Those who wrote about her looks did so centuries after her death and they were contradicting. Cassius Dio said she was of "surpassing beauty" while Plutarch basically said her looks were nothing special. Both agree that she was charming and intelligent but who knows where they got their information from. You can see her face on coins that have survived from her time. I think the only thing we can say about her is she had a pretty big nose.
I don't know the late Ptolmaics were all pretty unstable, it's been suggested that there may have been rampant syphilis in the Ptolmaic royal family. That and inbreeding.
She was highly intelligent and that probably what made her so attractive. She probably wasn't a beauty, looking at the level of inbreeding that led to her. It's a wonder she was even functional, let alone intelligent, though.
Cleopatra wasn't an idiot; Rome did the same exact thing with the Greek city states and Spain before by slowly incorporating them into their empire through diplomacy and war. She did whatever she could to keep Egypt autonomous and safe.
I would argue no she did not. Her empire was in decline she intentionally threw herself into roman politics full well knowing it would either hasten her empire's demise or restore it. It was a gamble. Egypt unlike so many who fought rome went out with a bang not whit a whimper.
Fredrik Dunge no she needed Rome help because Egypt was in trouble its riches and well beings were starting to decline and Rome was becoming a monster. She knew if she could seduce someone in power that Rome and Egypt would become allies. And when she became pregnant with Cesar's baby that means she now had an aire to Egypt and could push him into Roman Politics and untie the countries but when Cesar died she needed another so she picked Antony because at the time he had more power than Octavian who was younger and Antony was easier to seduce
"why does that matter? why do people never talk about Caesar or Mark Anthony other affairs? And why do we assume she instigated the affairs? why is it everytime, powerful women always defined by their sexuality?" This man deserves a fucking medal
I get where your coming from but want to what convinced Rome to attack Cleopatra , Mark Anthony’s will where he willed all of Rome to her family who she had with Caesar who she also tried to get as the king/emperor of Rome . If that doesn’t screen she started it I don’t know what does
They forgot to mention that the reason the Octavian declared war on Egypt was because Anthony was originally married to Octavian's sister. With Anthony's affair with Cleopatra, he was basically commiting adultery and thus insulting the honor of Octavian's family.
Octavian could marry his sister to whoever he wants, even to himself if he want. He is a monarch and the most powerfull person of the time, so probably he can marry to half or rome women, even the 5 years old ones, maybe men, horses, his throne, even Cleo maybe. I do not think that he would carry for his family honor. Maybe he just want even more power to marry the giza's pyramids.
Bini Farmer They also forgot to mention that Cleopatra's Egypt was a rich and highly developed country and an empire has to conquer in order to exploit the resources of other countries. The rest are propaganda for popular consumption
The reason Octavian went after Cleopatra is that she proclaimed her son head of the house of Caesar and spirited him away to Egypt. It was essentially a power struggle in the power vacuum left by Gaius Julius Caesar.
+Alma shatri That hadn't really been true for a century. Egypt in Cleopatra's time had been in so many civil wars that it had spend more than half of the last century fighting. It's wealth was drained by half crazy Ptolmaic kings and queens fighting each other. Probably in part due to the fact that Syphilis ran rampant in their family.
@@uria3679 aight 1st not everyone is a trump supporter just because they don't agree with you 2nd what is so bad about being a trump supporter? Tbf I have no idea what the guy has done but T H A T S H O U L D N O T M A T T E R, someone's political beliefs has nothing to do with the person him/her self. Especially if we are talking about history of Cleopatra, not current politics.
@@Noriccka1. makedonia is an ancient greek tribe just like sparta so she was greek from the greek tribe makedonia Stop the propaganda. Even her name is greek Just like with alexander the great and his family
@@ThachNguyen-xn6zr actually there were equivalents to queen: “Great royal wife,” “mistress of the two lands,” “female ruler”, etc. And as a Hellenistic ruler “basileia” was the title for a queen.
This one was awesome. Did a perfect job of narrating Cleopatra's achievements without overly sexualizing her or focussing on her affairs or seduction. I love narration like this
It was mediocre they glossed over a lot of the politics in Rome and the power struggle over Caesars death in favor of a “cleopatra was a strong independent women and thats why Rome hated her” angle
Cat pooper 101 Egypt was fucked by the Turks dude, the British had easy pickings. The Ottomans screwed you to the max. Egypt today is a worthless country - it can't even beat tiny Israel in war.
Well of course not. The entire Ptolemeic dynasty was decidedly Greek in styling, to the point where Cleopatra was the first in her lineage to learn to speak Egyptian. Cleopatra in Pharoic trappings is just a side effect of popular culture trying to condense 3000 years of history into an image that is something that is somehow distinctly Egyptian. That's why it's so strange to hear for the first time that Cleopatra lived closer to the moon landing than the building of the pyramids.
Yes but they did not talk, look or dress like the Egyptian Pharaohs. They brought the Greek culture with them, wich flourished in Egypt for almost a thousand years until the 7th century AD, when the Arabs conquered it. Especially Alexandria, was one of the top (greek) learning centres of antiquity with schools and philosophers and scientists, and of course its famous library, the wealthiest in ancient times.
She was born in Egypt, lived in Egypt and ruled Egypt. I'd say she was about as Egyptian as any given president of the USA is American. None of them are *native* American, but we're not going to call Trump a German president now,. are we?
it would have to be some time after him being the president, maybe six or ten years after, so everything he did while being the president could be seen in the pig picture and compared to other presidents after him.
Why did I even read these commentaries? Yes, it's true we know barely anything about Cleopatra's life because it was written years after her death by people who had no interest in making her sound cool. This video, however, is simply an alternative point of view, it's imagination trying to get rid of the unilateral side of the story that we all learn in school. Why are you all so quick at judging this point of view, but never bothered to ask if the history you learned is correct? I may be just another "stupid feminist", but it seems to me that, after all these years, you still can't even consider the thought that a woman might actually have been that powerful. This video isn't trying to convince you of anything, it's is simply wondering. What if Cleopatra's life was like that? Is it so impossible you can't even IMAGINE it?
