egypt – Page 2 – Stephanie Dray

Snake Charming, Serpent Symbolism & Slithery Politics in the Ancient World

January 10, 2012

The heroine of my novels, Cleopatra Selene, is the daughter of the much more famous Cleopatra VII of Egypt, the notorious Queen of the Nile who is best known for having committed suicide by way of clutching a venomous Continue reading →

alexander the great, asclepius, caduceus, cleopatra, cleopatra selene, cobra, cobra-goddess, egypt, greek god, guadian, hermes, immortality, jadjet, judaic, judeo-christian, julius caesar, meretseger, north africa, ptolemy caesarion, queen of the nile, snake, snake charming, snake skin, suicide, temptation, the bible, uraeus, venemous serpent, zeus

How Rain, Grain & Cleopatra’s Daughter fed the Roman Empire

November 2, 2011

For much of its history, Rome depended upon Egypt for grain. While the Romans considered themselves an agricultural nation, and paid great homage to farming in literature, poetry, and art, the simple truth was that they couldn’t feed themselves.

By Continue reading →

africa nova, alexander the great, algeria, augustus caesar, berber, cleopatra, cleopatra selene, cleopatra vii of egypt, cleopatra's daughter, colonial power, egypt, garamantes, goddess, goddess worship, grain, harmonia, hellenism, hellenistic, iseum, isis, juba, julius caesar, marcus antonius, mark antony, mauretania, morocco, mother goddess, nile river, nomads, north africa, numidia, octavia, paul erdkamp, plantations, rain, roman veterans, romanized king, rome, sailing season, tacfarinas, the grain market in the roman empire, the last ptolemaic queen, tunisia

Parallels between Joseph’s Story and Egyptian Mythology

October 3, 2011

Today, I welcome fellow historical fiction author Anna Patricio to talk to us about a period of Egyptian history I don’t know as well as I’d like to. Anna is a fellow lover of ancient history, with a particular interest Continue reading →

anna patricio, anubis, asenath, bata, biblical history, egypt, egyptian mythology, exodus, isis, israelites, joseph, midrashic stories, moses, nile, osiris, pharaoh, rabbinical story

The Mystery of Monuments…

July 12, 2011

Augustus Caesar’s most lasting monument is the Ara Pacis, a monument to peace. It’s a splendid work of propaganda, and one could spend a lifetime unraveling all its hidden symbols and meanings. After having defeated Cleopatra and Mark Antony, Continue reading →

antonia major, antonia minor, ara pacis, augustus, berbers, ceres, cleopatra, cleopatra vii, cyrene, egypt, garamantes, gaul, golden age, juba ii, mauretania, numidia, octavia, parthia, pax, ptolemy of mauretania, rome, tellus, tellus panel, venus, virgil

Discovered: Roman Basilica built on ruins of Ptolemaic temple

July 7, 2011

It’s a good time to be an archeologist in Egypt, especially since satellites have been helping out. This latest find might not seem important, but is directly relevant to the time period that Cleopatra Selene lived in. According to this Continue reading →

Alexandria, ancient egypt, ancient rome, archeology, cleopatra selene, egypt, isis, juba ii, ptolemaic dynasty, serapis, strabo