The Last Pharaoh: Cleopatra and Rome

History · Ancient Egypt · ages 9-11

Name ______________________ Date ____________

Cleopatra VII was a Roman empress.
Circle one: True False
Pharaohs ruled Egypt for almost 3,000 years.
Circle one: True False
After Egypt became a Roman province, who ran the country?
- A Roman governor
- A new pharaoh
- Cleopatra herself
What happened to Egypt after Rome defeated Cleopatra?
- It became part of Greece
- It became part of the Roman Empire
- It stayed independent under a new pharaoh
Which of these happened first?
- Octavian defeating Cleopatra
- Egypt becoming a Roman province
- Pharaohs ruling Egypt
As soon as Rome took over, people in Egypt stopped speaking Egyptian.
Circle one: True False
Why did Cleopatra ally with Rome?
- To try to keep Egypt independent and protect her throne
- To hand Egypt over to Rome peacefully
- To help Rome conquer other countries
After 31 BCE, Egypt became a province of Rome. What is a province?
- A city with a temple
- One part of a bigger empire
- A country that rules itself
Octavian defeated Cleopatra in 31 BCE. The grain trader's story happens in 30 BCE. How many years passed between the two events?
Answer: ______________
A visitor walks through Egypt 200 years after Cleopatra's defeat. What would she most likely still see?
- Temples standing and people honoring the old Egyptian gods
- Empty land with no sign of Egyptian life
- A new pharaoh ruling Egypt again

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

False · Cleopatra VII was Egypt's pharaoh, not a Roman empress. She joined forces with Rome, but Egypt was the country she ruled.
True · The lesson opens with this: one pharaoh after another ruled Egypt for almost 3,000 years, all the way to Cleopatra VII.
A Roman governor · Egypt became a province run by a Roman governor. The time of pharaohs was over.
It became part of the Roman Empire · Egypt became a province, a part of the Roman Empire, governed by Rome.
Pharaohs ruling Egypt · Pharaohs ruled for almost 3,000 years before Cleopatra. Her defeat and Roman Egypt came at the very end of that long story.
False · Egyptian life carried on. People still spoke Egyptian and honored the old gods for centuries under Roman rule.
To try to keep Egypt independent and protect her throne · Cleopatra hoped an alliance with powerful Romans would help Egypt stay independent, but it did not work out that way.
One part of a bigger empire · A province is one part of a bigger empire. Egypt was no longer its own country; it belonged to the Roman Empire.
1 · BCE years count downward as time moves forward, so 30 BCE comes one year after 31 BCE.
Temples standing and people honoring the old Egyptian gods · Egyptian culture lasted for centuries under Roman rule. Temples stood and the old gods were honored long after Cleopatra.