Кој бил мајчиниот јазик на Клеопатра и Птоломеите?
Најверодостојниот извор за ова прашање е древниот историчар Плутарх, кој живеел кратко после Клеопатра, во првиот век и се смета за доверлив извор на тоа време. Тој пишува:
“Cleopatra observed in the jests of Antony much of the soldier and the common man, and adopted this manner also towards him, without restraint now, and boldly. [2] For her beauty, as we are told, was in itself not altogether incomparable, nor such as to strike those who saw her; but converse with her had an irresistible charm, and her presence, combined with the persuasiveness of her discourse and the character which was somehow diffused about her behaviour towards others, had something stimulating about it. [3] There was sweetness also in the tones of her voice; and her tongue, like an instrument of many strings, she could readily turn to whatever language she pleased, so that in her interviews with Barbarians she very seldom had need of an interpreter, but made her replies to most of them herself and unassisted, whether they were Ethiopians, Troglodytes, Hebrews, Arabians, Syrians, Medes or Parthians. [4] Nay, it is said that she knew the speech of many other peoples also, although the kings of Egypt before her had not even made an effort to learn the native language, and some actually gave up their Macedonian.”
Plutarch, “Antony”.
Египетската кралица Клеопатра била потомак од семејството на Александар Македонски. Имено, Александар го освоил Египатското царство и таму за намесник го поставил својот полубрат и генерал Птоломеј, кој ја зел титулата фараон. Клеопатра била негов 13ти потомок и последен владетел на Египет под македонско-египетската династија на Птоломеите.
