Cleopatra Lived Closer to the Moon Landing Than to the Pyramids
Cleopatra VII lived around 69-30 BCE, making her closer in time to the 1969 moon landing (2,038 years) than to the construction of the Great Pyramid (2,530 years earlier).
About this fact
This mind-bending fact illustrates just how ancient the Egyptian pyramids are. Cleopatra VII, the last pharaoh of Egypt, lived from approximately 69-30 BCE. The Great Pyramid of Giza was completed around 2560 BCE, making it about 2,530 years old by Cleopatra's time. In contrast, the Apollo 11 moon landing occurred in 1969 CE, which is only about 2,038 years after Cleopatra's death. This means Cleopatra was actually closer in time to Neil Armstrong walking on the moon than to the construction of the pyramids! The Great Pyramid was already an ancient monument when Cleopatra ruled Egypt, much like how Roman ruins are ancient to us today. This fact helps put the incredible longevity of Egyptian civilization into perspective - the pyramids were built during Egypt's Old Kingdom period, while Cleopatra ruled during the Ptolemaic period, with over 2,500 years of history between them.