Caesar’s Unexpected Role in Egypt
The Cleopatra Series: Part 8
One thing that would never have crossed Julius Caesar’s mind when he arrived in Egypt was that he would find himself acting as referee between a group of ambitious royal teenagers, all determined to claim the throne.
When Ptolemy XIII discovered that his sister Cleopatra had gained direct access to Caesar and was meeting with him inside the royal palace, he attempted to incite the citizens of Alexandria to revolt. Caesar swiftly intervened, placing Ptolemy XIII under arrest and using his renowned powers of persuasion to calm the angry crowd.
Caesar Reveals the King’s Will
Seeking a peaceful settlement, Caesar summoned Cleopatra and Ptolemy XIII before the Assembly of Alexandria. There he produced the written will of their father, Ptolemy XII, a document previously held by Pompey. The will clearly stated that Cleopatra and Ptolemy XIII were to rule Egypt jointly as co-heirs.
Caesar then attempted to resolve the wider family dispute by assigning the younger siblings, Arsinoe IV and Ptolemy XIV, to rule Cyprus together. This arrangement would remove two potential claimants from the struggle for Egypt’s throne while also appealing to Egyptians who still resented Rome’s seizure of Cyprus in 58 BC.
The Road to War
Not everyone was satisfied with Caesar’s solution. Pothinus, King Ptolemy XIII’s chief adviser, believed the settlement heavily favoured Cleopatra. He also recognised that Ptolemy’s army of around 20,000 men, including the battle-hardened Gabiniani, vastly outnumbered Caesar’s force of approximately 4,000 unsupported troops.
Convinced that military action offered the best chance of success, Pothinus instructed the general Achillas to march on Alexandria and attack both Caesar and Cleopatra.
In my novel I have put Pothinus and Achillas in the same room with Ptolemy XIII, his sister Cleoptra and Caesar. Due to the favour shown Cleopatra (especially in the wake of their failed attempt to assassinate her) he storms about and finally decides to head the Egyptian army against Caesar.
Growing concerned by escalating tensions, Caesar sent envoys to Achillas in Ptolemy’s name, urging peace. When Achillas learned they had been sent by Caesar, he interpreted the move as a sign of weakness and rallied his troops behind Ptolemy. One envoy was killed, while the other was, in Caesar’s words, “nearly done to death.”
After this, Achillas would besiege and then launch an all-out attack on the Royal Quarter.
The Siege of Alexandria
The result was the famous Siege of Alexandria. Caesar and Cleopatra found themselves trapped together inside the royal palace while hostile forces surrounded them.
What had begun as an attempt to settle a dynastic dispute had become a full-scale war for Egypt’s future. The siege continued into 47 BC, forging an alliance between Caesar and Cleopatra that would become one of the most famous political and romantic partnerships in history.
In the midst of intrigue, betrayal and civil war, Cleopatra demonstrated not only her intelligence and determination, but also her remarkable ability to survive and prosper in one of the most dangerous royal courts of the ancient world.
Further Reading
Historical References
- Assembly of Alexandria (Boule)
- Siege of Alexandria (47 BC)
- Encyclopaedia Britannica: Cleopatra VII
- Encyclopaedia Britannica: Julius Caesar
- Encyclopaedia Britannica: The Ptolemaic Dynasty
Recommended Non-Fiction Books
- Schiff, Stacy. Cleopatra: A Life (2010)
- Roller, Duane W. Cleopatra: A Biography (2010)
- Goldsworthy, Adrian. Caesar: Life of a Colossus (2006)
- Goldsworthy, Adrian. Antony and Cleopatra (2010)
- Llewellyn-Jones, Lloyd. The Cleopatras: The Forgotten Queens of Egypt (2023)
Recommended Historical Fiction
- George, Margaret. The Memoirs of Cleopatra
- Moran, Michelle. Cleopatra’s Daughter
- McCullough, Colleen. The October Horse
- Dray, Stephanie. Lily of the Nile trilogy
- Headley, Maria Dahvana. Cleopatra: A Life Unraveled (novelised interpretation)
- Iggulden, Conn. Emperor: The Gods of War (features Caesar’s Egyptian campaign)