CLEOPATRA VII AND CAESAR'S NILE CRUISE IN THE CONTEXT OF POLITICAL STRATEGY

Öz

Cleopatra VII, who struggle for the throne with her brother Ptolemy XIII after the death of Ptolemy XII, went on a cruise on the Nile River with her Roman ally Caesar, with whom she had personal and political rapprochement, immediately after the Battle of Alexandria, which emerged as a civil war. The couple visited the settlements, mineral resources, quarries and trade centers in Upper Egypt and ended the cruise before reaching Aethiopia. The fact that the cruise, which is not mentioned in contemporary sources, is mentioned in the works of non-contemporary authors such as Suetonius, Appian, Athenaeus and Lucan has led to controversy, and this situation has brought along the views that defend/doubt that the cruise took place. The main focus of this study is the purpose, scope and political and strategic objectives, especially the discussions about the Nile cruise. The study, which evaluates archaeological data, literary sources and modern views together, reveals that the cruise, which we have no information about because it is not included in contemporary ancient sources, was a discovery journey with political goals rather than a romantic honeymoon trip, and that it included more than what is described in ancient sources.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Ancient Egypt
• Ptolemies
• Cleopatra VII
• Caesar
• Nile Cruise

SİYASİ STRATEJİ BAĞLAMINDA VII. KLEOPATRA VE CAESAR’IN NİL SEYAHATİ

Öz

XII. Ptolemaios öldükten sonra, erkek kardeşi XIII. Ptolemaios ile egemenlik mücadelesine giren VII. Kleopatra, bir iç savaş olarak ortaya çıkan İskenderiye Savaşı’nın hemen ardından şahsi ve siyasi yakınlaşma içinde olduğu Romalı müttefiki Caesar ile birlikte Nil Nehri üzerinde seyahate çıkmıştır. Yukarı Mısır’da bulunan yerleşimleri, maden yataklarını, taş ocaklarını ve ticaret merkezlerini ziyaret eden çift Aethiopia’ya ulaşmadan seyahati sonlandırmıştır. Çağdaş kaynaklarda bahsi geçmeyen seyahatin Suetonius, Appian, Athenaeus ve Lucan gibi çağdaş olmayan yazarların eserlerinde yer alması tartışmalara yol açmış, bu durum seyahatin gerçekleştiğini savunan/şüpheli bulan görüşleri beraberinde getirmiştir. Nil seyahati ile ilgili tartışmalar başta olmak üzere amacı, kapsamı ve siyasi ve stratejik hedefleri bu çalışmanın ana odağını oluşturmaktadır. Arkeolojik veriler, edebi kaynaklar ve modern görüşlerin bir arada değerlendirildiği çalışma, çağdaş antik kaynaklarda yer verilmediği için bilgi sahibi olamadığımız seyahatin romantik bir balayı seyahatinden ziyade siyasi hedefleri olan bir keşif seyahati olduğunu ve antik kaynaklarda anlatılanlardan fazlasını içerdiğini ortaya koymaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Antik Mısır
• Ptolemaioslar
• VII. Kleopatra
• Caesar
• Nil Seyahati

Kaynakça

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