Mark Antony, but impress him with the unlimited wealth of Egypt and, therefore, its potential as an ally.

Three months later, Antony went to Alexandria and spent the winter there. He departed in the spring; six months before Cleopatra give birth to their twin sons, and spent nearly four years without getting to see the boys. In this interval, Cleopatra strengthened the defenses of her country, she organized the squad, has amassed gold and supplies. When Mark Antony, in the hope of expanding its power in the East, invited her to meet him in Syria, she imposed some conditions. Achieved an agreement whereby Egypt would be given all the vast areas that had been owned 1400 years before the Pharaohs, then Roman provinces. Antony also agreed with a legitimate marriage, and to commemorate the event, minted coins were made with effigies of the two. At that time, Cleopatra began a new phase of her reign.

Then she left with Mark Antony to make war with the Persians, but the Euphrates had to give up the campaign. She was pregnant again. The child was born in the autumn and winter arrived at the desperate pleas of Mark Antony: his army was destroyed, and the only remnant of the troops had barely managed to escape to the coast of Syria. With money, supplies and weapons, Cleopatra was the rescue.

The following year 35 BC, she had to use all his ingenuity to prevent Marco Antonio - in the spirit clouded by the continuity of the drink - try another invasion of Persia. Realizing that the real enemy was Octavian, nephew and rightful heir of Caesar that Rome ruled the West, she urged Antony to concentrate all efforts to overthrow him.

In 32 BC, Cleopatra precipitated the war with Octavius, Antony persuaded to take two steps: downloading an edict by which was divorcing his second wife, Octavia (the beautiful sister of Octavian), and determine that its troops crossed the Aegean and enter Greece. Cleopatra was then in apogee. Vassal kings of the Middle East paid him homage, the Athenians covered it with honor, hailing it as Aphrodite and raising his statue on the Acropolis.

Suddenly, at Actium on the western coast of Greece, the evening of September 2 the year 31 BC, everything collapsed. Historians have never reached an agreement on this decisive battle, no one knows why Mark Antony, with a superior army, left to become a naval battle, nor why, in full naval battle, with the outcome still undecided Cleopatra set sail and went to full sail for Egypt, with its 60 ships of war, or that Antony abandoned his huge army left to board the ship and Cleopatra.

Upon returning to Egypt, when the news spread of the disaster, Cleopatra tried to strengthen ties with neighboring countries. And she also began to transfer warships from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea - fabulous project that mattered to drag the ships across many miles of desert.

When the troops arrived and took the strong Otavio to the border of Egypt, Cleopatra remained in Alexandria, ready to negotiate with Octavian, or fight him. But the approach of the invading army, the navy and cavalry failed and the queen and Antony committed suicide. Captured alive, Cleopatra was put under guard and warned , if she didn’t collaborate, her children would be executed.

Although Octavian promised leniency, Cleopatra assumed that their fate would be similar to hundreds of other kings captive, who had been taken in procession through the streets of Rome in chains, to be later executed. Bold to the end, she pretended to abandon any idea of suicide. Getting permission to visit the tomb of Mark Antony, who seems able to communicate with the party faithful when his litter was carried through the streets. She returned to her room, bathed, had dinner and told her servants to put on as Venus. About what happened after just know the following: Roman officials who broke her chambers found Cleopatra dead. According to legend, the Queen had been bite by a viper that had been sent to smuggle a basket of figs.

When in Rome celebrated the conquest of Egypt by Octavian, was dragged through the streets a statue of Cleopatra with an asp clinging to one arm. Her three children with Mark Antony - had been executed - It was then that the Roman poets to fall into the good graces of the winner began to spread the myth of a perverse and wanton Egyptian queen - the myth that lasts until today.

Well, after all this... if she was really beautiful or not doesn't matter, all i know than this Barbie Doll as a Cleopatra is gorgeous!!!

Oh! One more thing, would be nice have a Ken Doll as a Mark Antony or Julius...