Tag: ancient egypt

optimvsprinceps:

luthienmuse:

in-the-violet-hour:

destroymales:

terpsikeraunos:

queenotrera:

History wants so badly for Cleopatra to be beautiful. Like they can’t conceive of Rome being intimidated by anything less

because being a linguist, fleet commander, and powerful ruler doesn’t matter, only her looks

Her Arab contemporaries raved about her being very interested and knowledgeable in the sciences.

She completely reformed the system in Alexandria, and Egypt at large; making it much more of a functional powerhouse. 

She did what 300 years of her ancestors couldn’t: Managed to get the support of both the Greek AND Egyptian subjects she ruled.

There is a sculpture that has been identified as her, through comparisons to coins minted under her rule, that proves beyond a doubt that she wasn’t particularly beautiful.

It isn’t that people just happen to believe it by mistake. Rome was fucking terrified of her and painted her as a vapid, scheming, beautiful, sex obsessed queen to discredit her to their people. She was a threat, and that was how they handled it. The unfortunate thing is that that is the most surviving record of her. A smear campaign against one of the smartest, most powerful women in human history. 

This is a woman who became her father’s co-ruler at nearly 14 years old in order to train for her actual ascension to the throne, who was forced to marry her own siblings in order to keep her power, and it’s widely believed that she poisoned them so she could rule alone. She’s a Pharaoh who led Egypt into a new era of wealth, who went fearlessly into war to protect her rule and Egypt’s independence from the Roman empire, a woman who took her own life rather than face being raped and tortured by her conquerors, knowing full well that she was leaving her surviving children in their uncertain mercy. Cleopatra is one of the most interesting, morally ambiguous, complexing historical figures we have and the media has turned her into a tantalizing sex object for the male gaze.

Even after Cleopatra died her influence on those around her lived on: her daughter, Cleopatra Selene, was the only child of Cleopatra’s to live to adulthood, and she became queen of Mauretania along with her husband Juba and it’s believed they married for love, which was extremely rare for that time period, especially among nobles/the upper class. Not only did she grow up in the house of her mother’s worst enemy and technical murderer, but she still went on to become a queen who possessed an equal amount of political power as her husband, even having her face minted on coins on the opposite side of his likeness, showing they were equal rulers.

Cleopatra and her influence on history, and her daughter’s legacy, have both been brushed aside in favour of the sexy Cleopatra visage. It’s bullshit. Egyptian mythology is interesting and vivid, and full of powerful women and it’s bullshit that we take some of the most powerful women in Africa’s history and try to turn them into fashion icons or sluts who only ruled through toying with men. 

I LIVE FOR PEOPLE TO KNOW THIS, people still refuse to believe that a woman can/could have achieved anything without beauty or fucking magical powers  

It wasn’t really “Rome was terrified of her because she was a woman and also was competent.” The image of Cleopatra as a seductress was created specifically by the Augustan propaganda machine to justify Octavian’s profoundly illegal civil war against Mark Antony and Sextus Pompey. 

It was forbidden to make civil war under Roman law, so when Octavian and Agrippa raised an army and killed a bunch of Roman people, he had to sell a really good lie to justify it. He found that in Cleopatra, who Mark Antony had a very strong relationship with. Antony had promised a bunch of stuff to her upon his death (including his own burial in Egypt and iirc land), which Octavian told Roman citizens was essentially him selling Rome out to a super sexy foreign queen, and allowed him to fight a war against Antony by considering him an Egyptian, and thus “foreign” enemy. In the Res Gestae, when Octavian/Augustus writes “In my nineteenth year, on my own initiative and at my own expense, I raised an army with which I set free the state, which was oppressed by the domination of a faction”, that’s what he means.

tl;dr: the image of Cleopatra as a dangerous and beautiful seductress comes directly from propaganda in a specific political and historical moment and not a generalized Roman fear of female competency.

tagging @jenesaispourquoi in case she has anything to say on this topic

bemusedlybespectacled:

jewishzevran:

keetongu:

did-you-kno:

Ancient Egyptians were using
20-sided die as early as 200 BCE. Source

i cant believe ancient egyptians were FUCKING NERDS

imagine ancient egyptian d&d tho

“You have crossed into the underworld and have encountered Anubis. You give him your heart to weigh.”

“I roll to Bluff.”

“You want to bluff Anubis? You can’t bluff Anubis, he’s a god, he has a godly Sense Motive check.”

“I want to bluff the scales.”

“…you want. To bluff. The scales.”

“Yup.”

“…you know what? I’ll allow it.”

“HA! Nat 20!”

“The scales, for some fucking reason, think your heart is lighter than the feather. Anubis is pretty sure you’re bullshitting him but you know what? Anubis has had a long day. Anubis is not gonna question the scales. You’re in.”

