Cleopatra was a member of the Ptolemaic dynasty a Greek family of Macedonian origin that ruled Egypt after Alexander the Great's death during the Hellenistic period The Ptolemies spoke Greek throughout their dynasty and refused to speak Egyptian which is the reason that Greek as well as Egyptian languages were used on official court documents such as the Rosetta Stone By contrast Cleopatra did learn to speak Egyptian[6] and represented herself as the reincarnation of the Egyptian goddess Isis
Cleopatra originally ruled jointly with her father Ptolemy XII Auletes and later with her brothers Ptolemy XIII and Ptolemy XIV whom she married as per Egyptian custom but eventually she became sole ruler As queen she consummated a liaison with Julius Caesar that solidified her grip on the throne. She later elevated Caesarion, her son with Caesar to co-ruler in name