Coins, discovered in a Newcastle bank volt and dating from 32BC, show that Cleopatra and Marc Antony weren't quite as beautiful as some people - especially Hollywood - made them out to be.....
Cleopatra, the (not so) beautiful seductress
By PAUL SIMS
13th February 2007
Money talks: Cleopatra ain't a patch on Elizabeth
Trading faces: Anthony's no match for Burton in the looks stakes
For thousands of years Cleopatra has been immortalised as a beautiful seductress with goddess-like looks.
But it seems she may not have been as attractive as first thought after archaeologists discovered a 2,000 year old coin hidden in a bank vault.
Far from the glamorous Hollywood image cut by Elizabeth Taylor in 1963 the last Pharoah (Ancient Egyptian monarch) had a shallow forehead, pointed chin, thin lips and a witch-like nose.
On the reverse of the coin her lover Mark Anthony fares little better. Unlike Richard Burton he had peculiar bulging eyes, a hook nose and an incredibly thick neck.
The coin, which was been kept hidden for the last 85 years, will now go on show to the public for the first time at Newcastle University's Shefton Museum as part of an exhibition.
"It's quiet incredible," said Lindsay Allason-Jones, the university's director of archaeological museums.
"For years we have grown up with this image of Antony and Cleopatra as sex symbols.
"But far from being that of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton the truth is something entirely different. They are not attractive and if you look closely it appears Cleopatra may have forgotten to put her teeth in.
"It truly is quite fascinating. Roman writers tell us that Cleopatra was intelligent and charismatic, and that she had a seductive voice but, tellingly, they do not mention her beauty at all.
"The image of Cleopatra as a beautiful seductress is a more recent phenomenon created by Hollywood.
"This coin completely dispells that myth. She may have seduced Julius Caesar and his rival Mark Antony but she was certainly no beauty."
The 32BC artefact, which is the size of a modern 5p piece, was part of a collection owned by the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne which is being researched in preparation for the new Great North Museum.
The silver denarius coin would have been issued by the mint of Mark Antony and would, therefore, have been created by someone who knew the couple well.
On one side is the head of Mark Antony, bearing the caption "Antoni Armenia devicta" meaning "For Antony, Armenia having been vanquished."
Cleopatra appears on the reverse of the coin with the inscription 'Cleopatra Reginae regum filiorumque regum', meaning 'For Cleopatra, Queen of kings and of the children of kings', or possibly 'Queen of kings and of her children who are kings'.
Clare Pickersgill, the university's assistant director of archaeological museums, said: "The popular image we have of Cleopatra is that of a beautiful queen who was adored by Roman politicians and generals.
"Indeed, the relationship between Mark Antony and Cleopatra has long been romanticised by writers, artists and film-makers.
"Shakespeare even wrote his tragedy Antony and Cleopatra in 1608, while the Orientalist artists of the 19th century and the modern Hollywood depictions, such as that of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in the 1963 film, have added to this fantasy.
"But the research carried out following the discovery of this coin would seem to disagree with this portrayal."
The coin itself is not particularly rare but is very collectable. The university now hopes more forgotten treasures will come to light before the Great North Museum opens in 2009.
For centuries historians have disagreed over the true beauty behind Cleopatra.
Cassius Dio, a noted Roman historian, once wrote: "For she was a woman of surpassing beauty, and at that time, when she was in the prime of her youth, she was most striking; she also possessed a most charming voice and a knowledge of how to make herself agreeable to every one."
But other authors, including Greek historian, biographer and essayist, Plutarch, suggest otherwise and insist that whilst she was not as striking as legend would have us believe - she possesses an "irresistible charm" and a "sweetness in the tones of her voice; and her tongue, like an instrument of many strings."
The legendary femme fatale, who ruled in the 1st century BC, has been played by Vivien Leigh, Sophia Loren and Elizabeth Taylor - all of whom portrayed her as a dark beauty who drove men to obsession before she committed suicide at the age of 38.
But in the last few years the debate over her looks, or lack of, have split many in the academic world.
Whilst Shakespeare's play Antony and Cleopatra made reference to her youthful looks and 'infinite variety' others have since claimed she was short, frumpish and in need of a good dentist.
The British Museum reignited the debate in 2001 with an exhibition of 11 statues that had previously been thought to portray other queens.
