Misunderstood Moments in History - Cleopatra's Egypt

misunderstood moments in history Cleopatra's Egypt a huge thanks to our sponsors Ubisoft and the team behind Assassin's Creed origins for making this video possible the Egyptian world is an ancient one yet to the modern observer it's over 5000 years of rich history is reduced to a Hollywood film set of Pharaohs and slaves in the desert this is a version of the past where time stands still a past where Cleopatra and the pyramids can be found at the same chapter despite the great Queen being born closer to our own time than the construction of these famous monuments and so it will be in the context of these muddled misconceptions that we will paint a vivid picture of Cleopatra's Egypt its history government economy culture and military Egypt of the Ptolemies will be flying past millennia of Egyptian history through the old middle and new kingdoms to focus on classical antiquity this period involved tumultuous changes across the Mediterranean during the 5th and 4th centuries BC Egypt had been conquered rebelled against and was reconquered by the ekam ended Persian Empire before being swept up in the campaign's of Alexander the Great arriving in 332 BC he was hailed as a liberator and founded the new city of Alexandria in his name located on the Mediterranean at the crossroads of Europe Asia and Africa it was to become a beacon of his new empire yet the young ruler would die unexpectedly in 323 BC without a clear line of succession his vast territories were partitioned by the close companions and generals of Alexander known as the diadochi who almost immediately found themselves at war with each other the rich lands of Egypt were claimed by Ptolemy the first who had previously been serving as its satrap following the death of Alexander this ambitious Macedonian general crowned himself Pharaoh and founded a new ruling dynasty that would culminate with the reign of Cleopatra almost three centuries later Ptolemy and his heirs sent armies and fleets to claim a vast Amin e'en that at its height covered much of the eastern Mediterranean shore from the deserts of North Africa to the rugged hills of Thrace but alongside the sword and RAM would come the transformative tide of Hellenism which resulted in a fertile confluence of ideas there will be much to discuss with regards to these dynamics will begin from the top down with a look at the new rulers of Egypt Ptolemy assumed the title of Pharaoh in 305 BC becoming Ptolemy the first sodor he spent much of his reign facing off against the other successor kings and consolidating his power this involved launching opportunistic foreign expeditions and the daring theft of Alexander the Great's body as it traveled back to Macedon these actions might have sparked the fury of his enemies but certainly added to his own strength and reputation in Egypt when he died in 282 BC his son ptolemy ii continued his successful legacy for 36 years he oversaw a stable and prosperous Egypt expanding his borders and investing heavily in its development the famous Lighthouse of Alexandria was completed while the Great Library and Museum were expanded telling me the third followed with a rule that marked the high-water mark of the Ptolemies however the kingdom soon began to decline the following Pharaohs of Egypt showed moments of brilliance but by-and-large failed to live up to the accomplishments of these early Ptolemies they were unable to deal with growing internal and external threats as royal murder civil war and foreign invasions became an increasingly common when Rome rose to rival the Hellenistic kingdoms of the second century BC a weakened egypt struggled to resistance influence in fact members of the Ptolemaic family even sought roman backing for their claims to the throne by the 1st century bc roman involvement would prove more heavy-handed in 55 BC Ptolemy the 12th elites was restored to power by the Roman general Allis Gabinius the Pharaoh died four years later leaving an 18 year old Cleopatra and her ten-year-old brother as joint monarchs crew Patra the seventh philipot or was ambitious and had no intention of sharing power though driven out by rivals she saw an opportunity to return when Julius Caesar landed in Egypt in 48 BC he had come in pursuit of Pompey his opponent in the civil war and expected to capture him alive upon arrival however he was presented with the severed head of the Consul by Ptolemy xiii who sought to Korea's favor and Caesar was furious with the young Egyptian ruler who had dared to execute a high Roman official Cleopatra capitalized on this anger by sneaking into Caesars presence and seducing him with her beauty wit sophistication charm and lively personality rather than annex Egypt the Roman general and said back to her claim to the throne she would go on to rule Egypt for 22 years and bore Caesar a son and 44 BC however Caesar was assassinated in Rome in the following civil wars Cleopatra would seek the protection and affection of the Roman general Mark Antony who had taken control of the East in the partition of the second triumvirate she would also bear him children though ultimately it would be the end for both of their lineages when they lost the Battle of Actium to the future emperor Augustus in 31 BC unable to escape her doom Cleopatra famously committed suicide so ended the Ptolemaic dynasty and an independent Egypt as the lands of the Nile were officially made into a Roman province government of Ptolemaic Egypt thus far we have only scratched the surface of Ptolemaic Egypt let us now dive deeper into the way society