Liam Lee omg, this video isn't supposed to be accurate!!! It is simply WONDERING about a subject that historians don't have much data to analyze nor reliable sources (due to the fact that her description was made years after her death). No one's going to write this in children's history books, this video is not trying to prove that this is how it all happened, it's not an attempt to prove historians wrong. Maybe Cleopatra was cool, maybe she wasn't, who knows? This is just to remember us that we can't be sure.
Lol, the video isn't supposed to be accurate? This isn't the movie Anastasia, this is a video presenting a historic "debate" about the popular reputation vs. the facts of historical figures, and it's stupid feminist bs instead. You're an idiot.
+ Amber Main Yes. A youtube video. It's so simportant that people should show it in big auditoriums, right? A youtube video. We should all change history books now because THIS video, wow, it changed everything, huh? Like you said, it's a debate. Not everything in there is accurate, the characters are simply interpreting facts in different ways and the video didn't state either side was right. In fact, it only says that we should try to see things from a different point of view once in a while. Those things said on the debate could be true and could be rubbish because, apparently people say a lot of crap in a debate. You calling me an idiot for no reason, for example, adds nothing to your argument and yet, you said it.
+Liam Lee This is getting too repetitive, I give up. Just read my last comments or maybe watch the video again so you can finally understand the purpose of it because I'm running out of ways to explain it english. Here's my last shot: this video was simply a speculation, it wasn't trying to convince anyone of anything nor change history books.
@@colejones6312 "Conclusive"? History is written by people with their own set of opinions and biases. To assume that it is always written accurately is extremely foolish, and only goes to show how poorly you understand history. It is absolutely the fault of the scholar when there are inaccuracies captured by their incompetency. Damn, imagine idolizing scholars to the point you think they are infallible. Idiotic.
I loved it. One of my favorite TED-ed videos. I hope you can make one about Mexican old civilizations, like Mayans, Azteks, Olmecas, Zapotecas, etc. We Mexicans have a rich ancient history. :)
I know he's not Mexican by blood but he gave blood for it. How about Maximilian Ferdinand, the emperor of the Mexican empire. Its actually a quite sad story.
Excellent! There are so many aspects of history and things that we take for granted that *need* to go on trial. Please continue with this series. Thank you.
It is! We've covered: Napoleon: ua-cam.com/video/8aq_gRfmjgY/v-deo.html Andrew Jackson: ua-cam.com/video/gx5IyumKmDI/v-deo.html Columbus: ua-cam.com/video/GD3dgiDreGc/v-deo.html Nixon: ua-cam.com/video/MX_HYL6-0Co/v-deo.html Lenin: ua-cam.com/video/9N8hsXQapjY/v-deo.html Genghis Khan: ua-cam.com/video/Eq-Wk3YqeH4/v-deo.html Who should we cover next?
Thank you for this. I hated how movies portrayed her, no one appreciated her intelligence and what she accomplished in her lifetime and instead blamed war and everything on her looks.
Mostly Octavian propaganda because having another civil war blatantly would have no support among the civil war weary Romans. Warring against a foreign ruler? Now that was something they were more okay with
Charles Dickens it is still uncertain whether she was black or white. True, her great grandparents were all macedonian greeks but it is very possible that her grandfather and father had several egyptian concubines who gave birth to many kids of brown skintones. Unfortunately we cannot know what her real skin color is (not that it matters) because of the lack of evidence
Charles Dickens her mother's race is questionable but I still say she's Greek. Obviously she is not a native African and she's only popular because she is considered white. Hatshepsut, Queen Tiye, and Ahmose-Nefetari are all much more impressive.
She was brilliant actually, a woman too early for her time. Nevertheless, I am intrigued by the women of history. They wanted power to control their lives and harshly they took it because they knew they wished they weren't just pawns...
Charles Dickens I know. That's why I thought that she is not alone in the world. And if you want a list of a few, you'll get it. There was Eleanor of Aquitaine, Sibylla of Jerusalem, Isabella of France, Margaret of Anjou who was known as the She Wolf of France due to her power and cunning knowledge, Nefertiti, Empress Catherine II of Russia who won the throne against her Emperor husband, Peter III Queen Regent Anne of Austria who regented for her son, the King of France, Empress Maria Theresa, Empress Matilda of England (I said England because she was married to the Holy Roman Emperor and she was the daughter of the English King.) Empress Wu who was the only female emperor of China, Isabella of Castille who ruled as the one of the Catholic Kings of Spain with her husband as an equal, Empress Elizabeth of Austria, Peter the Great's daughter, Queen Elizabeth I of England who defeated the Spanish Armada and reigned England greatly. Shall I go on to list people like Cleopatra, whom was queen and was ahead of her time like these women?
Kyliena Thea Alecster ??? You misunderstand. They WERE NOT ahead of their time. They were of their time. If you're thinking feminism or something - don't. Being a female with power is NOT NEW. There were always queens. The Moche of ancient Peru was a matriarchy, perhaps the Minoans were too. If you are born a royal you have power. That is not being "ahead of their time". PS most of the queens you list were monsters - including Elizabeth I, whose idiotic policies led to centuries of wars in Britain.
Firstly, men and women are equal for a simple reason : we are both human beings. A fact that wasn't recognised in both Roman and Greek societies, unfortunately. So drop the "this is feminist propaganda" because it isn't. Secondly, Roman Republic was a garbage of a republic, only rich could really be elected or vote. The Roman Empire has been much more successful in spreading culture and well, killing people. So the argument about the poor, good ol' Roman Republic is destroyed.
True but their votes were being bought up, and also they could not vote on everything, and only patricians could hold many of the higher offices. The roman republic had spent the last decades fighting civil war after blood civil war it was rotten to the core. Octavian actually restored the republic but the people kept listening more to the head of the house of Caesar than to the senate from then on.
@Napoleom Bonaparte Equal does not mean the same, also any behavioural differences are likely environmental, MRI scans of male and female brains show a greater internal diversity than dimorphic divide.
The empire was not that good. The republic had some key problems, yes, but there was no need to make as many changes as there was. Ceasers plan to redistribute lands was a good idea.
