Cleopatra's Palace : In Search of a Legend - Hardcover

Laura Foreman

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0679462600 ISBN 13: 9780679462606

Publisher: Discovery Books, 1999

Synopsis

In 30 b.c., against the backdrop of Alexandria, Egypt, one of the most majestic of all ancient cities, a great queen proudly and defiantly took her life. More than two thousand years later, the world remains fascinated and haunted by this most intriguing woman, Cleopatra VII, yet practically everything we know about her is based on ancient text fragments, literature, and myth. Was she the temptress of legend? A ruthless, ambitious conqueror? Or was she a strong, brilliant, visionary ruler, a passionate and loyal woman, and a fiercely devoted mother?

Discovery Books presents Cleopatra's Palace: In Search of a Legend--a dramatic look at Cleopatra's world based on ancient accounts and modern scholarship. Gifted storyteller Laura Foreman brings Cleopatra's legendary tale to life, from the founding of Alexandria by Alexander the Great, to Cleopatra's ascent to the Egyptian throne amid treachery and betrayal, to her passionate alliances with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony and her doomed battle against Octavian.

But the legend doesn't end there. Cleopatra's Palace also presents the astounding recent findings of world-renowned underwater explorer Franck Goddio, who, with his team of underwater archaeologists, has succeeded in mapping the Royal Quarter of Ancient Alexandria, long submerged beneath the Mediterranean by cataclysmic earthquakes early in the millennium. In a fascinating narrative illustrated by exclusive underwater images, the expedition's successes are presented, including the discovery of such artifacts as jewelry, statues, sphinxes, rare pottery, and an ancient shipwreck, as well as architectural remains that were found on the site of this magnificent drama.

Lavishly illustrated with over 200 extraordinary full-color photographs, expedition images, fine-art reproductions, drawings, and maps, and interlaced with discussions on the art, architecture, religion, politics, and society of the Graeco-Roman period, Cleopatra's Palace is sure to captivate all lovers of discovery.

Blending biography, history, and modern exploration into great storytelling, Cleopatra's Palace re-creates the glory of Egypt's long-vanished capital and its Royal Quarter, and brings Egypt's greatest queen unforgettably to life.

About this title

Review

Founded in the late 4th century B.C. by its namesake, the conquering Alexander of Macedon, the Egyptian city of Alexandria enjoyed a near-perfect site: "a flat and narrow limestone expanse at the edge of the Nile delta, some thirty miles west of the great river's westernmost branch" that stood before a superb deep-water harbor. The Ptolemaic dynasty that Alexander founded produced, three centuries later, Egypt's last true pharaoh, Cleopatra, who built on the site fabulous structures of marble, granite, precious gems and metals, and glasswork--a palace complex renowned throughout the ancient world. Cleopatra, writes Laura Foreman, was both "a hard-headed pragmatist and at the same time a devout mystic," a stern ruler whose position was constantly challenged by rivals to the throne and the ever-expanding Roman empire alike. Caught on the losing side in a power struggle between the Roman generals Octavian and Antony, Cleopatra committed suicide; with her death came the end of Ptolemaic power.

History did not forget her, but the elements (particularly the rising Mediterranean sea) swallowed up much of the ancient city of Alexandria. In the late 1980s, an international team of archaeologists began to excavate the underwater ruins of ancient Alexandria. Foreman documents their work in this richly illustrated, well-written reconstruction of the ancient past, a book that armchair Egyptologists will find irresistible. --Gregory McNamee

About the Author

Laura Foreman is an accomplished journalist who has worked for the Associated Press, UPI, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and The New York Times. Franck Goddio, one of the most important underwater explorers of our time, has salvaged twelve sunken ships, including the Spanish galleon San Diego. His IEASM (Institute Européen d'Archéologie Sous Marine) team operates with the support of the Hilti Foundation in Liechtenstein.

Discovery Books is affiliated with Discovery Communications, Inc., which produces high-quality nonfiction television programming, interactive media, books, films, and consumer products. Discovery Networks, a division of Discovery Communications, Inc., operates and manages Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, and Travel Channel.

About this edition

• Publisher: Discovery Books
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0679462600
• ISBN 13: 9780679462606
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 216