Afro-centrists illustrate that Cleopatra - who ruled as Cleopatra VII, was black - largely basing their opinion on the fact that she was African and had an unknown grandmother - the unnamed concubine of her grandfather Ptolemy IX Soter II. However, the royal line that Cleopatra was born into was of Greek origin, and dated back to the life of her ancestor Ptolemy I Soter, a Macedonian general who had served under Alexander the Great, and became ruler of Egypt in 323 BC.
Cleopatra’s Parents
Cleopatra was born in Alexandria in 69 BC to Ptolemy XII Auletes, who ruled Egypt from 80 to 58 BC and then again from 55 to 51 BC. Her mother remains controversial, but Cleopatra was known to have referred to Ptolemy Alexander as her grandfather, and therefore Ptolemy XII’s wife, Cleopatra V Tryphaena is the likeliest candidate.
With reference to the family tree enclosed, intermarrying within Cleopatra’s family was so prevalent that she only had two ancestors alive 120 years before her birth. Her father Ptolemy XII Auletes was born illegitimate in 117 BC to Ptolemy IX Soter II and the unknown grandmother - but besides this, Cleopatra’s parents were completely related to each other.