As it was said there's not much we know on Cleopatra as much as we'd like to. So there wasn't much of debate here. Maybe a History vs. Margaret Thatcher is due
"Why are only powerful women defined by their sexuality?" I play Blue Eyes White Bill Clinton card! and move my Caligula trap card into defense position!
Diana Burke defined by what theu did wrongly, or right with their penises. Fyi I dont mean any disrespect I just want to have an open honest reasonable conversation.
anarquia201 yes he declared himself Ceasar but that was just his name he declared himself the son of Ceasar and took his name only later did Ceasar equal ruler and he never declared himself emperor
Brandon Hernandez and Gaddafi said he was a mere citizen, a witness to the revolution, but he ruled like a maniac dictator king and had his sons lining up to rule after him. It's what you do not what you say that matters. Trump says he is going to make America great again, but .... we'll see.
@@linhhoang1363 Long story short, a significant war lord who came close to unifying Japan (which was achieved by his successor). He's sort of portrayed as a Darth Vader figure today. People admire his leadership skills, smart military tactics, and openness to foreign culture, but no one can deny his ruthlessness and cruelty in his campaign in expanding his territory. One of his most infamous acts was the mass slaughtering of Buddhist rebels, including women and children
History vs "Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror". As a Ted-Ed addict I would really appreciate Ted-ed embracing their alacrity to entertain the world by creating this video for their young follower. Really extraordinary channel 👍🏻
Gosh I've been meaning to watch you guys and now my recommendations are blowing up with you guys and I love it : ) I've been binge watching so I shall continue ♥️
And the fact that Julius Caesar has been used as lessons against populism and big man, which would work if not for the fact that many of them Roman Republic in romantic light without considering their classism and opposed reforms (including Caesar's ideas) to alleviate it. Like Orson Welles' portrayal of the jealous nobles as liberators against proto-fascism, usual conflation him to demagogues (Trump and Sanders, but more on former) ignoring Caesar's statesmanship and military brilliance, and Assassin's Creed Origin making him as not!Trump ignoring his more complex personality that would make the game more interesting (is Caesar a reformer? a opportunist? or a flawed anti-hero?).
Thank you .. Thank you .. with all the beautiful words and sincere feelings on your esteemed channel, which provides useful, accurate and useful information. I wish you lasting success. I am writing to you from the city of Baghdad. I wish you all the best. God bless you
Based on Ptolemaic era (stylized) art, the video is pretty accurate. Ptolemaics didn't cause that big of a cultural shift in Egypt, that job was left to the Romans.
@M Rawash But that's just it, said art was stylized and the temples that survive are mostly in Egyptian cities, not Greek cities. Aside from som ceremonial regalia I think they would have dressed more like Greeks.
***** Fair enough, it's such a shame almost nothing remains from the Greek Ptolemaic cities. It makes it very hard to get a good picture of what Ptolemaic Egypt was like.
It's because of videos like these that I can't sleep at night. I keep watching them cause they're on auto play and they are so cool -- awesome video 👍👍 love stuff about Cleopatra, I watched a documentary on her and one of the things she did to get to Caesar was to hide in a carpet while two men carried her to him -- baring in mind the weather would've been scorching and the carpet would've been keeping it in -- great video, I liked that you put history on trial 😊🙌
Michel Sindaha Her family typically intermarried or married off to Greek nobles. They tried very hard to separate themselves from the Egyptians they ruled. I believe she was the first ruler who actually bothered to speak Egyptian.
-Cleopatra's family line is mostly Greek, Egyptian might have mixed in but not too significantly -Cleopatra ruled Egypt about 250 years after a Hellenistic line took over the country and though not outright replacing Egyptian culture slowly introduced more and more Greek elements into it over time -Almost all artwork of the time, from sculptures to coins, showed her looking very Mediterranean, and often sporting curly hair in a bun instead of Egyptian bangs So why does every medium draw Hatshepsut and call her Cleopatra?
A very well done video in support for powerful women, opportunities to show powerful women are usually not done well or wrong. Such as female superheroes in movies or even extreme feminists claiming support for women. This topic is very narrow, and very hard to say that feminists are wrong or that men insulting feminists are wrong. This video clearly shows how to handle this topic. Thank you.
She is very obviously tanned. Both the judge and other side characters are much darker than her. As for Cleopatra herself, this is just the recognizable Hollywood portrayal of her. Although she did portray herself as an embodiment of Isis (the Goddess, not the terrorist group).
"we may never known the full truth but we can separate fact from rumor by putting history on trial"
well said sir well said.
Sounds like a cop out.
@@raylevi5343 No. history doesn’t always have straight answers.
yes sir indeed
I respect these guys at Ted-Ed
👏
I've watched a documentary that explained that she wasn't physically beautiful but highly intelligent and that's what made so many attracted to her.
Sarah Herndon that’s interesting. Would you happen to know the name of the documentary?
I'd like to know it too, so if you could be so kind... :)
Those who wrote about her looks did so centuries after her death and they were contradicting. Cassius Dio said she was of "surpassing beauty" while Plutarch basically said her looks were nothing special. Both agree that she was charming and intelligent but who knows where they got their information from. You can see her face on coins that have survived from her time. I think the only thing we can say about her is she had a pretty big nose.
I don't know the late Ptolmaics were all pretty unstable, it's been suggested that there may have been rampant syphilis in the Ptolmaic royal family. That and inbreeding.
Sarah Herndon
It really sucks that people define her by her beauty alone, because she was easily one of history’s most interesting figures.
I'd still like to think she was smoking even if it isn't accurate
She was highly intelligent and that probably what made her so attractive. She probably wasn't a beauty, looking at the level of inbreeding that led to her. It's a wonder she was even functional, let alone intelligent, though.
1kth like!
she was very very very inteligent
Same. I love history, but if I’m given a time machine, I wouldn’t go there.
Cleopatra wasn't an idiot; Rome did the same exact thing with the Greek city states and Spain before by slowly incorporating them into their empire through diplomacy and war. She did whatever she could to keep Egypt autonomous and safe.