Traditional Egyptian Zodiac Signs

wohenpiaoliang:

Satet:  
(January 1-7, June 19-28, September 1-7, November 18-26)  

  • Nile people are very determined, passionate, and peaceful people. They are leaded by their dreams and passions and bring harmony wherever they go. They are very analytical and are great with details. Their open-mindness makes them well liked, they treat all walks of life equal and help anyone in need of a helping hand. 

Amun Ra:
(January 8-21, February 1-11)

  • Amun Ra is the god of creation. Those who belong to this sign are strong, firm, athletic, and hard working. Their strengths are strong will-power, courage, and self-confidence. They are also excellent leaders and organizers. Their known weaknesses are intolerance and anger. They can excel in financial related professions. 

Mut:
(January 22-31, September 8-22)

  • If your Egyptian astrological sign is Mut, you have a great vision on how you want to live your life. You are determined and focused on making your dreams come true. Mut people are often sensitive and shy and keep their true feelings hidden from those around them. Only when they get to know someone really well, they will open up and show who they really are. 

Geb:
(February 12-29, August 20-31)  

  • People born under Geb are reliable, honest, and caring with their families and friends. Their personality is friendly, endearing, and authentic which make them well-liked. Geb people trust their intuition and feelings and have strong sense about things. They can by shhy, sensitive, introverted, negative things can get to them easily. 

Osiris:
(March 1-10, November 27 to December 18)

  • Osiris is the god of the underworld. Those who take their birth under this sign are extremely perplexing and misunderstood. Their strengths are dynamism, intelligence, smartness, and enterprising. Their only weakness is that they try to avoid responsibility. These people are good in teaching and selling. Osiris people are optimistic, positive and passionate about their future and therefore excellent with starting new endeavors.  

Isis:
(March 11-31, October 18-29, December 19-31)

  • The goddess Isis is the deity of discipline. People born under this sign are honorable, proud, and idealistic. They’re also very logical and intuitive. People under the influence of Isis are mostly calm, generous, and optimistic. Their strength lies in being active and self-reliant. Isis people are also quite popular among their friends and are very good communicators. Their weaknesses are extreme obsession and withdrawing, when the chips are down. 

Thoth:
(April 1-19, November 8-17)

  • Thoth is the god of wisdom and learning. People born under the sign of the god of divine words are excellent in solving their problems and skilled at organizing things and events. Nevertheless, they can forego anything in exchange for a better offer. Thoth people are seasoned, original, and authentic. At times, they are very rash, impatient and hasty. 

Horus:
(April 20 to May 7, August 12-19)

  • Horus is the God of the Sky and the Shining Sun. The people who are born under this sign are courageous, daring, and aggressive. Horus people are optimistic, social, and extremely motivated to achieve their goals. They want to achieve the best of life. However, they could be unrealistic, stubborn, and extremely reluctant to face others. Family is very important to people under this sign, and they tend to place the needs of their loved one’s before their own. 

Anubis:
(May 8-27, June 29 to July 13)

  • Anubis is the deity of the underworld. It’s probably the most determined and tolerant of all signs. People who are born under this sign are self reliant, self confident, and has the ability to carry out any task. They are extremely sympathetic, generous, loving, affectionate, and caring. Their weakness could be that people may take them for a ride at times. Anubis people are very generous and creative. Their emotions are sometimes intense, authoritative, and unpredictable. 

Seth:
(May 28 to June 18, September 28 to October 2)

  • If you are born under this sign, you are a free spirit that does not like to be held back. You are seeking change and new adventures that offer you new challenges in life. You dislike any kind of routine and like to try new things and go to new places. Seth people are natural leaders and strive to exceed in everything they do. No challenge is too big for a Seth. You are very determined and persistent in pursuing your goals and dreams and will not give up until they are accomplished. 

Bastet:
(July 14-28, September 23-27, October 3-17)

  • You are searching for harmony, peace, and balance in your life and you dislike any kind of confrontations, chaos, and stressful situations. As a Bastet, it is easy for you to put others’ needs above your own and lend a helping hand whenever you see need. You’re not only loyal in romantic relationships but also with family and friends. You can be truly counted on. Bastets can be sensitive, vulnerable and emotional, but at the same time very protective over those they love. 

Sekhmet:
(July 29 to August 11, October 30 to November 7)

  • Sekhmet is the Goddess of War and Vengeance. Those who are born under this Egyptian zodiac sign are mentally brilliant, imaginative and optimistic. They’re extremely jovial and talkative with people. They are witty and accommodating and their strengths lie in their hospitable character. Sekhmet people are honest, sensitive, and good in business. Their weaknesses are anger, impatience, argumentative, and are characterized by their lack of indulgence, their uncompromising side and their sense of values. 

(Credits to and visit Egyptian Witchcraft for more great stuffs about Egyptian Astrology!)