While the main plot of the book is fictionalized, the author does a good job of situating the fictionalized aspects within wider themes of Ptolemaic Alexandria and highlighting some key motifs of Egyptomania. Rather than reproducing 19th- and 20th-century Orientalist tropes, such as hypersexualization, mysticism, or pyramid-centric spectacle, the series reframes Egypt through political realism, administrative complexity, and Mediterranean geopolitics.
Throughout the book, Alexandria is highlighted as the wealthy center of learning that it was at the time. The rocky relationship between Egypt and Rome is also hinted at. Alexandria is depicted not simply as an exotic backdrop for a murder mystery but as a functioning capital, intellectually associated with the Library of Alexandria, and embedded within Roman civil war politics. Regular references are made to the events of the Alexandrian War, Caesar’s exploits in Egypt, Rome’s dependance on Egyptian grain, and Cleopatra’s efforts to set Egypt as a friend/client, but not vassal, of Rome.
A common popular theme is also highlighted, that there were ethnic rivalries between Greeks and Egyptians within Alexandria. The author regularly has the characters note the tension between the Greek and native Egyptian facets of the population. The idea of ethnic tensions in Alexandria is one that has been thoroughly explored in scholarship on the Ptolemaic period and Hellenistic world in general; although, some scholars now challenge whether these were entrenched ethnic tension or primarily an expression of socio-political concerns.
Of the Ptolemies themselves two main aspects stand out. First are the references to the difficult Ptolemaic family dynamics of the period. The author does a good job highlighting the situation left in Egypt by Auletes (debt, increased relations with Rome, many competing children) and the strife between his children without delving into intricate descriptions of Ptolemaic genealogy. She keeps the prose light, as benefits a fictionalized novel, while still hinting at the realities of the period. Second, the author depicts Cleopatra VII as a strong and intelligent queen, skilled in languages and politics. The series clearly counters the Roman and later dramatic tradition (e.g., Roman propaganda → Shakespeare → Hollywood) that eroticizes and/or vilifies Cleopatra. Here, she is presented as a geopolitical strategist, rather than simply a seductress, as she is shown in many previous pop culture depictions. For instance, Cleopatra’s relationship with Julius Caesar is depicted as a smart political step on Cleopatra’s part, rather than her being a lovesick, overawed girl or a promiscuous, scheming woman.
In general, one final Egyptomania theme that must be highlighted, and which is present in all the books of the series, is utilizing ancient Egypt as a backdrop for mystery/detective fiction. In contemporary popular culture, Egypt is seen as a site of intrigue, secret knowledge, conspiracies, hidden tombs, coded texts, etc. So, a modern Egyptomania phenomenon is seen in the ease with which detective plots are set in Egypt, due to audiences’ belief that Egypt is inherently a space of mysticism and intrigue.

Author: Tara Sewell-Lasater