I would argue no she did not. Her empire was in decline she intentionally threw herself into roman politics full well knowing it would either hasten her empire's demise or restore it. It was a gamble. Egypt unlike so many who fought rome went out with a bang not whit a whimper.
Fredrik Dunge no she needed Rome help because Egypt was in trouble its riches and well beings were starting to decline and Rome was becoming a monster. She knew if she could seduce someone in power that Rome and Egypt would become allies. And when she became pregnant with Cesar's baby that means she now had an aire to Egypt and could push him into Roman Politics and untie the countries but when Cesar died she needed another so she picked Antony because at the time he had more power than Octavian who was younger and Antony was easier to seduce
@Bronx12345 JK You're a
INCEEELL
Fredrik Dunge I agree
Cleopatra WAS Greek
"why does that matter? why do people never talk about Caesar or Mark Anthony other affairs? And why do we assume she instigated the affairs? why is it everytime, powerful women always defined by their sexuality?"
This man deserves a fucking medal
Exactly 🔥🔥
I get where your coming from but want to what convinced Rome to attack Cleopatra , Mark Anthony’s will where he willed all of Rome to her family who she had with Caesar who she also tried to get as the king/emperor of Rome . If that doesn’t screen she started it I don’t know what does
@@mrhouse6886 no offense but I had a stroke trying to read your comment
@@Steph-vc9ks sorry it was late a night when I wrote it
Xd
Only thing we truly know was......
Her Eyeshadow and eyeliner were
*Flawless*
Hahaha
6 out of 10
Clearly she was the James Charles of that time
🤣😂🤣
Syrupy Tart Ain’t that the truth
"She ruled jointly in Alexandria with her brother, to whom she was also married."
*ＳＷＥＥＴ ＨＯＭＥ ＡＬＡＢＡＭＡ*
LMFAO!!!!!
ALABAMA 100
I choked on mah cookie when I heard that (✖﹏✖)
Lmfao
SWEET HOME Old Kingdom of Egypt
They forgot to mention that the reason the Octavian declared war on Egypt was because Anthony was originally married to Octavian's sister. With Anthony's affair with Cleopatra, he was basically commiting adultery and thus insulting the honor of Octavian's family.
That’s not the reason, that’s the excuse Octavian needed to go to war.
Octavian could marry his sister to whoever he wants, even to himself if he want. He is a monarch and the most powerfull person of the time, so probably he can marry to half or rome women, even the 5 years old ones, maybe men, horses, his throne, even Cleo maybe. I do not think that he would carry for his family honor. Maybe he just want even more power to marry the giza's pyramids.
Bini Farmer They also forgot to mention that Cleopatra's Egypt was a rich and highly developed country and an empire has to conquer in order to exploit the resources of other countries. The rest are propaganda for popular consumption
The reason Octavian went after Cleopatra is that she proclaimed her son head of the house of Caesar and spirited him away to Egypt. It was essentially a power struggle in the power vacuum left by Gaius Julius Caesar.
+Alma shatri
That hadn't really been true for a century. Egypt in Cleopatra's time had been in so many civil wars that it had spend more than half of the last century fighting. It's wealth was drained by half crazy Ptolmaic kings and queens fighting each other. Probably in part due to the fact that Syphilis ran rampant in their family.
Cleopatra ruled Egypt well, that's the most important thing in my opinion.
But she didn’t
Fire Striker I didn’t know that I would find a Octavian aka Trump supporter here😒
@@uria3679 so someone who doesn't agree with you is a trump supporter?
@@uria3679 Everyone who disagrees with you isn't a Trump Supporter you moron.
@@uria3679 aight 1st not everyone is a trump supporter just because they don't agree with you 2nd what is so bad about being a trump supporter? Tbf I have no idea what the guy has done but T H A T S H O U L D N O T M A T T E R, someone's political beliefs has nothing to do with the person him/her self. Especially if we are talking about history of Cleopatra, not current politics.
My grandma said "I don’t care what they tell you in school. Cleopatra was Goku"
Same
My grandma claimed she *was* Cleopatra. Must be true.
@@guest6398 Your highness
My grandmother told me: “ I don’t care what they tell you in school. Cleopatra can be summoned as servant for Holy Grail Wars”
So inspirational
"I dont care what they tell you in school, Cleopatra was Walter White"
Greek and Egyptian mythology is fun to learn about.
I know!
Yup
She is Macedonian not Greek
This is historical, so technically not a myth.
@@Noriccka1. makedonia is an ancient greek tribe just like sparta so she was greek from the greek tribe makedonia
Stop the propaganda.
Even her name is greek
Just like with alexander the great and his family
Uh uh, Cleopatra didn't destroy two of Rome's finest generals. They destroyed themselves.
agreed
congratulations, we have a time traveler in the chat.
@@footballworld-by1gt congratulations, we have someone of appropriate historical knowledge in the chat
Yepp
You’re not wrong there
Fun Fact: Cleopatra was a pharaoh when she was only 18, the brother was 10.
InsaneHollie 🤭
Wait, what?
she was a queen not pharaoh
kerchouche rania Bruh shes a pharaoh not queen. The word Pharaoh is apart of Egypt not queen
@@ThachNguyen-xn6zr actually there were equivalents to queen: “Great royal wife,” “mistress of the two lands,” “female ruler”, etc. And as a Hellenistic ruler “basileia” was the title for a queen.
This one was awesome. Did a perfect job of narrating Cleopatra's achievements without overly sexualizing her or focussing on her affairs or seduction. I love narration like this
I mean if ceaser had to sleep with half of Europe to secure stability he would have done it too.
@@shartstanker2086 definitely
It was mediocre they glossed over a lot of the politics in Rome and the power struggle over Caesars death in favor of a “cleopatra was a strong independent women and thats why Rome hated her” angle
Exactly perfect and so well ❤️❤️and giving the due respect to the person who deserved it all❤️❤️
@@muhammadabadi6410 Its about Cleopatra not Ceaser
*Caution:* You may or may not have entered into a minefield of a comment section. Proceed carefully.
it is most definitely a mine field, and there is no need to proceed at all.
Why don’t we just get a mine detector before going in?
