Now personally, I remain convinced that Arsinoë, Cleopatra, Ptolemy Dionysus, and Ptolemy Philopator all had the same mother. Tradition has them being full siblings and it seems much more likely that this is correct. The ancient sources actually bother to claim Berenike Epiphanes (and possibly another girl named Cleopatra, who died in infancy) as the half-sister of Cleopatra Philopator. Now it’s suddenly being changed around. Why? I’ve yet to hear a good reason.

They don’t seem to take into consideration that the later Lagides were considered to be of part barbarian stock as Cleopatra Syra was a Seleukid. The founder of the Seleukid Empire, Seleucus Nicator, had a Persian queen, Apama.

The silliest thing about this is that the ancients did not share our concept of race. Back then, race had little to do with the colour of one’s skin. It was more about where you were from, the language you spoke, the Gods you worshipped, etc. Romans typically would have considered Cleopatra Egyptian, but to her subjects (native Egyptians, the Macedonian and Greek population, and the Jews of Alexandria, Elephantine, etc), she was Hellenistic.

Lastly, the shape of the head could simply be a result of inbreeding. The same thing cropped up in the earlier Egyptian dynasties…

My apologies for not giving sources. It’s only that I’ve been studying Cleopatra since I was a small child. Now that I’m in my thirties, I can’t remember a good half of the dozens upon dozens of books I have read on her. However, I will mention “Cleopatra, The Life and Death of a Pharaoh” by Edith Flamarion as being the most accurate and concise biography. (I only found two or three factual errors in the whole thing!)

16) Northern Europeans — hair generally wavy, flaxen or reddish, tall stature, —> dolichocephalic <—
http://books.google.com/books?id=emoQAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA624&lpg=PA624&dq=dolichocephalic+Europeans&source=bl&ots=w0TtKoXfW5&sig=Z-HZ5Bwn5Imi72vU5yG1iJFEA5E&hl=en&ei=B_2iS839Gcb_lgfiocHeCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CA0Q6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=dolichocephalic%20Europeans&f=false

The peoples of dolichocephalic “gracile Mediterranean” in ancient Bronze Age and neolithic North Africa South West Asia and Europe were, as expressed by Grafton Elliot Smith and other early physical anthropologists, related to East Africans.

See The Brace et. al. who says – Said Loring Brace 2005 and 2006, “Modern Europeans ranging all of the way from Scandinavia to Eastern Europe and throughout the Mediterranean on to the Middle East show that they are closely related to each other. The surprise is that the Neolithic peoples of Europe and their Bronze Age successors are not closely related to the modern inhabitants…” from “The questionable contribution of the Neolithic and the Bronze Age to European craniofacial form, C. Loring Brace,*† Noriko Seguchi,‡ Conrad B. Quintyn,§ Sherry C. Fox,¶ A. Russell Nelson, Sotiris K. Manolis,** and Pan Qifeng Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2006 January 3; 103(1): 242–247.

With regard to the coins of Cleopatra on one side and Antony on the other. In that time, the representation of a “large” nose (a nose equal to that of Antony, represented Cleopatra as being “equal” in power and authority as a man (this is of Ancient Roman thought). We are judging it by our standards. There was a very, very different language of that day (as well as other times in history, we make so many mistakes translatingl their times into ours).

Very simple and true remark above, “we all have African DNA.” Very true. Also, we do not have Egyptian history on Cleopatra and, many, many things have been exaggerated along with histories completely made up by the Romans to vilify her (as she was a very powerful intelligent woman, who, may have changed the world, at least, recognize her deep desire to keep her kingdom intact and a sovereign nation at all, necessary, costs). I have studied her as well, and, found that her own people desired her rule that they, may have killed her sister (knowing Cleopatra would have done anything to keep Egypt, it’s history, and religion.) Antony may have also been acting on his own, to keep Egypt in his back pocket. It may have been his desire to usurp Cleopatra’s authority and take Egypt for his own.

I know this may be a supposition, but, it has been a common strategy throughout history.

What Cleopatra’s make up is less important than finding the truth and dispelling lies of her life. Apparently, it really didn’t matter back then what her makeup was, she was then and will always be, ruler of upper and lower Egypt.

It seems that if a legendary person has links to any continent, does that mean someone wins, or, some ethnicity is superior? I recall someone in history tried very hard to prove that and destroy all in his wake.

Every country has had it’s heyday. All have risen and fallen, and these legendary people, have done some horrible things, if we are to believe what we know right now of history.

Read King David’s history. He is VERY hailed, yet, did some pretty awful things. He also, as we are more aware, in the end, listened and obeyed the desire of the Good (YHVH).

If we take credit for some accomplishment of someone in the past, then, we must admit and account for their failures as well.

According to DNA, we ARE all descended from a woman or group of women that science has given the appropriately named: “Eve.”

We are ALL superior, if we only go on our high points, and all lose if we admit to being descended from those of the opposite side of that scale.

Quoting my cousin, who belonged to VISTA and, marched with Martin Luther King, Jr. Whose photo was posted by the Klan to be killed on site, said something I will never forget: The “Dream” of that Great Man will be realized, when we no longer use the labels black, white or color of any kind, referred to by religion or ethnicity. We are all human and a family of the same humankind and it’s Creator, by whatever name you call them.”

I know we have not reached that point yet. Hopefully, soon.