Silver Snake
Female heads of state are few and far between throughout history, but when a woman rises to power, she leaves her mark. Cleopatra, arguably the most famous woman of the ancient world, was Queen of Egypt and lived from 70 or 69 B.C.E. to 30 B.C.E. Her legacy extends through history and legend, and she remains firmly entrenched as an icon of brilliance, seduction, and tragedy.
It is her tragic death that has mesmerized historians and inspired artists through the ages. Supposedly by inflicting the bite of an asp or cobra, Cleopatra committed suicide after the death of her last lover Mark Antony of Rome and the defeat of their armies. The dramatic image of the beautiful queen withering beneath the fangs of a snake has long symbolized the anguish of total defeat after losing a bid for power.
The stakes had always been high for Cleopatra. She was a daughter of the long established Ptolemy Dynasty that had ruled Egypt since the death of Alexander the Great in 323 B.C.E. The Ptolemies were Macedonian Greeks, and Cleopatra would have described herself as Greek. Despite being an Egyptian Queen, she was not of Egyptian blood.
Cleopatra ruled during a time when Rome was the ultimate force of power in the Mediterranean world, but the three-thousand-year-old Egyptian civilization, although waning, remained wealthy and significant. Through diplomacy and her long affair with Julius Caesar, Cleopatra worked to maintain a measure of independence for Egypt and power for herself and her dynasty. After the death of Caesar, her romantic alliance switched to his supporter Mark Antony. Together, Cleopatra and Antony challenged Rome, now under the leadership of Octavian, for control of the eastern Mediterranean. Their disastrous defeat at the Battle of Actium sent them retreating to Egypt to await the final wrath of Octavian as he pursued his rivals.
Ironically, the victories of mighty Rome had left its treasuries spent, and Octavian had disgruntled armies on his hands. A ruler of Rome needs his armies on his side if he wishes to remain in power, and Octavian quite desperately needed to finish off Cleopatra and Antony and seize the treasure of the Egyptian monarchy. Cleopatra possessed the last great treasure outside of Roman control. The wealth of the Dynasty of the Ptolemies was described by the historian Plutarch as consisting of gold, silver, emeralds, pearls, ebony, ivory, and cinnamon. With Octavian’s armies restless, Cleopatra hoped to eventually prevail if she could hold out long enough for Octavian to be undermined by his unpaid military. Trying to play time to her advantage, Cleopatra attempted to avoid Octavian with various diplomatic overtures and plots of escaping to the east, but everything failed. Octavian’s determined forces eventually arrived at Alexandria and Mark Antony’s forces surrendered or deserted in despair on the first of August 30 B.C.E. Antony’s death soon followed, and Cleopatra barricaded herself in her mausoleum with her treasure that was surrounded by firewood and kindling. Octavian, terribly worried that she would destroy most of the badly needed treasure with fire, managed to get people in the mausoleum through an upper window. Cleopatra was taken captive and her treasure seized by Rome.
With her lover and ally Antony defeated and dead, Cleopatra was bereft of authority and Egypt’s wealth was plundered. She died on August 12th of poison. Cleopatra was described as being in her royal robes upon a golden couch with a diadem on her brow. Two loyal servants shared in her death. The exact nature of how she poisoned herself is not known. The story of how she put a poisonous snake to her breast won out over other versions. Such a death allowed for a stunning and romantic conclusion to a remarkable life, and it corresponded with the Goddess Isis with whom Cleopatra associated herself. Isis is often depicted with a snake coiled around her divine arm.
The politically savvy Cleopatra outmaneuvered the full grasp of Rome as long as she could, but her struggle has charmed historians ever since. Cleopatra will always be known as an ancient queen who played upon a chessboard with mighty men. She did not win, but millions of people even thousands of years later still speak her name – an honor many Pharaohs would envy.
This brief look at the death of Cleopatra was written by fantasy author Tracy Falbe who finds inspiration in the passions, triumphs, and tragedies of history. She invites readers to discover the high stakes thrill of epic fantasy at http://www.braveluck.com
identify silver snake?
I found a dead snake the other day and I can’t figure out what it is.
It was long and like a metallic silver color. it’s belly was whiteish creamy, and its face was either black or silver with white markings all over. It had a diamond shaped face.
Thanks for the helps and suggestions–I’ll google an image to check if it’s the right one. 
Found it at Lake Frankston.
Private community of lake houses in North Texas.
Near Tyler, TX
totally silver back with markings on the face. very long and thin.
