The image of Cleopatra VII Philopator, often a cause of controversy and debate, has long been of particular interest among collectors of classical antiquities and academics. Starting from the controversial identification of the Capitoline Cleopatra and critical reading of the iconographic and literary documentation available, the author discusses iconographic and methodological issues and offers new interpretations and identifications of royal female statuary in Egyptian style. This volume offers a wide panorama of the Lagid figurative culture (Egyptian and Greek) and includes a catalogue of the monuments. The author's Egyptological and semiotic analysis of the sardonyx agate phiale, better known as the “Farnese Cup”, reveals what may be considered the most evident and effective result of the concept of 'bilingual' expression through iconography. The historical, cultural, political and religious aspects of the Ptolemaic dynasty are discussed, and special attention is given to the religious politics of the Lagid sovereigns in Egyptian territory and particularly to the deification of the Ptolemaic queens.

AUTHOR
Silvio Strano has studied, taught and carried out research work for several Italian, German and Spanish Universities. He holds a European PhD (Doctor Europaeus) in Egyptology from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, and has degrees in Philology from the University of Messina, and Egyptology and Classical Archaeology from Roma Tre University, and majored in Oriental Archaeology (Egyptological studies) at the Sapienza - University in Rome. Employed as an archaeologist (Egyptologist) at the Central Archaeological Council in Calabria (from 2008 to 2011), he taught at the Ingolstadt University of Applied Sciences in Germany, and was a researcher at the Department of Historical, Legal, Economic and Social Sciences of the Ancient World (Chair of Epigraphy and Legal Papirology in the School of Higher Studies in Architecture and Archaeology of the 'Città Classica'), of the 'Mediterranea' University in Reggio Calabria. Author of numerous scientific papers, his research work has focused mainly on the study of Ptolemaic Egypt. At present he is collaborating with the chair of Egyptology at the "Institut d'Edstudis del Pròxim Orient Antic" of the Universitàt Autònoma in Barcelona, Spain. He is a member of the International Association of Egyptologists.