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How the attributes of Cleopatra VII changed over time

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Kostuch L.

Społeczeństwo i Edukacja. Międzynarodowe Studia Humanistyczne

2016

issue 3(22)

112-122

The legend of Cleopatra VII in Western culture is a frequently researched topic. However, little thought is devoted to the Queen’s attributes which, as centuries passed, underwent frequent metamorphoses. In art and literature, the attributes and motifs associated with Cleopatra are mainly the crocodile, the pearl, the snake and the cat (the panther, the lion and the sphinx). These royal symbols seem to have lived their own “lives” and form an interesting linear pattern. Furthermore, their history is full of paradox. The crocodile, although probably attributed to Cleopatra by the Romans, never became Cleopatra’s perennial symbol. The famous cobra, initially huge and multiplied, was reduced over time to the size of a bracelet and was eventually replaced by the cat. The latter, undeniably an ancient animal, became Cleopatra’s symbol only in the nineteenth century. Moreover, most probably, the snake was not linked to Cleopatra because of the erotic association, neither was the cat assigned to her because she was a voluptuous witch. Modern representations of Cleopatra with African animals are not necessarily a misunderstanding.

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1 Społeczeństwo i Edukacja. Międzynarodowe Studia Humanistyczne

1 Kostuch L.

1 2016

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How the attributes of Cleopatra VII changed over time