Cleopatra: From Alexandria to Actium

In 48 BC Cleopatra came to Alexandria to meet Caesar in person. Plutarch says she was bound inside a bed sack to be smuggled into the palace. Her brother's forces, 20,000 strong, then besieged Caesar's 4,000 troops. The siege of the palace, with Caesar and Cleopatra trapped together inside, lasted into 47 BC.

Location precision: The sources name the palace but not its exact site; the pin marks Alexandria.

Cleopatra visited Rome in late 46 BC. The Temple of Venus Genetrix, established in the Forum of Caesar on 25 September 46 BC, held a golden statue of her, which stood there at least until the 3rd century AD. The forum itself measured 160 by 75 metres and was dedicated to Caesar and his deeds when completed in 46 BC.

In summer 41 BC Antony summoned Cleopatra to Tarsos, and she sailed up the Kydnos River aboard the Thalamegos, hosting Antony and his officers for two nights of lavish banquets. One source says she entered the city by the port gate. That gate survives and has been called Cleopatra's Gate since the early 20th century, though it was rebuilt and restored and the sea is now 15 kilometres away.

Location precision: The gate was rebuilt after her time; it marks the traditional entry point, not a surviving ancient building.

By spring 31 BC Antony and Cleopatra had moved to Actium, on the southern side of the Ambracian Gulf. On 2 September Cleopatra, aboard her flagship the Antonias, commanded 60 ships at the rear of the fleet. She slipped through the fighting under sail, her ship identified by its purple sails, and Antony followed. Octavian later founded the city of Nicopolis nearby to commemorate his victory.

Location precision: The battle was fought at sea; the pin marks the Actium headland at the mouth of the gulf.

Back in Alexandria, Antony built a reclusive cottage on the island of Pharos, which he nicknamed the Timoneion. Octavian entered the city on 1 August 30 BC. Cleopatra told him, "I will not be led in a triumph", and died on 12 August, aged 39. It is unclear whether this happened in the palace or her tomb; she was buried next to Antony.

Location precision: Pharos is where Antony's cottage stood; the sources do not locate the tomb or the palace.