There were no markings on the back? My guess would have to be a yellow bellied racer.
http://www.garden-city.org/zoo/animalinfo/reptamph/yellow_bellied_racer.htm
Norfolk Southern 682: CSX ‘Silver Snake’ on Rockville Bridge
|
|
1 lampwork ceramic silver European beaded charms snake love bracelet S-A206 $0.99 |
|
|
Buy 5 Get 1PCS Don’t miss it Free P&P Unisex Silver EP 3MM Snake Necklace $2.96 |
|
|
Buy 5 Get 1PCS Don’t miss it Free P&P Unisex Silver EP 3MM Snake Necklace $2.98 |
|
|
Buy 5 Get 1PCS Don’t miss it Free P&P Unisex Silver EP 3MM Snake Necklace $2.99 |
|
|
Buy 5 Get 1PCS Don’t miss it Free P&P Unisex Silver EP 3MM Snake Necklace $3.00 |
|
|
Silver Grog Beads European Charms For Bracelets Snake Chains Necklace F36J $0.99 |
|
|
With Stone Silver beads European Charms Bracelets & Necklace Snake Chain #184 $0.99 |
|
|
Pumpkins Silver Clasp Bead European Charms For Snake Chain Necklace #043 $0.99 |
|
|
CZ Ring .925 Thai Silver Snake Designed Men’s Cool Jewelry $76.00 |
|
|
Lovely Silver elephant Charms Bead For European Bracelet Snake Chain #173 $0.99 |
|
|
New Silver Necklace Smooth Snake Chain with Red resin pendant MS-167(Red) $2.99 |
|
|
New Silver Necklace Smooth Snake Chain with Green resin pendant MS-167(Green) $2.99 |
|
|
New Silver Necklace Smooth Snake Chain with black resin pendant MS-167(Black) $2.99 |
|
|
5 PCS 1.2mm silver snake chain necklace 20 inch C01 $7.50 |
|
|
Wholesale 10PCS 30″ New Fashion Jewellery Lot 60% Silver Snake Necklace Chain $7.99 |
|
|
Badash Antique Gold Snakeskin Charger, 13-Inch $30.75 Snakeskin Charger 13″D – D35106… |
|
|
HAVE YOU HUGGED A SNAKE TODAY? Coffee Mug in Metallic Colors T-ShirtFrenzy offers over 30,000 designs on tons of products to offer millions of variations. You can search our store for something for everyone on your gift list or shop for yourself (our personal favorite). Please contact us with questions…. |
|
|
I LOVE MY SNAKE Coffee Mug in Metallic Colors T-ShirtFrenzy offers over 30,000 designs on tons of products to offer millions of variations. You can search our store for something for everyone on your gift list or shop for yourself (our personal favorite). Please contact us with questions…. |
|
|
Coverdale/Page $13.90 Track Listings 1. Shake My Tree |
|
|
Silver Anniversary Collection $5.74 All products are BRAND NEW and factory sealed. Fast shipping and 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed…. |
|
|
Pictures of a Floating World $8.99 … |
|
|
Bird-X TAPE-25 Irri-Tape Bird Repellent Ribbon $5.65 Holographic iridescent diffraction foil drives away birds. Repel birds holographically, Irri-Tape bothers all of a bird’s senses: Visual Scare: birds are scared by the material’s sheen, as the light causes constantly changing reflections and shadows. Sound scare: birds are rattled by the fierce metallic noise irritape makes as it blows in the breeze. Physical Deterrent: birds are blocked by Irri-T… |
|
|
Black & Decker VP110 VersaPak Gold 3.6-Volt 2 Amp Hour NiMH Gold Battery $13.49 Black & Decker’s VersaPak tools, everything from the ScumBuster to power screwdrivers, are boons to the busy person, saving both time and effort. We know they get a lot of use, so we’re glad to see Black & Decker offering single replacement Gold batteries to keep everything running smoothly. The VersaPak line of tools all use this battery, and their main advantage is freedom from “memory,” which k… |
|
|
Studio Designs Snake Lamp Silver $36.31 The Snake Lamp features a sleek contemporary design with clamp mount that easily adds LED light to any Studio Designs table. Constructed with brushed stainless steel, the Snake lamp has a 21 inch flexible neck that allows for easy adjustment of the 28 LED bulb light…. |
|
|
Tough Guys of Kung Fu: Dragon on Fire/Golden Dragon Silver Snake/Killing Machine/Rage of the $5.95 … |
Leave a Reply