Cleopatra VII died more than 2,000 years ago. Cleopatra was actually the seventh woman in the Ptolemaic dynasty to bear the name. Her full name is Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator (meaning “the father-loving goddess” in Greek). Cleopatra is often portrayed as a femme fatale due to her romantic relationships with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. However, she wasn’t just a seductress. Cleopatra was one of the most successful and powerful queens in history.

Famous for her beauty and intellect, the Egyptian queen had a short but scandalous life that has inspired many works of art, literature, and films.

Cleopatra was born in the year 69 BCE, 2,491 years after the completion of the Great Pyramid of Giza in 2560 B.C.E. Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon in 1969, 2,038 years after the birth of Cleopatra. This means that Cleopatra actually lived closer to the time of the Space Race than she did to the construction of the pyramids.