Cleopatra: The GREEK Queen of Egypt. Did you know Cleopatra VII—one of history’s most famous rulers—was actually Greek? She was a direct descendant of Ptolemy I, a general of Alexander the Great, who founded the Greek Ptolemaic dynasty in Egypt. Unlike the pharaohs before her, Cleopatra fully embraced her Hellenic heritage. What made her extraordinary? She was the first Ptolemaic ruler to learn and speak Egyptian, unlike her ancestors, who spoke only Greek. She was a polyglot, reportedly speakin