Meet Antony and Cleopatra (Burton and Taylor they certainly aren't)

Published on Wednesday 14 February 2007 00:08

ANTONY and Cleopatra - one of history's most romantic couples - were not the great beauties that Hollywood would have us believe, academics have revealed.

A study of a 2,000-year-old silver coin found the Egyptian queen, famously portrayed by a sultry Elizabeth Taylor in the 1963 film, had a shallow forehead, pointed chin, thin lips and sharp nose.

Its other side shows that her Roman lover, played in the movie by Richard Burton, Taylor's handsome husband at the time, had in reality bulging eyes, a hook nose and a thick neck.

History has depicted Cleopatra as a great beauty, befitting a woman who, as queen of Egypt, seduced Julius Caesar and then his rival, Mark Antony. But the coin, which goes on show today at Newcastle University for Valentine's Day after years lying in a bank, is much less flattering about both famous faces.

The size of a modern 5p piece, the 32BC artefact was in a collection belonging to the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne, which is being researched in preparation for the new Great North Museum.

Clare Pickersgill, the university's assistant director of archaeological museums, said: "The popular image we have of Cleopatra is that of a beautiful queen who was adored by Roman politicians and generals. The relationship between Mark Antony and Cleopatra has long been romanticised by writers, artists and film-makers.

"Shakespeare wrote his tragedy Antony and Cleopatra in 1608, while the Orientalist artists of the 19th century and the modern Hollywood depictions, such as that of Taylor and Burton, have added to the idea that Cleopatra was a great beauty. Recent research would seem to disagree with this portrayal, however."

Lindsay Allason-Jones, the university's director of archaeological museums, said: "The image on the coin is far from being that of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.

"Roman writers tell us Cleopatra was intelligent and charismatic, and that she had a seductive voice, but, tellingly, they do not mention her beauty. The image of Cleopatra as a beautiful seductress is a more recent image."

The silver denarius coin would have been issued by the mint of Mark Antony. On one side is the head of Antony, bearing the caption "Antoni Armenia devicta", meaning "For Antony, Armenia having been vanquished".

Cleopatra appears on the reverse, with the inscription "Cleopatra Reginae regum filiorumque regum", meaning "For Cleopatra, queen of kings and of the children of kings", or possibly "queen of kings and of her children who are kings".

The coin itself is not particularly rare, but is very collectable. The collection has been owned by the city's Society of Antiquaries since the 1920s.

The university hopes more forgotten treasures will come to light before the Great North Museum opens in 2009.