With reference to both ancient and modern sources, assess the impact of Cleopatra VII on the Egyptian and Roman worlds

The story of Cleopatra and the events that occurred during her rule has changed over the years due to different interpretations of historians, poets or artists, each affected by their personal, temporal or historiographical context. Most of the ancient writers are Roman, such as Horace, Virgil or Lucan, and there are few sources from her contemporaries. These writers were hostile, although Plutarch was fairer to her memory; while modern interpretations ranged from a continuation of …

…Cleopatra became the catalyst for the Hellenistic shift to Roman, as she represented the fall of Hellenistic East, not just Egypt. Because different historians have presented her in different ways, and most of the sources that have been left are pro-Roman, we can only catch a glimpse of her significant career, but even writers opposed to Cleopatra cannot deny that she played a vital role in shaping the future of both societies and its people.