I find it fascinating that we can all argue about someone who's been dead for two millennia. Imagine having that much impact on the 🌎.
Proceed with caution
You watch Fairy Tail?
History is unkind to women in power.
Catherine the great?
Definitely
Maybe because people werent fond of women in power
Except for Egyptians
Even though they were pretty good at ruling
WTF happened to Egypt? was such an advanced civilization in ancient times.
JaGuaR we bottled everything (i am Egyptian btw)
Cat pooper 101
Egypt was fucked by the Turks dude, the British had easy pickings. The Ottomans screwed you to the max. Egypt today is a worthless country - it can't even beat tiny Israel in war.
Malik Ameen Don't you have some Coptic Christians to persecute or something, Malik?
Europe happend.
yep , they just kept on messing with em
Malik Ameen
90,000 Christians have been slaughtered in Iraq and Syria since 2011 dude. Don't forget the Yazidi genocide either.
"Everybody knows nothing"
My conclusion after reading 50 comments
Cleopatra did not dress like a Pharaoh, but as a Greek queen. Look at the Egyptian coins of the period that depict her. Greek hairdo, tiara etc...
Well of course not. The entire Ptolemeic dynasty was decidedly Greek in styling, to the point where Cleopatra was the first in her lineage to learn to speak Egyptian. Cleopatra in Pharoic trappings is just a side effect of popular culture trying to condense 3000 years of history into an image that is something that is somehow distinctly Egyptian. That's why it's so strange to hear for the first time that Cleopatra lived closer to the moon landing than the building of the pyramids.
@@skynyrdjesus wait what? You’re right, it’s indeed weird.
@@skynyrdjesus No lots of them had traditional egyptian depictions look it up. And look up the rosetta stone too, has greek on it too
The Ptolemies were obsessed with the pharaohs, and they ruled Egypt as pharaohs, and the Egyptians called them the new pharaohs.
Yes but they did not talk, look or dress like the Egyptian Pharaohs. They brought the Greek culture with them, wich flourished in Egypt for almost a thousand years until the 7th century AD, when the Arabs conquered it. Especially Alexandria, was one of the top (greek) learning centres of antiquity with schools and philosophers and scientists, and of course its famous library, the wealthiest in ancient times.
I LOVE THESE "History Vs."
Zachary Chestnutt same
I love how your comment hasn’t got a thumbs down.
Zachary Chestnutt me too
Ditto!
Zachary Chestnutt 🐚🐌🕸🐷
my grandma said "I don’t care what they tell you in school. Cleopatra was a tank."
Well tank you.
@@kevinbergin9971 why do i hear german music
Actually this Egyptian queen wasn't an Egyptian at all.
Well technically she was, the term Egyptian comes from the greek term Aegyptos. It was called something entierly else in Egyptian.
greek
Mohamed Hasan she was born a raised in Egypt. Maybe she wasn't a native person of Egypt. But she considered herself Egyptian.
Cleopatra's dynasty has originated from Macedonia.
She was born in Egypt, lived in Egypt and ruled Egypt. I'd say she was about as Egyptian as any given president of the USA is American. None of them are *native* American, but we're not going to call Trump a German president now,. are we?
One day, History vs trump will be in tedEd
Tk Eram I would watch that in a heartbeat.
+Revanaught ahahahahahahahahahahaha "no good" are you kidding?
+Khorps Yes, no good, mark my words, the US will stop being the top economic power by the end of Trump's presidency
"He started WW III"
"In a way, war is inevitable :v"
it would have to be some time after him being the president, maybe six or ten years after, so everything he did while being the president could be seen in the pig picture and compared to other presidents after him.
I did a report on her once. She's one of my favorite historic figure.
Nice!!!
me too
Margaret Thatcher ?
Mine too❤️❤️
Mine too.
Pls we need a quality tv show about Cleopatra.
Like The Crown, but Nemes head dress
Yeah..🌝 (would luv to watch)
ROME HBO especially season 2
This didn’t age well
"She ruled with her brother, to whom she was also married."
Let's just pretend this never came up while watching with my sister, ahem!
That was rather commonplace back then, many pharoahs were married to family members, even some gods in their mythology were married to their siblings.
I love this history vs trial format. Being able to consider two different perspectives is cool
Why did I even read these commentaries? Yes, it's true we know barely anything about Cleopatra's life because it was written years after her death by people who had no interest in making her sound cool. This video, however, is simply an alternative point of view, it's imagination trying to get rid of the unilateral side of the story that we all learn in school. Why are you all so quick at judging this point of view, but never bothered to ask if the history you learned is correct? I may be just another "stupid feminist", but it seems to me that, after all these years, you still can't even consider the thought that a woman might actually have been that powerful. This video isn't trying to convince you of anything, it's is simply wondering. What if Cleopatra's life was like that? Is it so impossible you can't even IMAGINE it?
Liam Lee omg, this video isn't supposed to be accurate!!! It is simply WONDERING about a subject that historians don't have much data to analyze nor reliable sources (due to the fact that her description was made years after her death). No one's going to write this in children's history books, this video is not trying to prove that this is how it all happened, it's not an attempt to prove historians wrong. Maybe Cleopatra was cool, maybe she wasn't, who knows? This is just to remember us that we can't be sure.
Liam Lee For the record, by "people who had no interest in making her sound cool" I meant Cleopatra's enemies, not modern historians.
Lol, the video isn't supposed to be accurate? This isn't the movie Anastasia, this is a video presenting a historic "debate" about the popular reputation vs. the facts of historical figures, and it's stupid feminist bs instead. You're an idiot.
+ Amber Main Yes. A youtube video. It's so simportant that people should show it in big auditoriums, right? A youtube video. We should all change history books now because THIS video, wow, it changed everything, huh? Like you said, it's a debate. Not everything in there is accurate, the characters are simply interpreting facts in different ways and the video didn't state either side was right. In fact, it only says that we should try to see things from a different point of view once in a while. Those things said on the debate could be true and could be rubbish because, apparently people say a lot of crap in a debate. You calling me an idiot for no reason, for example, adds nothing to your argument and yet, you said it.
