💬 Much of the myth of Cleopatra was crafted by her during her lifetime. An intentional process to shape how the citizens of Egypt - and the world - saw her. But without social media, how did great rulers of the ancient world fashion their own brand?

Cleopatra was unusually good at shaping her own image - and the brand she built has endured for over 2,000 years. But who was the woman behind the myth?

⚡ That’s the Cleopatra Natasha Solomons explores in her new book, where she reimagines the life of this ancient queen.

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🎧 Stay tuned to learn about:

➡ Why Natasha wanted to detangle Cleopatra’s story from the men in her life

➡ How Cleopatra understood sex as power - and leant into the story of politics

➡ Why she chose to make her nose look big on coins

➡ How she dressed as Isis to portray the image of her as a goddess

➡ What Alexandria and its Great Library might have felt like in ancient times

➡ What it takes to fictionalise and reimagine parts of such a famous story

Buy Natasha’s book: https://amzn.eu/d/02eG3udG

About the podcast:

What We Did Before is a podcast exploring the history of everyday life, from how we kept food fresh before fridges, to how we survived without shoes and what came before AI.

About your host:

Ollie Guillou is an award-winning podcast producer and broadcaster. He's co-founder of OG Podcasts, working with the likes of New Scientist, Dr Karan and Lessons From Our Mothers.

Connect with Ollie:

Website: www.ogpodcasts.co.uk

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollie-guillou

Email: hello@ogpodcasts.co.uk