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Cassius Dio On the Conquest of Egypt Document 11 highlights Octavian’s conquest of Egypt. The document On the Conquest of Egypt comes by way of Greek historian Cassius Dio and is an excerpt from his book Roman History which was written in 3rd Century CE. The document was written by a Greek historian therefore, one can assume that it was written in Greek and thus was intended for Greek audiences. 1Dio’s document gives an account of Cleopatra’s suicide, her attmept to seduce Octavian and ultimately Ocatavian’s conquest of Egypt. The document also mentions Octavian’s desire to treat Egypt as the “possession of the emperor” and briefly talks about the “economic results” of Octavian’s conquest of Egypt2. Dio paints an image of Cleopatra as a weak and defeated woman as opposed to the strong, independent queen. Lastly, the document outlines the beginning of Octaivain’s use of Egypt as his own personal bank and how he used the riches.3 Cleopatra is described by author Margaret Melanie Miles as a brave, astute, and charming woman, who went into battle, and held of the threat of imperial Rome as long as she could4. Dio’s depiction of Cleopatra is far from that of Miles. In the beginning of On the Conquest to Egypt Dio characterized Cleopatra as a charming, temptress who essentially used her beauty and sexual prowess to get what she wants5. The kissing the letters of Julius Caesar and falling at Octavian’s knees is a far leap from the woman who held power of Egypt for years in an age when women rarely asserted political control over men and convention degreed that the king of Egypt should be a young healthy male6. So why would Dio alter her image? 1 Cassius Dio, On the Conquest of Egypt, p. 87. 2 Cassius Dio, On the Conquest of Egypt, p.88 3 Cassius Dio On the Conquest of Egypt,p. 88-89 4 Miles, Margaret Melanie,Cleopatra : A Sphinx Revisited, p. 1 5 Cassius Dio, On the Conquest of Egypt, p. 86 6 Joyce A.Tyldesley, Cleopatra : Last Queen of Egypt, p. 11

One could argue that the Roman view of women coupled with Octavian’s own political agenda were responsible for this. The only written accounts of Cleopatra, are from Roman or Greek sources and we do not have an Egyptian counterpart to use as comparison. In ancient Rome, women were not allowed to be active in politics and were not regarded as equal to men. Therefore by making her out to be weaker than the male (Octavian), falling to her knees and sobbing begging for death they continue to spread the propagandistic Roman view of what a woman is and what a woman can do. For the Romans, females were to be constrained and controlled7. By describing Cleopatra in a way that makes her seem weak and defeated and by painting the picture of her sobbing on her knees symbolizes Octavian’s dominance over her. To follow up on the previous point, the question of how this depiction of Cleopatra affected Octavainan’s political standing in Rome could be asked. When attempting to answer this question, one should again note that most of the images and stories of Cleopatra are told from a Roman or Greek point of view. Therefore it could be said that the image of Cleopatra was altered to enhance Octavian’s standing in Rome. Octavian was particularly proud of his conquest of Egypt and it is even mentioned in Res Gestae Divi Augusti where he states that he “added Egypt to the rule of the Roman people”8. Therefore it could be argued that the image of Cleopatra was manipulated to promote Octvian’s political image. He not only paints himself in a good light by making himself the understanding, comforting ruler telling Cleopatra to “be of good cheer” but by also using her as a symbol of his conquest. The Roman depictions of Cleopatra On the Conquest of Egypt can serve as a good example of the biased Roman account of Cleopatra. Octavian acquired a great amount of wealth in his conquest of Egypt. He obtained this wealth by removing everything from Cleopatra’s treasury, collecting treasures from criminals

7 Nick Frigo, “Women in Ancient Rome, p 54 8 Augustus, Res Gestae Dive Augustus, p. 63

and removing two-thirds of property from the rest of the citizens 9. Dio’s document details how Octavian handled his new found riches. In an effort to keep the riches of Egypt to himself, Octavian did not entrust the land to any senator and no Roman senator could live there. Octavian shared the riches of Egypt by giving a portion of this wealth to the troops, equites and those who were with him at the time. He paid off all his debts and forgave debts owed to him as well as gave 400 sesterces apiece to every adult Roman male 10. By doing this he curried favor with the most powerful in Rome as well as the common man. Essentially, Octavian used his riches from Egypt to buy the support and loyalty of the Roman population for his political advancement. The value of Egypt to the Romans was considerable. Egypt’s riches transformed Rome. Money circulated through the city the price of goods went up, loans were lowered and spirits were high. Romans forgot their “unpleasant experiences” and were happy about this triumph.11 Cassius Dio’s document gives an in-depth account of Octavian’s conquest of Egypt from a Roman point of view. While it provides a detailed account of Cleopatra’s death and her last few days, it may not be the most accurate depiction of the Egyptian queen and might be riddled with Roman propaganda due to the Roman’s preexisting views on Egyptians as well as women in power. Dio’s On the Conquest of Egypt highlights Octavian’s conquest of Egypt, his acquisition of Egypt’s riches and the ways he utilized said riches to further his political career by buying the support of the Romans. The document also briefly discusses how the influx of Egyptian wealth affected the Roman economy. This document could be utilized in a paper that deals with a) Roman biases toward Egyptian b) Roman’s view of women c) Octavian’s rise to power following his conquest of Egypt. This document could also be helpful in a commentary of Roman views on women in power. 9 Cassius Dio, On the Conquest of Egypt, p 88 10 Cassius Dio, On the Conquest of Egypt, p 88-89 11 Cassius Dio, On the Conquest of Egypt, p 89

Word Count: 966 Christina Thompson

Bibliography Dio, Cassius. On the Conquest of Egypt. Translated by Earnest Cary, In Cassius Dio, Roman History 51, pp. 12-13; 17; 21. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1917.

Frigo, Nick. “Women in Ancient Rome.” Agora, vol. 50, no. 3, Oct. 2015, pp. 53–57. EBSCOhost, library.macewan.ca/full-record/ehh/112839901.

Miles, Margaret Melanie. Cleopatra : A Sphinx Revisited. University of California Press, 2011. EBSCOhost, library.macewan.ca/full-record/nlebk/432837.

Res Gestae Dive Augustus.Translated by Ronald Mellor in The Historians of Ancient Rome,pp 356-64. New York: routeledge, 1998.

Roller, Duane W. Cleopatra : A Biography. Oxford University Press, 2010.

“The Internet Classics Archive: The Deeds of the Divine Augustus by Augustus.” The Internet Classics Archive | The Deeds of the Divine Augustus by Augustus, classics.mit.edu/Augustus/deeds.html.

Tyldesley, Joyce A. Cleopatra : Last Queen of Egypt. Basic Books, 2008. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=250962&site=eds-live&scope=sit...