Of course, everyone knows Cleopatra, the queen of Egypt, famed for her unforgettable beauty, who is said to have taken her own life by letting a snake bite her. Thanks to cinema and advertising, she has become a universally recognized pop culture figure. So, titling an exhibition "The Cleopatra Mystery" might at first seem somewhat exaggerated on the part of the Arab World Institute, in Paris. But that impression fades as soon as you step inside. What we think we know about her is either uncertain or far too simplistic.

Take, for example, our opening statement, which needs to be revisited point by point. Cleopatra VII was born around 69 BCE, probably in Alexandria, the daughter of King Ptolemy XII and a mother whose identity remains unclear – she may have been Egyptian or Greek-Macedonian. The Ptolemaic dynasty, also known as the "Lagid dynasty" originated from northern Greece. It was established by the first of the line after the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BCE, when Egypt was granted to him as a kingdom. The Lagids ruled Egypt until Cleopatra's death.

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