Today, Queen Cleopatra VII of Egypt is the most famous woman of the ancient world. Yet she was not the only queen of her generation. She had an elder sister, Berenike, and a younger one, Arsinoe, both of whom also ruled Egypt.





The circumstances in which three sister queens each sought power for themselves were unprecedented. Women had not ruled Egypt since the time of the Pharaohs, 1,500 years earlier. But it was also anathema to the Romans, who had many vested interests in Egypt. As Republicans, the Romans despised monarchy - a monarchy controlled by women was beyond comprehension.





Acclaimed historian Jane Draycott tells the fascinating story of three powerful sisters, their rivalry and their efforts to stand up to the might of Rome.



Jane Draycott is a historian and archaeologist, and the author of Fulvia and Cleopatra's Daughter. She is currently Lecturer in Ancient History at the University of Glasgow and co-director of the University of Glasgow's Games and Gaming Lab.



Jane Draycott delves into the history of that most famous ruler of Egypt - Cleopatra VII - this time within the context of her contentious Ptolemaic family, painting a vivid picture of competition, betrayal and assassination



Light and thorough, wide-reaching and focused, entertaining but not sensationalist



Makes a persuasive case that, in the Roman Republic, any woman who dared do things differently was virtually certain of going down in history as an evil femme fatale