Cleopatra in Warandepark, Brussels

myminifactory

This stunning marble bust in Warandepark Brussels Belgium was crafted by a skilled but anonymous artist yet is widely recognized as depicting the legendary Pharaoh Cleopatra who met her demise at the fangs of a viper after being defeated by the Romans and left her lifeless body exposed with the snake's head visible on her right breast. Cleopatra VII Philopator born 69 BC died August 12 30 BC was the last reigning pharaoh of Ptolemaic Egypt who outlived her son Caesarion as pharaoh. After her reign Egypt became a province of the newly formed Roman Empire. Cleopatra belonged to the Ptolemaic dynasty a family of Macedonian Greek descent that ruled Egypt following Alexander the Great's death during the Hellenistic period. The Ptolemies throughout their reign spoke only Greek and refused to speak Egyptian which is why both languages were used on official court documents such as the Rosetta Stone. In stark contrast Cleopatra took the initiative to learn Egyptian and presented herself as the reincarnation of the revered Egyptian goddess Isis. This exceptional object is part of "Scan The World" a non-profit project launched by MyMiniFactory that aims to create a digital library of fully 3D printable sculptures artworks and landmarks from around the globe for everyone's free access. Scan The World is an open-source community-driven effort where anyone can contribute interesting items from their surroundings by emailing stw@myminifactory.com to find out how they can participate.