Well, you've read Scroll One and saw what her life was like as a child and learned about the defining moments of maturity including the birth of her love for Caesar.  And now you're ready to read Scroll Two, and along with Cleopatra experience and attempt to rationalize this first love of her young life. Scroll Two chronicles one year alone in Egypt where Cleopatra gives birth to Caesar's son, Caesarion Ptolemy and basically deals with affairs of state including famine, flooding, and rebuilding a war-ravaged city, Alexandria. So pick up your copy and take this journey with me so we can get the conversations flowing while we learn about one of the most famous ancient Egyptian women leaders, who is about to do a lot of soul-searching in regards to her relationship with Caesar. 

All I can say is Thank God. Thank Isis(as Cleopatra would have said). She is beginning to realize she values and loves Caesar more than he does her. One full year without him, alone ruling Egypt. She survived the birth of their son “Caesarion” actually named Ptolemy Caesar. In Cleopatra's mind, she saw him uniting Rome and Egypt, but now her thinking is quite different.

During his time away, she relied on news from Mardian, her chief adviser and old friend, because letters from him were few and far between. And when they did arrive, they were not the love letters she expected but detached unemotional statements of facts. In addressing Caesarion, he continuously calls him “her son” not “their son” and makes very little reference to her visit to Rome. He promised her he would take her there, but now she doubts he will. These facts dishearten her against him, but as it is with love, and especially first love, Cleopatra is still in love with him and influenced by him. This is evidenced by her own plans for the country and it's unification with Rome. She takes what little proof she can find as evidence of his affection for her. This means in her eyes, the legions Caesar left behind to protect her country means he loves her deeply even if he is not currently able to show it properly. She continuously recalls their wedding ceremony, as well. He married her, so he must love her. But in her mind she is able to dissect this marriage ceremony, shedding Ceasar in a poor light. He married her as a joke, she is nothing more than a fling. In my opinion her love for him has led her down a path of distorted thinking and her mental faculties are being affected by news of him. Let's face it, he's not there to say what needs to be said to quell her doubts.

And I was right, he breaks her heart. She undergoes a sort of epiphany when Mardian reports that he has slept with the Queen Enoe of Africa. It is this news that Mardian confirms which causes her to realize that she is not as dear to Caesar as she once believed. Caesar has a weakness for powerful women and takes great pleasure in bedding them. She had allowed herself to believe that their own marriage ceremony had meant something to him. It hadn't and she realizes he did it to appease her.

But as her first love, she will always take him back no matter what other infidelities he might commit. She recognizes him now as a man and human and not as the God she believed him to be. Humans and especially male ones, certainly make a great deal of mistakes. With this knowledge, she begins making plans for her son to take over her rule and sets out about rebuilding the war-ravaged countryside with the help of Olympus, her personal physician and good friend. Her other confidantes include her wardrobe mistress Charmian and Iras, a personal attendant of Nubian descent.

Before she realized Caesar was just a man, she ordered new currency made to honor the birth of their son and their alliance. But after she learns of Caesar's infidelities, she becomes greatly depressed living in the palace without him and can no longer enjoy the sights of the country that she shared with him and especially not the temple where they exchanged vows. She doesn't get much time to wallow, though. She has a newborn and Egypt is threatened by flood and no silt.

She gathers scientists and scholars from all over the country to explain why there is no silt and the waters are runny, but no one has an answer expect for the God Hapi. She concocts a plan to move the storehouses and towns further inland to protect the grain and her people. She is forced to travel down the Nile and help the small villages move before the waters come. Short of grain for the third year in a row, (the previous two years were from famine) she practically empties the Royal treasury purchasing grain and food for her people, so they do not starve. She hires a financial adviser to oversee these transactions. Epaphroditus is reluctant but agrees. He is a Jew from the harbor and runs his own business. She is taken with his beauty and brains, but finds him arrogant and uncooperative.

The one enjoyable thing she does is travel to Meroe, to meet the Kandake Amanishakheto and see their country. The large black woman who holds the title brought her there to test her. It was arranged that an imposter of her brother was captured and she must give the final judgment. She orders him executed. Afterwards, Kandake offers her a union between their two countries. Although a pleasing idea, Cleopatra turns her down. It would be impossible to beat Rome and Kandake particularly wants a new country ruled by women and Cleopatra's heir is her son. Plus, as she explains, she still carries love for Caesar and war with Rome would certainly displease him. Although she turns it down, she continues to consider it and the two women promise to be supportive of each other in all things including war and Cleopatra is welcome to bring the same offer at a later date. But the best thing about the visit is Cleopatra's new servanct Kasu, a green monkey which she saves from a cobra bite.

Upon her return, she learns of Caesar's victory and begins preparing for her visit to Rome. She will bring her son with her and make Caesar acknowledge the child as his blood and heir.That is her goal, but I worry that she will fail, because Caesar has told her that her son is considered a foreigner, born in Egypt and will not be accepted by the powerful Roman government as a suitable heir. 

At this point, I still have the same fears for her. Caesar is not good for her and he could very likely bring about her own downfall with her people. They remain divided on the issue of uniting Egypt and Rome and fearful Rome will control Egypt and take away Cleopatra as ruler.

I wish she would have accepted the offer of the Kandake. It is frustrating that at this point despite all she has learned about Caesar, she is experiencing no vengeful feelings. If I were in her place, I would have taken the Kandake's offer because the two countries could support each other in war. Meroe has land soldiers and Egypt a navy. Furthermore, Meroe's produce does not solely depend on Nile silt and the country is rich with vegetation and free of famine. Goods could come from them up the river to support Egypt in times of famine. In addition, leadership by women could be fulfilling and successful. Up to this point in history, all leaderships were by men and they don't seem to be doing too well. It would be easier to unite two countries near to each other rather than unite with a powerful dominating country very far away. Meroe is flourishing under the leadership of the Kandakes, all women.

I also fear the upcoming visit in Rome. It is inevitable that she will embarrass herself and son bringing bad feelings upon Egypt. In Rome, she and Caesar will not live as man and wife, but as man and foreign mistress. This is a recipe for disaster since Romans are extremely nationalistic. Only time will tell as I embark upon the The next scroll. I'm almost afraid to read ahead since I already know that she ends up with Marc Antony and they both die somehow although accounts of that are all different.I just feel in my gut that going to Rome will only bring disaster and pain. We'll just have to see it I am right.