CLEOPATRA, the regular name of the queens of Egypt, in the Ptolemaic dynasty after Cleopatra, daughter of the Seleucid Antiochus the Great, wife of Ptolemy V., Epiphanes. The best known was the daughter of Ptolemy XIII., Auletes, born 69 (or 68) B.C. At the age of 17 she became queen of Egypt jointly with her younger brother Ptolemy Dionysus, whose wife, in accordance with Egyptian custom, she was to become. A few years later, deprived of all royal authority, she withdrew into Syria, and pre pared to recover her rights by force of arms. At this juncture Julius Caesar followed Pompey into Egypt. The personal fasci nations of Cleopatra induced him to undertake a war on her behalf, in which Ptolemy lost his life, and she was replaced on the throne with a younger brother, of whom, however, she soon rid herself by poison. In Rome she lived openly with Caesar as his mistress, until his assassination, when, aware of her unpopularity, she returned to Egypt. Subsequently she became the ally and mistress of Mark Antony (see ANTONIUS). Their connection was highly unpopular at Rome, and Octavian (see AUGvSTUS) declared war upon them and defeated them at Actium (31 B.e.). Cleopatra escaped to Alexandria, where Antony joined her. Having no pros pect of ultimate success, she accepted Octavian's proposal that she should assassinate Antony, and enticed him to join her in a mausoleum which she had built in order that "they might die together." Antony committed suicide, in the mistaken belief that she had already done so. Octavian refused to yield to the charms of Cleopatra, who put an end to her life by applying an asp to her bosom, according to the common tradition, on Aug. 29, 30 B.C. With her ended the dynasty of the Ptolemies, and Egypt was made a Roman province. Cleopatra had three children by Antony, and by Julius Caesar, it is said, a son, Caesarion, who was put to death by Octavian.