was organized generally speaking this would be characterized by Hellenistic ruling class layered on top of an existing native hierarchy at the very top of the structure were the ptolemies themselves who acted as both Greek Kings and Egyptian pharaohs while they might be portrayed as local rulers they remained very much separate in fact this separation was reinforced by a tradition of incest the early on the Ptolemaic dynasty did intermarry with their saluted rivals over time they became increasingly inbred in an unsuccessful attempt to avoid civil wars by arranging royal marriages between possible claimants of the 15 Ptolemaic marriages 10 were between brother and sister while two were with a niece or cousin this had precedent in previous Egyptian dynasties but was distasteful to the Greeks just below the monarch was the royal court it largely consisted of high-ranking officials appointed by the crown to advise and administer the main branches of government individuals were often Macedonian king of the Ptolemaic dynasty or else from the Hellenistic aristocracy in the cities two of the principal positions were that of the Strategos and endow kidís the strata GUI activists regional extensions of the crown they were originally military commanders chosen to govern individual Egyptian provinces or Nomis but over time their role became primarily political they sada the day to day at governments of their nome while dealing with local magistrates and officials amending and enforcing Ptolemaic laws or policies in the region and suppressing rebellions the Daioh caddis was the official in charge of Ptolemaic economic policies he oversaw the royal treasury estates taxation and the minting of currency while also organizing agricultural projects the distribution of tributes and the funding for various temples under the Hellenistic upper class were the various levels of Egyptian government which had existed prior to their arrival most of these positions especially outside of Greek cities and settlements were filled by natives the Ptolemaic state had to rely on these Egyptian elites to administer the lands outside of the Hellenized settlements as the number of Greek immigrants was simply too small to rule over Egypt's population of roughly 4 million the powerful Egyptian priesthood in particular was a key player they owned a large estates in the countryside which supported families and villages these temples also collected taxes and levies acted as archives arbitrated legal disputes and worked closely with the royal government when it came to posting edicts and dealing with crises at the village level a magistrate Orko Marcos handle the day-to-day government's while a local scribe saw the legal and financial archives for the community law across Ptolemaic Egypt was enforced by the Fela Kuti the investigated crimes answered petitions from the people arrested or punish criminals and guarded state or temple property government under Cleopatra the first few years of Cleopatra's reign were wracked by many internal issues yet she proved herself a capable and energetic ruler who took measures to mend the relations between the various political groups across the kingdom importantly she brought an unruly upper egypt to heel by traveling south to meet with the various strata GUI and temple officials while also overseeing several important religious ceremonies such as a consecration of the bukas bull externally she was also able to calm the waters by making alliances with political factions nearby Syria whilst maintaining her father's pro-roman policies however Cleopatra would quickly come into conflict with the advisors of her brother and co-ruler tell me the 13th as she began assuming sole power in their co-regency issuing decrees without her brother's signature and minting coins bearing only her face economy of Ptolemaic Egypt with an administrative framework in place we can now look at the economy that it oversaw overall we can say that much of the economy was centrally organized and strictly controlled with the main sources of revenue being generated by taxation agriculture and trade taxation was the state's primary source of revenue the ptolemies instituted a universal system of coinage modeled after Greek currency and certain cash taxes such as the Opel tax served to force Egyptians to use this new system many other taxes were simply paid in units of grain which was used in everyday transactions throughout Egypt it had been present for millennia as we discussed previously taxation was overseen by various administrators from the highest to lowest levels of government these officials collected data on their subjects which could then be used to more efficiently collect larger taxes and levies agriculture was another large component of the economy this had been the case for hundreds of years thanks to Egypt's rich soil and mild climate the regular flooding of the Nile allowed for highly productive farming and multiple harvests could be reaped within the same year the region had long been a major exporter of foodstuffs across the Mediterranean which the ptolemies took full advantage of they introduced more extensive irrigation and more effective iron farming tools as well as making olives and grapes staple crops in Egypt the government also drastically shifted production of traditional barley to wheat as it would fetch a better price on the international market this level of control was in part possible due to the fact that most Egyptians were strictly controlled tenant farmers they rented land to work on and as part of their contract were provided