+Liam Lee This is getting too repetitive, I give up. Just read my last comments or maybe watch the video again so you can finally understand the purpose of it because I'm running out of ways to explain it english. Here's my last shot: this video was simply a speculation, it wasn't trying to convince anyone of anything nor change history books.
I didn't know that Caesar and Cleopatra live on the same time
Cleopatra VII. Seventh Cleopatra.
Wow as a history professor this hurts my soul
100th like for your idiocy!😎😎😎
Cyril Gabriel lol same
They had a son too.
The present owes an apology to Cleopatra, for misunderstanding her.
No it doesn't. History is under no obligation to stand the test of time. It's not the fault of scholar's that she has faded as well.
@@colejones6312 we do. Imagine being in her shoes, you would also want to be understood by the annals of history.
@@dani0479 It doesn't mater what you want. It matters about what lasts and what's actually conclusive.
@@colejones6312 Fair point.
@@colejones6312 "Conclusive"? History is written by people with their own set of opinions and biases. To assume that it is always written accurately is extremely foolish, and only goes to show how poorly you understand history. It is absolutely the fault of the scholar when there are inaccuracies captured by their incompetency. Damn, imagine idolizing scholars to the point you think they are infallible. Idiotic.
I love this series, and I appreciate how TED-Ed deliver simple, intriguing, and beautiful videos. Keep up the great work!
Please do some videos on Indian Kings and Queens too! There are a lot to pick from and it would be amazing to watch from Ted-Ed as usual!
Netflix controversy brought me BACK here 6 years later.
True
You should make more of these. It's my favourite series on this channel. Once every 11 months isn't enough.
I loved it. One of my favorite TED-ed videos. I hope you can make one about Mexican old civilizations, like Mayans, Azteks, Olmecas, Zapotecas, etc. We Mexicans have a rich ancient history. :)
no, that happened in the US, here those natives merged with the spains.
my city is a combination of two cities.
That will be nice...
I know he's not Mexican by blood but he gave blood for it. How about Maximilian Ferdinand, the emperor of the Mexican empire. Its actually a quite sad story.
DikoMan it doesn't matter who "stole" whose land. History is history.
Oh id want to watch that one!
When a 4 minute video teaches you more than 4 weeks in school...smh... Ted literally saved my grades
Excellent! There are so many aspects of history and things that we take
for granted that *need* to go on trial. Please continue with this
series. Thank you.
So is this a series?
It is! We've covered:
Napoleon: ua-cam.com/video/8aq_gRfmjgY/v-deo.html
Andrew Jackson: ua-cam.com/video/gx5IyumKmDI/v-deo.html
Columbus: ua-cam.com/video/GD3dgiDreGc/v-deo.html
Nixon: ua-cam.com/video/MX_HYL6-0Co/v-deo.html
Lenin: ua-cam.com/video/9N8hsXQapjY/v-deo.html
Genghis Khan: ua-cam.com/video/Eq-Wk3YqeH4/v-deo.html
Who should we cover next?
TED-Ed Fidel Castro maybe (:
Bismarck would be pretty nice
TED-Ed
history vs the guy who started the "we are number one" meme.
che Guevara
Thank you for this. I hated how movies portrayed her, no one appreciated her intelligence and what she accomplished in her lifetime and instead blamed war and everything on her looks.
Mostly Octavian propaganda because having another civil war blatantly would have no support among the civil war weary Romans. Warring against a foreign ruler? Now that was something they were more okay with
No matter the way how Cleopetra was ...... I respect her at all ........ she had a most fascinating charecter
*Cleopatra was the first beauty-guru. Fight me on that.*
I got your back homie..
Her eye makeup was *flawless*
Wouldn't dare
(ง'̀-'́)ง jk dont kill me.
👊🏻
pov: ur looking for all the mean comments everyone’s talking about
Found too many , now looking for good comments
nah
This lol. People just love feeling victimized.
Grandma told me that she was a McDonald worker
"We can separate fact from rumor, by interpreting history through our contemporary biases,"
Raskolnikov we all have our biases lets be real here
Your name... 'Crime and Punishment'?
You deserve *top* comment.
If Cleo was Greek (white) why do you show her with Hamitic Egyptian brown skin?
Because she wouldnt be 100% greek as most people are not 100% of one race
Charles Dickens she was both Greek and Egyptian, I believe.
Ghassan Younis
I live around Greeks - and they are pale. They tend to tan in the sun rather than freckle though.
Charles Dickens it is still uncertain whether she was black or white. True, her great grandparents were all macedonian greeks but it is very possible that her grandfather and father had several egyptian concubines who gave birth to many kids of brown skintones. Unfortunately we cannot know what her real skin color is (not that it matters) because of the lack of evidence
Charles Dickens her mother's race is questionable but I still say she's Greek. Obviously she is not a native African and she's only popular because she is considered white. Hatshepsut, Queen Tiye, and Ahmose-Nefetari are all much more impressive.
The way you are telling us the story about Cleopatra is just gorgeous 😍😍😍 I love it💗💗
Can you do a History vs Hitler?
There is nothing grey with Hitler or Stalin unlike say Lenin or Nixon.
Captain Obvious wtf is wrong with you
The Fan is Broken! and The Squadron exactly guys. That's just what I wanted. To hear the points from both the sides. Thanks a lot :-)
The Squadron History vs Genghis Khan is already there.
you´re right that really matters next to being responsible for the death of tens of millions of peoples and a whole continent in shatters
She was brilliant actually, a woman too early for her time. Nevertheless, I am intrigued by the women of history. They wanted power to control their lives and harshly they took it because they knew they wished they weren't just pawns...
She was not ahead of her time. There have always been queens. Some good, some okay, some psycho. Anyone with all that power can do stuff.
