Portrait of a Nude Woman As Cleopatra

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Cleopatra, Mark Antony, and Octavian all spent nearly a year negotiating a plan amenable to all three, but Octavian grew frustrated by it all —after all, Cleopatra and Mark Antony had lost at the Battle of Actium. He finally decided to stop playing nice and invade Egypt. Following a handful of battles, Mark Antony's naval fleet surrendered to Octavian in August, 30 BC.

An impressive move, and one that endeared herself to Mark Antony, who fancied himself to be an embodiment of Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and revelry.

For all the mark she made on the world, Cleopatra only lived 39 years. She was born in 69 BC and died by suicide in August of 30 BC —but more on that later. Her story is not important not just for her exploits, but also for the greater course of history. When Cleopatra was born in 69 BC, just over 2,100 years ago, it was at the end of the Egyptian Pharaoh dynasties and the beginning of a new phase in Egyptian history. The scholars that Live Science talked to were either unaware of the claims or cautious about these findings. Duane Roller, a professor emeritus of classics at Ohio State University, said that Cleopatra and Arsinoë may not have had the same mother. The ancient writer Strabo (63 B.C. to A.D. 24), who lived in Alexandria, wrote that Ptolemy XII, the father of Cleopatra, had children through multiple mothers. In 33 BC, Rome declared war on Egypt. Never the shrinking violet, Cleopatra was presented with her own fleet of warships during the Battle of Actium in 31 BC. She personally led her fleet of over a dozen ships alongside Antony’s own. Alas, they were outnumbered, and after losing the battle were forced to flee to Egypt. Cleopatra's meeting Mark Antony was truly dramatic. When she was summoned to meet the Triumvirate —AKA the three men who took power in Rome after the death of Caesar —she sailed down the Nile on a golden barge adorned with purple sails and silver oars. Cleopatra, dressed as the goddess Aphrodite, arrived to meet Mark Antony. Cleopatra wasn’t about to give up her throne that easily, so after a coup installed her brother as ruler, she drummed up mercenaries, formed an army, and fought against her brother’s army at Pelusium. While she gave them a good fight, she ultimately lost the battle. Following her defeat at the hands of her husband-brother, Cleopatra was forced to flee along with her sister, Arsinoe IV.

It's a good thing that Cleopatra had this experience under her belt because when her father Pharaoh Ptolemy XII died, she was more than prepared. In his will, he made 18-year-old Cleopatra and her 10-year-old brother joint rulers. More than a little annoying, since she'd already been working alongside her father for years, but that wasn't the worst part. After the Battle of Actium, both Cleopatra and Mark Antony went their separate ways, each trying to find to a way to grip onto any remaining power they could — but they knew their days were numbered. Cleopatra began to prepare her son Caesarion to become the sole ruler of Egypt, and planned to sail to a foreign port and away from all the scandal and violence that had punctuated her reign—but it wasn't meant to be. Keystone , Getty Images 41. The Nerve! Though they were forced to flee from Egypt together after Cleopatra was dethroned by her brother Ptolemy XII, Cleopatra and her sister Arsinoe IV had a fraught relationship. Actually, fraught might be an understatement — it was downright brutal. Fearing Arsinoe was plotting to take over the throne herself, Cleopatra had Arsinoe assassinated on the steps of a temple in Rome. First, she had Mark Antony alerted that she'd died by her own hand. A heartbroken Mark Antony immediately took his own life by stabbing himself in the stomach. In one account, he was taken to her side while still barely alive, where he told her that he had one ally left from Octavian's side, and that she should trust him. It was a horrible mistake. They stood together as partners against Egypt’s enemies, and were married in an Egyptian ceremony—despite the fact that Antony already had a wife in Rome. Hulton Archive, Getty Images 34. The Couple That Drinks Together…

All those of you born on February 29 who only get to celebrate their birthday once every four years have her to thank.

Cleopatra's time in Rome was officially up. After the terrifying spectacle, many would've kept a low profile —but not Cleopatra. Why would an Egyptian queen bear a Greek name, you ask? Why, it’s because she was actually Greek. Cleopatra’s family, the Ptolemies, migrated to Egypt from Greece. So while Cleopatra was born in Egypt, she was, in fact, Macedonian Greek by origin. As a result, Caesar seized the Egyptian capital and instilled himself as arbiter between the opposing claims of Cleopatra and Ptolemy XII to the Egyptian throne. With this, Cleopatra knew what she had to do, and began to form her devious plan. There's speculation to this day about the way that Cleopatra took her own life. She'd been known for her penchant for poison, so it's generally agreed upon that it played a role, with one rumor claiming she'd poisoned herself. One of the most generally accepted stories is that she induced an asp (an Egyptian cobra) to bite her. The era of the Pharaohs was almost incomprehensibly long—the first dynasty of Egypt began in 3100 BC—over 5,000 years ago. The Great Pyramids at Giza were constructed between 2550 to 2490 BC. This means that Cleopatra lived closer to the time of the Moon landing than she did to the construction of the pyramids.It's generally agreed upon that Cleopatra was responsible for his death, and that she poisoned him —which seemed like something of a habit for her. For those keeping tally, she had a hand in the deaths of three of her siblings. The reputation Cleopatra acquired as a brazen beauty and irresistible temptress isn't just a modern-day misconception—accounts from ancient Roman history depict Cleopatra using her feminine charms to bewitch and influence powerful men of the ancient world. Her wit and intelligence were often downplayed or overshadowed entirely by her sexiness in accounts written by her Roman critics. Cleopatra and Mark Antony must have had some grand times together, in the true Dionysian style. The pair even started a drinking club—the society of “Inimitable Livers”—which indulged in feasts and wine-binges, and engaged in elaborate games and contests. According to lore, Cleopatra and Mark Antony enjoyed dressing up in disguise and wandering Rome while playing pranks on its unwitting citizens.