Why was Cleopatra so important to history? What does archaeology tell us about her?
   Katie, 16, Ontario

Dr. dig responds:
Cleopatra was important because she was the last of the Ptolemies to rule of Egypt, and her short reign saw Egypt absorbed into the Roman Empire. However, the legends that have developed around Cleopatra, her life, and her beauty probably make her seem more important than she was. We know a few facts about Cleopatra's life from contemporary classical writers, but until now, archaeology has provided relatively little information. Recent work in Alexandria and other Egyptian cities is beginning to reveal the architecture of Cleopatra's Egypt.