1. Cleopatra Was Probably No Elizabeth Taylor in the Looks Department

Sadly for Cleopatra, she probably didn’t match her famed portrayer in the looks department. Archaeologists uncovered a coin bearing her face, on which she looks pretty plain, but ancient accounts differ. Roman historian Cassius Dio claimed “she was a woman of surpassing beauty, and at that time, when she was in the prime of her youth, she was most striking.” Plutarch alleged that her intelligence, charm, and voice were more alluring than her physical appearance, though neither of these accounts were contemporary. But the academic consensus today is that her political brilliance and alluring manner were her real attractions.