The Feminine-Masculine Dualism In Ancient Egyptian Religion And The Image Construction Of Cleopatra Ⅶ

The accumulating evidences show that Cleopatraâ…¦, the last queen of Egypt, instead of being a "Meretrix Regina", was a talented ruler full of political astuteness. In order to strengthen her authority as a ruler, she launched an elaborate project on constructing and promoting her own image. The feminine-masculine dualism in Egyptian religion, which solidifies the position of the queens in the kingship and grants them the opportunity to poke their noses into political activities, is the fundamental basis of Egyptian royal ideology. Cleopatra, like her predecessors, also made the religious dualism as the basis for building her self-image. By employing flexible methods, she created multiple images of herself with an aim of fulfilling different political purposes.