Charles Dickens I know. That's why I thought that she is not alone in the world. And if you want a list of a few, you'll get it. There was Eleanor of Aquitaine, Sibylla of Jerusalem, Isabella of France, Margaret of Anjou who was known as the She Wolf of France due to her power and cunning knowledge, Nefertiti, Empress Catherine II of Russia who won the throne against her Emperor husband, Peter III Queen Regent Anne of Austria who regented for her son, the King of France, Empress Maria Theresa, Empress Matilda of England (I said England because she was married to the Holy Roman Emperor and she was the daughter of the English King.) Empress Wu who was the only female emperor of China, Isabella of Castille who ruled as the one of the Catholic Kings of Spain with her husband as an equal, Empress Elizabeth of Austria, Peter the Great's daughter, Queen Elizabeth I of England who defeated the Spanish Armada and reigned England greatly. Shall I go on to list people like Cleopatra, whom was queen and was ahead of her time like these women?
Charles Dickens why are you in every comment section? WHO ARE YOU
Kyliena Thea Alecster ???
You misunderstand. They WERE NOT ahead of their time. They were of their time. If you're thinking feminism or something - don't. Being a female with power is NOT NEW. There were always queens. The Moche of ancient Peru was a matriarchy, perhaps the Minoans were too. If you are born a royal you have power. That is not being "ahead of their time".
PS most of the queens you list were monsters - including Elizabeth I, whose idiotic policies led to centuries of wars in Britain.
***** I'm the greatest novelist of the 19th century. Who are you?
This format is excellent, do more of the versus videos in court setup to learn arguments from different angles.
Next should be Fidel Castro or Che Guevara
oh god YESSS
I can sense the triggering
Yeah I have a feeling they would love the Commies.
Aaron Sejas That would be interesting as Fidel Castro is now dead and his legacy as of now is still up for debate.
Thomas Fernandez don't forget Che Guevara
Firstly, men and women are equal for a simple reason : we are both human beings. A fact that wasn't recognised in both Roman and Greek societies, unfortunately. So drop the "this is feminist propaganda" because it isn't.
Secondly, Roman Republic was a garbage of a republic, only rich could really be elected or vote. The Roman Empire has been much more successful in spreading culture and well, killing people. So the argument about the poor, good ol' Roman Republic is destroyed.
Jakov Vodanović "only rich could really vote"
False, poor people could vote, despite their vote counted less.
True but their votes were being bought up, and also they could not vote on everything, and only patricians could hold many of the higher offices. The roman republic had spent the last decades fighting civil war after blood civil war it was rotten to the core. Octavian actually restored the republic but the people kept listening more to the head of the house of Caesar than to the senate from then on.
@Napoleom Bonaparte Equal does not mean the same, also any behavioural differences are likely environmental, MRI scans of male and female brains show a greater internal diversity than dimorphic divide.
The empire was not that good. The republic had some key problems, yes, but there was no need to make as many changes as there was. Ceasers plan to redistribute lands was a good idea.
Jakov Vodanović facts.
4:00 Tell this to the writers of Queen Cleopatra...
As it was said there's not much we know on Cleopatra as much as we'd like to. So there wasn't much of debate here.
Maybe a History vs. Margaret Thatcher is due
The_Pyromancer that’d be an interesting one
I love watching these! I love learning about history and these short videos are such attention getters. I can't stop watching
this video is not a good way to learn about history go read Plutarch's lives
I want your riddles back. I miss your riddles.
"Why are only powerful women defined by their sexuality?" I play Blue Eyes White Bill Clinton card! and move my Caligula trap card into defense position!
I somehow loved this comment as soon as I read it, but it took me a minute to realize why...
That is so wrong! You don't put trap cards in defense position!
Well Clinton got impeached for one of his affairs, so I'd say it's the exception the proves the rule.
Diana Burke except for John f. Kennedy, or Caligula, or Anthony Wiener, or John Edwards or Bill Cosby, or a whole host of powerful dudes.
Diana Burke defined by what theu did wrongly, or right with their penises. Fyi I dont mean any disrespect I just want to have an open honest reasonable conversation.
Octavian NEVER declared himself emperor lol more like first citizen
he declare himself imperator and ceasar
anarquia201 yes he declared himself Ceasar but that was just his name he declared himself the son of Ceasar and took his name only later did Ceasar equal ruler and he never declared himself emperor
Mia Raeh and a genius
Brandon Hernandez and Gaddafi said he was a mere citizen, a witness to the revolution, but he ruled like a maniac dictator king and had his sons lining up to rule after him. It's what you do not what you say that matters.
Trump says he is going to make America great again, but .... we'll see.
please don't talk about trump ok we're talking of great men in this thread
I wish they were more animated history videos about cleopatra this was great!
I wonder if there will ever be a "History vs Oda Nobunaga".
That would be interesting.
Attempting to explain anything as complicated as this in 5 min. can only be done if you inject a large amount of bias. So, hopefully not.
I’d love to see that
Who is Oda Nobunaga?
@@linhhoang1363 Long story short, a significant war lord who came close to unifying Japan (which was achieved by his successor). He's sort of portrayed as a Darth Vader figure today. People admire his leadership skills, smart military tactics, and openness to foreign culture, but no one can deny his ruthlessness and cruelty in his campaign in expanding his territory. One of his most infamous acts was the mass slaughtering of Buddhist rebels, including women and children
I'd watch that in a heartbeat
History vs "Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror". As a Ted-Ed addict I would really appreciate Ted-ed embracing their alacrity to entertain the world by creating this video for their young follower. Really extraordinary channel 👍🏻
Gosh I've been meaning to watch you guys and now my recommendations are blowing up with you guys and I love it : ) I've been binge watching so I shall continue ♥️
finally it's been awhile since I see history versus.
3:08 he went off
Rightfully so lmao
I’m not sure any modern rulers would have survived as long as Cleopatra did. She lived in a very turbulent time.
history vs augustus (Octavian) please
now THAT is one amazing S.O.B :)
I want one for both. I LOVE studying about the two of them .theyre two of my favorite people from history besides belisarius and Justinian
And the fact that Julius Caesar has been used as lessons against populism and big man, which would work if not for the fact that many of them Roman Republic in romantic light without considering their classism and opposed reforms (including Caesar's ideas) to alleviate it.
Like Orson Welles' portrayal of the jealous nobles as liberators against proto-fascism, usual conflation him to demagogues (Trump and Sanders, but more on former) ignoring Caesar's statesmanship and military brilliance, and Assassin's Creed Origin making him as not!Trump ignoring his more complex personality that would make the game more interesting (is Caesar a reformer? a opportunist? or a flawed anti-hero?).
