What did Cleopatra Look Like? Facial Reconstructions Revealed, with History.

I'm an artist that uses photoshop to bring old images and statues into the modern day. Let’s talk about Cleopatra, one of the most enigmatic figures of ancient history. She was the first Ptolemaic ruler of Egypt to even speak the Egyptian language, and she routinely outwitted her foes. She seduced two powerful Romans. But what did she look like? What did she do? What ethnicity was Cleopatra? Let’s talk the history & appearance of Cleopatra, now.

Narration & Art: Becca Segovia
Writing, Editing & Music Direction: Andre Segovia

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This video creation and final image are ©Royalty Now.

Sources and Further Reading

0:00 Introduction
0:50 What Do We Know About Cleopatra?
2:03 Historical Sources for her Appearance
4:23 What We Don't Know - Cleo's Ethnic Background
7:08 Her Hair & Eye Color
7:25 Statue Recreation Reveals
7:52 Was Cleopatra a Redhead?
8:22 Redhead Recreation Reveal
8:47 Conclusion

[christinageorge]

Finding this after the Netflix issue is so fascinating and i just love the reasoning behind every decision you took when making this. As an Egyptian I thank you for respecting history

[oberstul]

So this was clearly ignored by Netflix.

[Alexrider]

The red-haired one looks more natural to me than the brown-haired version. Like it fits her facial features better. I loved the AI animation of her at the end. What an absolute treat to be able to actually SEE what these people may have looked like through the eyes of their contemporaries.

[alexa.esca]

I would have loved to actually see what she actually looked like back then. Like take a literal time machine and go back to Ancient Egypt and watch her story play out in front of me like a movie. She’s beautiful in this depiction. Nice video. Thank you! She’s one of my favorite historical figures.

[kateginger]

I'm a Greek living in Greece all my life, and you made her look like someone I could've known. She looks super familiar to me, honestly maybe even too Greek lol. Myself, I have green eyes and light brown hair, and I'm happy you mentioned that not all of us have dark hair and eyes. Thank you for explaining the historical aspects as well, and not just show us the pictures.

[shiteetah]

I can’t wait for someone to make series portraying Julius Caesar as historically being Zulu.

[DFilthySmurf]

If she looked even remotely like what you deduced, I can totally see why men in power were willing to throw it all away for her. Your depictions of her are absolutely amazing...When the very first one showed, I was just like..."WOW!"

[AdrianneCurrytv]

i got chills with her. she extended the Egyptian empire far beyond its expiration date. she was a brilliant mind...and one of the most famous women in history

[thejohnjosh]

A 9 minute video that tells more about Cleopatra than a whole Netflix series' reimagining of Cleopatra's life

[andrewshaughnessy]

Alexander and Cleopatra having reddish hair is no surprise, as it was/is a common Macedonian trait. I love your final reconstruction, especially the smile at the end!

[michaelcramer]

I have seen a lot of reconstructions of Cleo as historians try to reconcile the written descriptions of her with the art that is available. I think yours was probably the best reconstruction I have seen. She feels beautiful and seductive while still resembling the bust.

[classicalmusic]

It's certainly more accurate than the Netflix depiction of her as a black African queen... I thank you for caring about history and not falsifying it for the sake of modern identity politics.

[rightpa]

But... someone's grandma told them that Cleopatra was black and it didn't matter what anyone told them. This is so confusing.

[DanKaraJordan]

Spoke several languages is a massive understatement. According to Plutarch, she was fluent in more than 9 languages at a time when other Egyptian leaders could not even be bothered to learn Egyptian.

[gregjohnson]

Thanks for going into such detail in a short video clip, I would have assumed that she had dark hair and brown eyes from the Egyptian aspect, but the reddish brown was fascinating and the last example where you brought her to life was totally captivating.

[thecalicocat]

I learn more in under ten minutes from a YouTuber that a four hour documentary from Netflix

[boomoomoo]

to me as a Persian, she looks like an average Persian woman. Also I've seen many Egyptians with same features too so it shouldn't have been hard for netflix to choose someone who would represent her perfectly knowing that there are amazing Greek/Egyptian/Persian actresses out there to choose...WHY NETFLIX, WHY?

[Shiyounin]

Red-haired Cleopatra stopped my heart. There would be no turning away from her in real life, especially to hear her voice and laugh. I absolutely 100% understand all the hype now. Thank you for making this.

[wplains]

She certainy wasn’t a sub Saharan African black woman, right Netflix ?

[virgilasevedo]

Way more faithful to history than Netflix! Great work!