How did Cleopatra achieve and maintain her power? Not much is known about her life since she lived so long ago, but what is known is enough to reconstruct part of her story. Cleopatra was a strong and intelligent woman who managed to overcome all the struggles and conflicts of the ancient world until they became too much for her. Cleopatra's reign began and ended with tragedy, but was maintained by exploited bonds of love. Cleopatra VII Philopator was born in 69 BC in Alexandria, Egypt. (“Cleopatra: The Woman…”) Her father was Ptolemy XII. His mother was speculated to be Cleopatra V Tryphaena, who was perhaps his father's half-sister. ("Cleopatra.") She had five siblings which included two older sisters, two younger brothers, and one younger sister. Both of his older sisters are suspected to have died before his rule. . ("Cleopatra: The Woman...")Cleopatra was the queen of Egypt, but she was of Greek-Macedonian origin. His family ruled from the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC (Watkins, Thayer H.). There is speculation as to whether or not he has African origins. The remains of what is believed to be Cleopatra's younger sister, Princess Arsinoe, have been found in Ephesus, Turkey. DNA tests showed that the remains of the person found had partly African origins. It is unclear whether or not Cleopatra had African ancestry as her mother was described as a "woman of significant status". (“Cleopatra had Africanus…”) In 51 BC, Cleopatra had to marry her younger brother, Ptolemy XIII, and rule Egypt after her father's death of natural causes. Cleopatra was eighteen years old at the time. There is debate about what age his brother was. Some say he was ten years old, others say he was twelve. ("Cleo...... middle of paper...... 2014. .6. Haughton, Brian. "Cleopatra and Antony (article) -- Encyclopedia of Ancient History."www.ancient.eu.com 2011 . Encyclopedia of Ancient History. 27 January 2014..7. Lewis, Jone Johnson 2014. About.com 03 February 2014.8. 2010. Oxford University Blog. 27 January 2014..9 Watkins, Thayer H. "The Chronology of Cleopatra's Life" 27 January 2014.