In what year was Cleopatra VII born?

Cleopatra VII was born in 69 BC. She was born in Alexandria, the capital of the Ptolemaic Kingdom, to the reigning pharaoh Ptolemy XII Auletes. Ancient evidence does not preserve a precise birthday, and some modern references date her birth to late 70 BC or early 69 BC, but 69 BC is the standard year used by historians and general-reference works.

Cleopatra belonged to the Ptolemaic dynasty, a Macedonian Greek royal family that had ruled Egypt since the death of Alexander the Great. Although her dynasty was foreign in origin, Cleopatra embraced Egyptian kingship and became one of the few Ptolemies known to have learned the Egyptian language.

Her birth year is sometimes confused with her age at accession. Cleopatra became co-ruler of Egypt in 51 BC, when she was about 18 years old. She later ruled alongside several family members, including her younger brothers Ptolemy XIII and Ptolemy XIV, before becoming the kingdom's dominant monarch.