“Cleopatra for sure. But not for the reasons people generally think. It’s important to keep in mind that a lot of what we’ve heard in media about Cleopatra being a seductress and all that is based on how much Rome HATED her and the sexism that’s tied into that.
She was extremely smart and calculating and was able to speak 7–9 different languages. She’s the only ruler from the Ptolemaic dynasty who actually bothered to learn Egyptian. And while yes she did have relations with Caesar and Mark Antony, it certainly wasn’t just out of being some impulsive, overtly sexual person.
Augustus viewed her as a huge threat to Rome, which is why he ultimately attacked her and Mark Antony and long after that spread rumors about her to downplay her significance and power.”
