MediaPunch Inc / Alamy
The scandal that engulfed the tempestuous couple from the beginning fed a media and public obsession that lasted for the rest of their lives.
Jewelry of the kandake Amanishakheto from a pyramid at Meroe.
Einsamer Schütze/Wikimedia Commons
The way many Americans think about racial identity today is hard to map onto the complex history of ancient Egypt and ancient Nubia.
Netflix
The backlash against Netflix’s documentary asks the question of how brands should take more responsibility when representing other cultures.
Cleopatra (centre) is played by a black actress, Adele James, in the new Netflix docudrama series.
Image courtesy Netflix
The ethnicity outcry says more about today’s preoccupations with race than ancient Egypt’s.
Adele James in Netflix’s Queen Cleopatra.
Courtesy of Netflix
The modern soundtrack and dialogue feels far more anachronistic and intrusive than the diverse casting.
Did rumours of a ‘Cleopatra’ re-make drive people to the Egyptian queen’s Wikipedia page?
ScreenProd / Photononstop / Alamy Stock Photo
Small design decisions by big tech companies can play a role in directing our attention.
The south wall of the temple of Hathor at Dendera. Cleopatra and her son Caesarian are depicted on the left side.
from www.shutterstock.com
From the trinkets of the tomb to the mummy of the queen herself, the discovery of Cleopatra’s mausoleum could rewrite our understanding of the ancient world.
New prime minister, Rishi Sunak, is the latest to take on the leading role in this unravelling Shakespearean drama.
Allstar Picture Library Ltd/Alamy
Shakespeare often portrayed crises of legitimacy and reflected on the politics of his day but the Tories might not fare so well in a modern production.
Zenobia addressing her troops.
Giambattista Tiepolo (National Gallery)
Anything is possible in the world of computers games – except women who fight, apparently.
Getting it on?
Wikipedia
Was a forged document responsible for the defeat of Mark Antony and the rise of Rome’s first emperor?