They show the queen as plain-looking with a streak of sterness, probably no more than 5ft tall and plump.
dailymail.co.uk
Cleopatra, the (not so) beautiful seductress
By PAUL SIMS
13th February 2007
Money talks: Cleopatra ain't a patch on Elizabeth
Trading faces: Anthony's no match for Burton in the looks stakes
For thousands of years Cleopatra has been immortalised as a beautiful seductress with goddess-like looks.
But it seems she may not have been as attractive as first thought after archaeologists discovered a 2,000 year old coin hidden in a bank vault.
Far from the glamorous Hollywood image cut by Elizabeth Taylor in 1963 the last Pharoah (Ancient Egyptian monarch) had a shallow forehead, pointed chin, thin lips and a witch-like nose.
On the reverse of the coin her lover Mark Anthony fares little better. Unlike Richard Burton he had peculiar bulging eyes, a hook nose and an incredibly thick neck.
The coin, which was been kept hidden for the last 85 years, will now go on show to the public for the first time at Newcastle University's Shefton Museum as part of an exhibition.
"It's quiet incredible," said Lindsay Allason-Jones, the university's director of archaeological museums.
"For years we have grown up with this image of Antony and Cleopatra as sex symbols.
"But far from being that of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton the truth is something entirely different. They are not attractive and if you look closely it appears Cleopatra may have forgotten to put her teeth in.
"It truly is quite fascinating. Roman writers tell us that Cleopatra was intelligent and charismatic, and that she had a seductive voice but, tellingly, they do not mention her beauty at all.
"The image of Cleopatra as a beautiful seductress is a more recent phenomenon created by Hollywood.
"This coin completely dispells that myth. She may have seduced Julius Caesar and his rival Mark Antony but she was certainly no beauty."
The 32BC artefact, which is the size of a modern 5p piece, was part of a collection owned by the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne which is being researched in preparation for the new Great North Museum.
The silver denarius coin would have been issued by the mint of Mark Antony and would, therefore, have been created by someone who knew the couple well.
On one side is the head of Mark Antony, bearing the caption "Antoni Armenia devicta" meaning "For Antony, Armenia having been vanquished."
Cleopatra appears on the reverse of the coin with the inscription 'Cleopatra Reginae regum filiorumque regum', meaning 'For Cleopatra, Queen of kings and of the children of kings', or possibly 'Queen of kings and of her children who are kings'.
Clare Pickersgill, the university's assistant director of archaeological museums, said: "The popular image we have of Cleopatra is that of a beautiful queen who was adored by Roman politicians and generals.
"Indeed, the relationship between Mark Antony and Cleopatra has long been romanticised by writers, artists and film-makers.
"Shakespeare even wrote his tragedy Antony and Cleopatra in 1608, while the Orientalist artists of the 19th century and the modern Hollywood depictions, such as that of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in the 1963 film, have added to this fantasy.
"But the research carried out following the discovery of this coin would seem to disagree with this portrayal."
The coin itself is not particularly rare but is very collectable. The university now hopes more forgotten treasures will come to light before the Great North Museum opens in 2009.
For centuries historians have disagreed over the true beauty behind Cleopatra.
Cassius Dio, a noted Roman historian, once wrote: "For she was a woman of surpassing beauty, and at that time, when she was in the prime of her youth, she was most striking; she also possessed a most charming voice and a knowledge of how to make herself agreeable to every one."
But other authors, including Greek historian, biographer and essayist, Plutarch, suggest otherwise and insist that whilst she was not as striking as legend would have us believe - she possesses an "irresistible charm" and a "sweetness in the tones of her voice; and her tongue, like an instrument of many strings."
The legendary femme fatale, who ruled in the 1st century BC, has been played by Vivien Leigh, Sophia Loren and Elizabeth Taylor - all of whom portrayed her as a dark beauty who drove men to obsession before she committed suicide at the age of 38.
But in the last few years the debate over her looks, or lack of, have split many in the academic world.
Whilst Shakespeare's play Antony and Cleopatra made reference to her youthful looks and 'infinite variety' others have since claimed she was short, frumpish and in need of a good dentist.
The British Museum reignited the debate in 2001 with an exhibition of 11 statues that had previously been thought to portray other queens.
They show the queen as plain-looking with a streak of sterness, probably no more than 5ft tall and plump.
dailymail.co.uk