tools and seed from Egyptian administrators finally trade was one of the most dynamic components of the economy in an ever increasingly connected world the new city of Alexandria was especially critical in linking Egypt to the Mediterranean and would become a major shipping hub in addition to foods the ptolemies exported art papyrus perfumes and textiles and mass foreign commodities were imported like gold gemstones marbles ivory slaves and exotic animals from further south in Africa while spices timbers and silks from regions like Arabia and India were taken in from the Red Sea within Egypt the Nile acted as a highway for tradable goods to travel quickly and efficiently economy under Cleopatra during Cleopatra's rule she was forced to face multiple economic problems at several critical points in her reign the now experienced droughts which threatened serious famine to combat this she issued royal decrees controlling the stockpile of harvests accompanied with severe penalties for non-compliance her administration proved reasonably effective at limiting the widespread devastation and several inscriptions sprays the Strategos Killam aqus of Thebes for his measures to insure the people did not feel deprivation and that the temples were properly honored and maintained inflation was another recurring issue which confronted the Queen she responded by minting two new denominations and adjusting the production levels of the different forms of coinage these various actions brought relative stability to the economy culture of Ptolemaic Egypt having discussed the ways Egyptians were governed and participated economically we can now seek to understand the culture which permeated their lives the long continuum of Egyptian culture persisted but was increasingly mixed with foreign ideas being spread by hellenization emigration from regions such as Greece and Macedon were encouraged by the ptolemies and within a few generations about 5% of the population was Hellenic they were predominantly soldiers and veterans who quickly put down roots in their new home in her marriage and the close proximity between ethnic groups in the villages and towns of Egypt led to cross-cultural exchange occurring fairly rapidly this extended from spiritual beliefs dating habits colonization was indirectly incentivized by the state which often dealt on Greek terms though there was never any policy or agenda to completely segregate or assimilate local populations like in modern colonial history until a make each IFFT hellenic status became more of a legal status that ethnic one there were clear advantages to Egyptians who acquired Greek language and status since Egyptians were generally able to access fewer opportunities and positions as well as being subject to various taxes that Helen E's were not many Egyptian elites like priests scribes and officials were considered hella nice as well as many individuals of mixed ethnic backgrounds we should also point out that there were also many advantages to be gained from Egyptian culture Hellenic women in Egypt for example enjoyed greater rights and freedoms than they would in Greek society construction projects were perhaps the most visible example of change rigged theaters temples bass and gymnasiums lining the streets of the new cities established by the Tala knees and even made their way into the villages far from the metropolis thanks to wealthy patrons rigged culture was the dominant influence on life in these population centers though the majority of their inhabitants remained Egyptian the new city of Alexandria in particular evolved into a thriving cultural center for not only Egypt but the entire ancient world mixing religious practices is also evidence by the Greek and Egyptian sanctuaries and temples appearing in both worlds fusion deities like Herman nubes and Amon Zeus and Isis Aphrodite emerged as gods from various Pantheon's were compared and conflated from the royal family to those living in rural villages the helen e's adopted mummification and the worshipped of many Egyptian deities culture under Cleopatra by the time of Cleopatra's rule Egyptian and Hellenic culture had already mixed for about 300 years she was hailed as the reincarnation of the Egyptian goddess Isis on earth and in the Near East was associated with Aphrodite and Ishtar like most Egyptian pharaohs she took care to renovate and maintain the temples the Queen's extensive building projects included not only temples like Caesarea but the construction of a new gymnasium and such large-scale renovation of the lighthouse that later authors would mistakenly claimed she originally constructed it however unlike her Ptolemaic predecessors who remained separated from their subjects Cleopatra made great efforts to reach out to the Egyptian populace in fact she was said to have spoken nine languages and was the first Ptolemaic ruler to actually speak Egyptian her royal court drew renowned intellectuals from the region and the Queen patronized the Arts and Sciences in Alexandria she is even credited by Roman authors as having written a variety of texts on topics including medicine cosmetics philosophy and weights and measures and was described by her contemporaries has been extremely intelligent and charismatic military of Ptolemaic Egypt we were now finally turned to the military of Ptolemaic Egypt as one of the successor kingdoms it inherited alexander the great's generals and soldiers upon his death these powers largely subscribe to the greco-macedonian traditions of warfare and competed against one another within this playing field a struggle