“Would That We Were All Philomators!”
Photograph by John Diamond, M.D.
There were seven Cleopatras, the last one – the one of our fantasies – was Cleopatra VII, the last queen of Egypt.[1] The name is Macedonian meaning “Famous in her Father.”
Our Cleopatra went further, calling herself “Thea Philopator, Father-Loving Goddess.”
Would that we could each call ourselves as well – and more basically – Philomator. That we could all be Cleomatras.
[1] For her family tree, see Joyce Tyldesley, Cleopatra (New York: Basic Books, 2008).
