By Thomas E. Watson. Egypt has ever been a land of unsolved mystery, of tragedy and dramatic episodes. Her myths are so mingled with her history and prehistory that her authentic origins are even more uncertain than once were the sources of the Nile.
The Western world has always been fascinated by Cleopatra, the last native ruler of Egypt until after the Muslims took over. But ethnically she was not a true Egyptian; her blood was Greek (Macedonian). Yet certain interests persist in trying to portray her as a negro. Here is the romantic traditional saga of one of Egypt’s classic, timeless tales: the death of Cleopatra, as related by the great populist Thomas Watson in 1908 in his Sketches from Roman History. The book looks at the history of Rome from a farmer’s perspective instead of the usual imperialistic one. This article was adapted from that long-lost book. [Read the entire article as PDF…]
The Barnes Review, March/April 2010: Anthony & Cleopatra: A Populist’s Tale