between successors would result in a military arms race that modified and super-sized aspects of alexander the great's winning formula in an effort to gain the upper hand Egypt's particular refinement of the military reflected its mixed background and the kingdom's geopolitical situation let us begin by looking at the army which included infantry cavalry and elephant units the heavy infantry Corps was composed of full-time Guard units and reservists equipped in the Macedonian fashion often as sarissa armed pikemen these troops formed up in deep valleys ranks and advanced in discipline formations flight troops such as archers and slingers provided range support to screen deployments and could harass enemy infantry or cavalry a third troop type emerged called authorial for roi which functioned as an intermediate role they carried a large oval shield and were armed with a thrusting spear javelins and a sword such forces could operate for a time with the light troops before tightening ranks and fighting in formation early on the army of the Ptolemies would field large numbers of falen jets but by the 1st century BC the focus had shifted towards a more flexible and maneuverable medium to light troops in close support where the cavalry forces they were typically deployed as mounted skirmishers and Elite Guard units whose tactics and equipment had not changed much since the days of Alexander in contrast a new addition to the armies of the successors was the war elephant these already imposing beasts were outfitted with armor and could carry troops on their backs for additional protection they were generally grouped together on the battle to maximize their impact and could be used as breakers though this resulted more from psychological than physical damage the Salukis controlled access to Asian elephants and made full use of them in their armies while the early Ptolemies had access to some of these they increasingly had to draw from the now extinct North African elephants which were actually smaller at the Battle of raffia almost 200 elephants faced off directly but the eastern variant proved far more successful in terms of recruitment the heavier infantry and calori were primarily men of Hellenic Heritage while the light troops were natives the successors competed for Greek and Macedonian immigrants who could settle in their territories and serve in their armies the state often gifted them with plots of farmland in exchange for military service while providing them incentives to maintain this loyal affluent class however the ptolemies found this difficult and suffered problems with manpower over time they were forced to loosen restrictions on army composition from the mid 3rd century BC onwards native troops increasingly moved into the ranks of the heavy infantry cavalry and military leadership to fill their army the ptolemies also fielded large numbers of mercenaries these might be found nearby or could come from as far as Greece race and Gaul the Navy was also modeled after the vessels of the classical Greeks however over the course of the Hellenic period the standard trireme vessel was dwarfed by ships of ever-increasing size these new boats carried large contingents of archers and could even support catapults the Ptolemaic Navy was among the most powerful in the Mediterranean and is supposed to have constructed a ship which held nearly as many people as a modern aircraft carrier controlling the seas enabled Egypt to defend its coastal and island territories in the Aegean and Asia Minor while threatening the navies of its neighbours commanders and high-ranking lieutenants in the fleet were mostly honeys but Egyptians made up the majority of the crew and low ranking officers it was primarily financed by taxation and war booty with wealthy citizens also contributing to the building or repair of ships in the fleet military under Cleopatra the Ptolemaic army was originally one of the most powerful players in the Wars of the diadochi but subsequent civil wars defeats at the hands of the salut kids an internal chaos contributed to Egypt's decline from its status as a military superpower long before the Roman conquests of Egypt by the birth of Cleopatra the Ptolemaic army was no longer the mediterranean heavyweight it had been and the Ptolemaic rulers began relying more heavily on Roman military support similarly by the late 3rd century BC Egypt's Navy began to decline after naval defeats and land losses showcased the need to devote precious finances l swear upon Cleopatra's ascension it was a pale shadow of its former self nonetheless Egypt was still able to field sizeable contingents of light infantry and naval forces which made up around 1/3 of the Roman General Mark Antony's forces during the final war of the Roman Republic throughout the rise and fall of Ptolemaic Egypt we have witnessed the many ways in which its society and institutions changed on a grand scale this is hopefully brought to life appeared which is so often misunderstood admittedly we've only scratched the surface and it is our hope that this introduction will serve as a gateway to further exploration of this amazing era this video was made possible by the kind folks over Oba soft now you can relive history by entering Cleopatra's Egypt and Assassin's Creed origins I also wanted to thank Aryan King for her help as a historical researcher and advisor if you found this topic interesting check out these related videos about our fascinating past be sure to LIKE and subscribe for more history and check out our description for ways to support the channel thanks for watching

