Death of Cleopatra
Alexandria, Egypt
What happened
Cleopatra VII, the last ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt, died in Alexandria in August 30 BCE, aged 39. Sources give the day as 10 or 12 August. Octavian's army had reached the city after he defeated her and Mark Antony at the sea battle of Actium the year before.
Why it matters
Her death ended the Ptolemaic family's rule of Egypt, which had lasted since the time of Alexander the Great, and ended the Hellenistic period. Egypt became a province of Rome.
What came next
Octavian was renamed Augustus in 27 BCE and became Rome's first emperor. Cleopatra's three children with Antony were taken to Rome, and her daughter Cleopatra Selene II later married Juba II of Mauretania.
Did you know?
The tomb of Cleopatra and Antony has never been found. Archaeologists have searched at a temple called Taposiris Magna, southwest of Alexandria.
Timeline
- 31 BCEAntony and Cleopatra lose the naval battle of Actium.
- 1 August 30 BCEAntony wins a small fight near Alexandria, but his fleet and cavalry soon switch sides.
- August 30 BCECleopatra dies in Alexandria.
- 27 BCEOctavian becomes Augustus.