CLEON. 24 CLEOPATRA'S NEEDLES. lived in the early part of the Pclopoiinesian War. lie was a son of Cleicnetus, and was by trade a leather-dealer. He first came into promi- nence as a public spoal^cr who was opposed to the policy of I'ericles; and in B.C. 427. when the matter of the treatment of the inhabitants of Mytilene came up for consideration in the Athenian Assembly, he advocated the utmost 'severity tolerated by custom of war. In B.C. 4'i5, when envoys arrived at Athens to treat of the release of "the Spartan citizens sliut up on the island of Sphacteria and to suggest peace, the Athenians, instigated by Cleon, imposed such terms upon Sparta that peace was found to be impossible. Later in the same year, owing to a casual remark made in the public assembly to the effect that, if lie were general, the Athenians would not long remain in front of Sphacteria, Cleon himself was placed in charge of the opera- tions against the island. He promised to end the siege within twenty days; and, in conjunction with Demosthenes, he "did this. In B.C. 422 Cleon was sent to oppose Brasidas, the Spartan general, in ^Macedonia and Thrace, and to re- cover the city of Amphipolis. He was successful in taking the towns of Torone and Galepsus, but was defeated and slain in the battle which took place beneath the walls of Amphipolis. Cleon is described by Thuc.ydides and Aris- tophanes as an insolent and venal politician, .'end a demagogue of low type. It is generally admitted that some of the details of Aris- tophanes's picture may be out of proportion; but whether ThucA'dides's estimate of Cleon's character is a tlioroughly just and unprejudiced one is a mooted question. Cleon was a per- suasive speaker, a clever hand at managing pub- lic business in a popular way, and a strong advo- cate of war. Consult Grote, History of Greece, vol. vi. (London, 1888). CLEONTE, kla'oNt'. A character in >Ioli6re's Le hourf/eois ycntilhonime, in love with Lucille. CLE'OPA'TBA ((Jk. KXeoTrdrpa). The name of several ([Uecns and princesses of Egv'pt of the family of the Ptolemies (q.v. ) . The most famous of them, Cleop.tr. VI., daughter of Ptolemy XIII., Auletes, was born in B.C. 60 or 08. Her father died in 51, leaving a will wherein he appointed as his successors his elder daugliter, Cleopatra, and his elder son, Ptolemy, and re- quested the Roman people to see his testamentary dispositions carried into eft'ect. The will was duly ratified by the Roman Senate, and Cleopatra, then about seventeen years old, and her brother, Ptol- emy XIV., a child of about twelve years, suc- eeecled jointly to the throne of Egypt, with the understa.nding that they should shortly marry. In the tliird year of their reign, Ptolemy, urged by his advisers, assumed sole control of the gov- ernment and drove his sister into exile. She jiromptly gathered an army in Syria, and pre- pared to assert her claims. It was at this time that Pom])ey, seeking refuge with the King of Egypt, after his defeat at Pharsalia, was mur- dered by the King's advisers. Cleopatra seems to have been unable to make good her claim by force of arms; hut. shortly after Pompey's death. Csesar arrived at Alexandria and. yielding to the fascinations of the Egyptian Queen, became her lover and espoused her cause. He was for a time hard pressed by the Egyptians, but ultimately triumphed and Ptolemy lost his life. Arsinoe, the vounffer daughter of Ptolemy Auletes. was carried off to grace Casar's triumph at Rome. Cleopatra now nominally married her younger l)rotlu>r. Ptolemy X'., and, after settling their joint government upon a secure basis, went to Rome, where slie lived as Caesar's mistress until his assassination in B.C. 44. After Ciesar's deafli, having, it is said, poisoned her brother. Ptolemy XV., she returned to Eg^'pt, where she asso- ciated with lier on the throne her son by (.Jaesar. called Ca?sarion. In the civil war fol- lowing Caesar's death, Cleopatra having hesitated to take sides with either party, Antony, after the battle of Philippi (42), summoned her to meet him at Tarsus in Cilicia to explain her con- duct. When she appeared upon the Cydnus on a splendidly adorned vessel, in the garb of the goddess Aplirodite, the Roman triumvir fell a victim to lier cluirms, and returned with her to Egypt. After living with her for some time, in the course of which she bore him twin cliildren, Antony was compelled to return to Rome, where he married Octavia, a sister of Octavins. When, in 3(i, he went to the East in command of an expedition against the Parthians, he sent for Cleopatra, and she joined him at Antioch. and after his defeat she met him in Syri;i with troops and supplies. In .34, after a more suc- cessful campaign against the Parthians, he celebrated his triumph at Alexandria and con- tinued to reside in Egj'pt. In 32 Octavianus declared war against Cleopatra, and Antony, in revenge, divorced his wife Octavia. Against the counsel of Antony's advisers, Cleopatra insisted on taking part in the ensuing campaign. At the naval battle of Actium (31). believing An- tony's defeat to be inevitable, she withdrew her fleet from action, and fled to Alexandria. Her lover, beholding her flight, made no further ef- fort to retrieve his fortunes, but retired from the battle and followed her. On the approach of Oc- tavianus. Antony, deceived by the false report of the Queen's death, fell by his own hand. Cleo- patra made some attempts to bring Octavianus under the influence of her charms, but, failing in this, and hearing that he intended to exhibit her in his triumph at Rome, she killed herself (B.C.
- !0). probably by poison, and according to an old
tradition, bv the bite of a venomous serpent. Cleopatra combined rare intellectual gifts with physical charms, and she is immortal as one of the most fascinating women of all time; so that ever since her death, she has been a constant theme for artists, dramatists, and poets. There is no authentic portrait of Cleopatra extant, ex- cept in her efligj' upon coins. A composite pho- tograph has been made of these by Gorringe in his hook Efiyptian Obelisks (New York, 1865). Ciesarion, her son by Cfesar, was put to death by Octavius. Of her three children by Antony, her daughter Cleopatra married .Juba, King of jMauretania, who was allowed by Octavius to take under his protection his wife's two brothers. Alexander and Ptolemy. In A.D. 40. Ptolemy, son of ,Tuba and the younger Cleopatra, was slain by Caligula, and with him ended the line of the Ptolemies. (See PTorj:MT.) Consult: Strack. Die Dunnstie der Pfolemiier (1806) ; MahaflTy. The Empire of the Ptolemies and Uistori/ of Efliipt Under the PtoJemaic Dynasty (1809); Lombroso, L'Egitto dei (Ireci e del Ttomani (1895). CLEOPATRA'S NEEDLES. The name given to two Egyptian obelisks of red syenite, which