Channel: Invicta

Views: 1,721,137

Rating: 4.8720679 out of 5

Keywords: history of egypt, assassins creed origins history, assassin's creed origins, assassins creed origins trailer, gameplay assassins creed origins, origins assassins creed, assassin's creed origins review, assassin's creed origins dlc, assassin's creed origins the hidden ones, assassin's creed origins the hidden ones dlc, assassin's creed origins the hidden ones trailer, invicta history, moments in history, misunderstood moments in history, cleopatra documentary, cleopatra movie

Id: fX1CFsaCcW8

Length: 21min 20sec (1280 seconds)

Published: Fri Dec 22 2017

Reddit Comments

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[u/cleopatra_philopater]

Ancient Egypt is heavily mythologised in modern media. The idea of a timeless land of pyramids and divine pharaohs marching on seemingly unaware of the world shifting around it is iconic but inaccurate. Perhaps none of its pharaohs is more popularly misunderstood than Cleopatra, its last queen whose legacy has been obscured by film and literature portraying her as a seductress rather than the dynamic figure known to historians.

This video dives directly into the history of Egypt after its conquest by Alexander the Great, right up until its annexation by the Roman Empire.

[u/t-bick]

200 elephants battling and a 5000 person wooden warship. I want to know more about that!

[u/ArcherSam]

Most interesting part of Cleopatra, in my opinion, is how she wasn't even Egyptian. She was Greek. Just like all her dynasty... they were also incestuous and none of them even spoke Egyptian. (Except Cleopatra, she was loved because she could speak Egyptian (and other languages, apparently)).

[u/Hungrytoybox]

Hmm, a little different than Assassins Creed: Origins

[u/[deleted]]

[removed]

[u/Slyfox00]

Invicta formally THFE Productions, goes by the handle 'Oakley' real name 'Julien.'

He focuses mainly on the Total War franchise of video games which if you're unfamiliar with are mixture of turn based and tactical strategy. TTotal War focuses mainly on historical eras, but also include the fantasy world of Warhammer.

Oakley has also been doing a few series of documentary style videos. He plans to split his channel in the future.

His content is very enjoyable to watch, and his commentary is also interesting. If you like listening to tactics than you may enjoy his Total War replay breakdowns where he goes over what he was thinking during play and how he could have done better. On the negative side of things he can sometimes make obtuse and offensive comments.

Overall I really like his channel, and recommend you check it out.

[u/Japanophiliac]

Huh, I just got Assassin's Creed Origins an hour or two ago and this appears in my feed.

[u/darrellbear]

Per the vid's remarks, Cleopatra nowadays is said to have not been beautiful. She had that certain something, though, that appealed strongly to men.