What did Cleopatra look like?
Cleopatra is one of the most enchanting figures in all of history, not just for her alleged beauty, but for her famed intelligence and charm. We will go through the research - what we know and what we don’t know - and then reveal our re-creations of the Egyptian Queen’s appearance. For the full video with Cleopatra’s fascinating history, visit our YouTube channel.
So, what did Cleopatra really look like?
Like her history, some of Cleopatra’s appearance is shrouded in mystery, but has always maintained a curiosity thanks to her seductive reputation.
We only have notes about Cleopatra from Roman sources, so unfortunately there are no contemporary Egyptian accounts of her looks:
Plutarch remarked that “Her beauty was in itself not altogether incomparable”, but then also says she “was conscious of her personal beauty and was intensely proud of it.”
Cassius Dio said, “She was a woman of surpassing beauty, and at that time, when she was in the prime of her youth, she was most striking;”
But, keep in mind that both of these men were writing after the life of Cleopatra, and had never seen her in person.
We do know her basic facial structure. Cleopatra had many coins minted in her image that still survive today, and we have several Roman statues that have captured her likeness. They all show a woman with full lips, a strong sloping nose, large expressive eyes, and a small forehead.
Coins are the only true contemporary images we have of Cleopatra VII.
Contemporary Roman statue of Cleopatra from her lifetime. Cleopatra spent a lot of time in Rome, lobbying for Egyptian causes, and spending time with her lover, Julius Caesar.
There are also statues - both Egyptian and Roman. It’s fortunate for us that the Roman statues exist, because during the Late Republic period, Roman sculpture was particularly realistic. The Egyptian portrayals of Cleopatra are more symbolic, and were not meant to be realistic.
Just in the last few week, a new statue head was unearthed, near Taposiris Magna, which is suspected to be her lost burial site. But scholars are currently in the midst of arguing whether this really depicts her or not, since it doesn’t really resemble her other statues.
Even if Cleopatra was not the most physically beautiful woman, it is certain that her overall splendor made an impression. In clothing, Cleopatra created a fascinating blend of Egyptian and Greek fashions, also incorporating Roman influence. She would adorn herself with dark red and purple cloth, and as much gold jewelry and gemstones as possible. I’ve taken real Greek jewelry and added it to my re-creations.
She famously wore this Hellenistic-style Diadem, and Melon hairstyle most of the time, both of which are visible on the Roman statue. She would use makeup to accentuate her features - kohl smudged around her eyes, and plant dyes used for blush and lipstick.
Three totally different ways that Cleopatra has been depicted in media. Gal Gadot’s portrayal (right) is likely the most accurate.
What we don’t know for sure is Cleopatra’s exact ethnic background, although this is the subject of extensive debate.
In truth though, Cleopatra is one of the least ethnically ambiguous figures in history. We know for a fact that she was descended for hundreds of years through the Greek Ptolemaic dynasty, with very clear ancestry records. The inbreeding in this family was insane, and didn’t leave much room for outside genetics to come in.
There are a few question marks in Cleopatra’s lineage, and one is her mother. While she was most likely Queen Cleopatra V Tryphaena, we don’t have a solid record of it anywhere. However, if Cleopatra would have been the child of a concubine, she would have been considered a bastard, and there would have been remarks made about this, so that seems unlikely.
While it’s technically possible that Cleopatra was mixed with sub saharan African, it’s much more likely that she is what we would consider a white greek woman.
Cleopatra probably resembled these modern-day Greek figures.
A fresco found at Pompeii, 1st Century AD, that has been tentatively identified as Cleopatra.
Because of this, we have to guess her hair and eye color. It’s likely that she had dark, curly hair, but interestingly, it’s been posited that she was a redhead, since a depiction of Cleopatra found in the city of Pompeii show her with vivid red hair. This could also be the result of wigs or henna dyes, which Egyptians and Romans were very familiar with.
I’ve used a Roman statue for my re-creation, and of course keep in mind this is just one way Cleopatra may have looked.
So, let’s take a look at the face of Cleopatra, now:
Profile view.
An image that shows Cleopatra with red hair.