Women in History 1: Ancient Queens

The Queen of Sheba, known as Balkis, reined in the 10th century BC. She was the celebrated queen who met King Solomon of Israel. She traveled to Jerusalem to learn what she could of Solomon’s legendary wisdom. She arrived with a great retinue: camels bearing spices, gold and precious stones. Balkis was one the earliest rulers of Sheba, a land located in southwestern Arabia. It was one the region’s more powerful states until the 2nd century BC and profited greatly from trade routes to Palestine.

Semiramis lived around 800 BC. After her husband’s death, King Shamshi-Adad V, the Assyrian queen ruled as regent for her son from 811-807 BC. Semiramis defeated the Medes and Chaldeans in war and imported some elements of the Babylonian religion. and legend attributes the building of Babylon to her. It also holds that she ordered the execution of lovers who failed to please her.

Salome Alexandra was married to two successive kings of Judea. She became ruler herself in 76 BC, following the death of her husband. She carried on the rule of Maccabees or Hasmoneans, a family of leaders instrumental in winning freedom for the Jews. During her reign she played a pivotal role in the battle between the Jewish sects, supporting the Pharisees in their bitter dispute with the Sadducees. Her intervention helped the Pharisees expel their rivals from position of religious and political influences. The Pharisees are credited as the originators of rabinic Judaism. They believed every aspect of life should be governed according to divine law.

Cleopatra ascended the Egyptian throne as co ruler with her brother Ptolemy XIII in 51 BC. Cleopatra struggled with him for two years before he usurped her power. Another two years passed before Julius Caesar came to her aid and vanquished Ptolemy. She then left the government in the hands of her younger brother. Cleopatra moved to Rome as Caesar’s mistress. He was soon assassinated, and she returned to Egypt and murdered her brother. She made her son, Cesarian, her co-ruler.

In 42 BC Cleopatra began her famed love affair with Antony. After a few years he returned to Rome and married the sister of Octavian. Cleopatra reunited with him in 36 BC while he led a military campaign against the Parthians. he divorced his wife and married Cleopatra.

They lived together in Egypt until Octavian declared war. Cleopatra joined Antony in battle. She stood by him until his naval engagement at Actium in 31 BC. They soon fled to Alexandria. There, Antony killed himself after hearing a rumor of Cleopatra’s death. She soon did the same by allowing an asp to bite her. Octavian executed Cesarian and made Egypt a province of Rome.