It's recently uploaded. You should be happy.
Brandon Hernandez
One year later ...
Really a fascinating way to teach history
You guys bring it to life
This is GREAT! Please do more Rome-related stuff! Augustus, Nero, Caligula etc
Who's here after that horrific Netflix trailer ?
we're living in 1984.
Nigipetra.
Stop attention s33king.
I love these videos! They help me put things in perspective.
Thank you .. Thank you .. with all the beautiful words and sincere feelings on your esteemed channel, which provides useful, accurate and useful information. I wish you lasting success. I am writing to you from the city of Baghdad. I wish you all the best. God bless you
I love these series the most! So fun and interesting to watch 💕
The Ted-Ed guy's southern accent gives me life
I know what you mean
*“So who’s this cleopatra?”*
*“Don’t know made her up but sounds cool right?”*
You should do one of these about Anne Boleyn
"I don't care what they told you in school"
My favorite series pls bring back!!!
0:15 Julius waving like HEEEEY! IM ALIVE! IMMA BE FAMOUS! I love him he is hilarious
if there were gods during this time, ra would look at zeus and say '' dont look at me man''
As always Zeus wouldn't be able to keep it in his pants.
@@ZAH33D definitely
2:24 I like how when the economy is going down, Cleopatra pops up and is like "Tf you think your doing"
This is not how people in ptolemaic Egypt dressed :P
Based on Ptolemaic era (stylized) art, the video is pretty accurate. Ptolemaics didn't cause that big of a cultural shift in Egypt, that job was left to the Romans.
@M Rawash
But that's just it, said art was stylized and the temples that survive are mostly in Egyptian cities, not Greek cities. Aside from som ceremonial regalia I think they would have dressed more like Greeks.
marvelfannumber1 They may have not even dressed like that in Dynastic Egypt, the point is the video is intentionally mimicking Egyptian art.
*****
Fair enough, it's such a shame almost nothing remains from the Greek Ptolemaic cities. It makes it very hard to get a good picture of what Ptolemaic Egypt was like.
yo yo is everywhere!
It's because of videos like these that I can't sleep at night. I keep watching them cause they're on auto play and they are so cool -- awesome video 👍👍 love stuff about Cleopatra, I watched a documentary on her and one of the things she did to get to Caesar was to hide in a carpet while two men carried her to him -- baring in mind the weather would've been scorching and the carpet would've been keeping it in -- great video, I liked that you put history on trial 😊🙌
Thank you! I’ve learned so much from this vid
CLEOPATRA was a Greek.
Why did they make her look Egyptian? She was Greek
Her ancestors, around 13 generations before were Greek. She was probably quite Egyptian.
Michel Sindaha Her family typically intermarried or married off to Greek nobles. They tried very hard to separate themselves from the Egyptians they ruled. I believe she was the first ruler who actually bothered to speak Egyptian.
+Michel sindaha That still makes her Greek. The Ptolemies married amongst each other and other Hellenistic kingdoms.
Alice Lafler-Austern Plus it’s more fitting since you know... she’s the Queen of Egypt.
Wakanda...
WHY AM I SO OBESS WITH HISTORY I LOVE YOUR CHANNEL SO BAD THAT I WANNA SKIP SCHOOL TO WATCH YOUR CHANNEL EVERY SINGLE DAY
-Cleopatra's family line is mostly Greek, Egyptian might have mixed in but not too significantly
-Cleopatra ruled Egypt about 250 years after a Hellenistic line took over the country and though not outright replacing Egyptian culture slowly introduced more and more Greek elements into it over time
-Almost all artwork of the time, from sculptures to coins, showed her looking very Mediterranean, and often sporting curly hair in a bun instead of Egyptian bangs
So why does every medium draw Hatshepsut and call her Cleopatra?
Nothern macedons are tend to show high percentages of genetic similarity with eastern slavs.
@@yolverilmisyolsuz9873 not 2,000 years ago, besides modern macedon shares barely any borders with ancient macedon
i would love to see more "history on trial" videos
Glad I stumbled upon these videos! Love the set up 🙌🏼
the narrator's voice is so relaxing. i keep watching ted ed just to hear his voice
A very well done video in support for powerful women, opportunities to show powerful women are usually not done well or wrong. Such as female superheroes in movies or even extreme feminists claiming support for women. This topic is very narrow, and very hard to say that feminists are wrong or that men insulting feminists are wrong. This video clearly shows how to handle this topic. Thank you.
I really enjoy these vs. History videos.
This episode was actually much balanced and unbiased than the Genghis Khan one. Kudos
This is the most biased narrative based video on history i have ever seen
Historical equivalent of:
“All women are queens!”
“NO THEY ARE *THOOOOOOOOOOTS* “
My gosh, you got the vine wrong
Dang
Simp
Correction:
All women are queens
If she breathes *she’s a thot!!*
@@gingerale2131 yikes the amount of likes this comment got just shows how this world hates women.
Hats off to your creativity 👏👏
I agree
"Cleopatra comes from a Greek family"
Proceeds to portray her as a dark skinned Egyptian
She is very obviously tanned. Both the judge and other side characters are much darker than her. As for Cleopatra herself, this is just the recognizable Hollywood portrayal of her. Although she did portray herself as an embodiment of Isis (the Goddess, not the terrorist group).
You mean a Greek family that was in Egypt for like 7 generations got tan?!!?! Oh the horror
Fun fact: Cleopatra the VII was white and not brown. She was of macedonian/greek descent.
Yes, true. But maybe she have a tan?
You condensed that complex ordeal and history into comic book form..... Nicely done! 👊😎
For all of those recommending a "Hitler vs. History" episode...yeah...Hitler would lose in less than ten seconds.
1:47 don't mention the Library of Alexandria. It hurts too much…
I know!!!
Why
this was such a cool concept omg
Fun fact: Augustus, Caesar's adoptive child, named the month after his name and comes after July (Julius), just like father and son
Wonder if he named his son
septus