Antony and Cleopatra [Hardcover]

I've read all of Goldsworthy's previous books on Rome and found that this one flowed just as well as those. As with "Decline" the lack of evidence at time makes for difficult interpretation, but it nice to read non-romanticised account of these two historical figures. The debunking of the Cleopatra-was-an-Egyptian myth was interesting and not something that I had even considered before.

All in all a decent book, well written and a page turner for sure. If this man can't get people interested in Classical History, no-one can.

Goldsworthy has again proved that he can make the history of Rome come alive like no other current popularizer. Here, building on the phenomenal bio he wrote about Caesar, he covers the love story between one of his followers, Marc Antony, and a client queen, Cleopatra. It is a long enquiry into who they really were, what they actually did, and why.

Cleopatra was completely Greek, from a long line of foreign leaders who fashioned themselves as the sovereigns of Egypt. Known as the Ptolemies, their line was installed there in the wake of the death of Alexander the Great. Their court was notoriously treacherous and bloodthirsty, not only for outside rivals, but with eachother: though siblings routinely married each other to prevent civil war, they almost always ended up murdering brothers, sisters, even parents, in the bids for power over 200 years. Goldsworthy briefly covers their history and style, leading directly to Cleopatra VII of the title, who as a teenager was embroiled in a war with her bother (Ptolemy XIII) when Julius Caesar arrived in pursuit of Pompey.

According to Goldsworthy, she was a traditional despot trying to survive in a changing world. As a client or Rome, she knew the cards she had been dealt and played within those limits, more or less as a queen courtesan. She seduces Caesar and gains the upper hand in her civil war, entrenching herself in power for the next 20 years. Once Caesar is assassinated in Rome, she turns to Antony, the governor of Asia, to expand her power, again by seducing him and bearing children as acts of diplomacy.

For his part, Antony is a typical Roman aristocrat. Born to privilege and opportunity, he made the most of things: he expected his time in power, enjoyed all the luxuries, enriched himself by taking whatever he could with utter ruthlessness, and sought military glory as a way to advance his career. However, while courageous and able to inspire loyalty in his men, he lacked political instinct, was a poor general and probably an alcoholic. He learned little from experience, but may have loved Cleopatra (and she him). Their union was a political disaster from the beginning: in the eyes of his Roman supporters, Antony compounded his mistakes and was vulnerable to Octavian's propaganda campaign to portray him as un-Roman, lacking virtus, and styling himself as an oriental despot under the thumb of a woman. Even worse, in what should have been the prime years of his career, Antony proved himself an incompetent general in one of the great catastrophes of Roman history in Parthia. That effectively may have broken his spirit, making him even more dependent on Cleopatra for emotional support as a source of strength. The couple then lost in a new civil war with Octavian and commited suicide.

This is one of those books that I wish I had found as an undergraduate: it is concise yet compelling narrative, sticks to the point in a rigorous scholarly manner, and gives a clear idea of the wider context both in history and manners. It is a masterpiece that will not dissatisfy academics. Not for a single moment, in a week of delighted reading, did the book lose me with irrelevant detail, obscure arguments, or rigor for the sake of rigor.

I feel that I should start with a quick disclaimer - I was thanked by Adrian in the front of the book, and had many chats with him whilst he was writing the book. But that's also why I feel happy to say that this is the best researched book on Antony - and of course Cleopatra - that I have ever read. He's dug deep in the sources and brought together a mass of material about Antony not seen anywhere else. He and Cleopatra are covered as their lives evolve, in parallel, and then he examines the famous relationship so beloved of Shakespeare and artists, that has captured our imagination over the centuries. And how many historians go to the trouble of trying to dissolve pearls, to try to replicate Cleopatra's famous bet?
Stacey Schiff biography may be getting the press coverage, but Goldsworthy's is the one that will stand the test of time. It reads well, but is also based on solid research. I cannot recommend it enough.