Cleopatra may be the most famous ancient monarch, but she is only one in a long line of Egyptian queens, spanning 3,000 years of history.

Over three thousand years ago, the Egyptian queen Tiye became a goddess on Earth. She also inspired a religious revolution that threw Egypt into turmoil. Tiye may have blazed a trail for the world’s leading religions – and the belief that there is only one true god.

Queen Tiye

Cleopatra II, namesake of the great Cleopatra VII, had an even more shocking reign. Hers is a dramatic tale of incest, murder, rape and mutilation. Cleopatra II wielded great power and would do anything to keep it. She saw her dynasty torn apart by hatred—but she also saved it from destruction.

The Other Cleopatra

Cleopatra Selene, daughter of Cleopatra the Great and Mark Antony, saw her dynasty collapse amid her parents’ defeat and suicide. Taken to Rome as a prisoner, all looked lost for Selene. But she rose from the embers to marry the African king Juba II and become one of the continent’s greatest queens.