It may surprise many people to learn that Cleopatra, the last active ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt, lived closer in time to the first moon landing than to the construction of the Great Pyramid of Giza. Cleopatra reigned from 51 to 30 BCE, while the Great Pyramid of Giza was completed around 2,500 BCE. This means that Cleopatra lived approximately 2,500 years after the pyramid’s completion but only about 2,000 years before the historic moon landing in 1969. This timeline helps to put into perspective the age of the ancient Egyptian civilization and how much history has passed since the time of the pharaohs.

The Age of the Great Pyramid and Cleopatra’s Time

The Great Pyramid of Giza, built by Pharaoh Khufu, is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and has stood for thousands of years. While it was already an ancient monument by Cleopatra’s time, it had been in existence for more than two millennia when she ruled Egypt. Cleopatra’s era marked the final phase of ancient Egyptian civilization before it was incorporated into the Roman Empire. The vast difference in time between the building of the pyramid and Cleopatra’s reign serves as a reminder of just how long Egypt’s monumental history spans, stretching far beyond the life of its most famous queen. Shutdown123