We tend to think of "women's liberation" and feminism as a late twentieth century phenomenon, but even in the ancient world there were a few women who carved out significant roles for themselves, and the status of women varied considerably from one civilization to another. Marriage and offspring were always considered desirable, but in some societies wives were simply domestic servants and offspring acquired importance only when they grew up or if they were of the male sex. Fortunately, in Egypt, love and emotional support were considered to be important parts of marriage. Egyptians loved children as people and not just as potential workers and care-takers. Similar to Egyptian women, Celtic women and girls were distinct in the ancient world for the liberty and rights they enjoyed and the position they held in society. Compared to their counterparts in Greek, Roman and other ancient societies, they were allowed much freedom of activity and protection under the law. On the contrary, in Ancient China, girls were brought up to be quiet and obedient to their fathers and brothers while sons were considered an honour to a Chinese family. Fu Xuan, an Ancient Chinese poet expresses in her poem A Girl's Upbringing, "How sad it is to be a woman - Nothing else is held so cheap- (Eshuys et al, 1984:p The comparisons between Egyptian women and Celtic women form the basis of the argument that Cleopatra's position in power was significant but not one of a kind. .
When comparing Cleopatra with other women in dominant positions, it is easy to find many parallels between her and other western women such as Hatshepsut, Nefertari and Boudicca. Then again, it is almost impossible to find any similarities between Cleopatra and an eastern empress such as Lu Bang. Cleopatra came to power in Egypt at the age of 17 and reigned as queen from 51 B.C. - 30 B.C. As a Ptolemy, Cleopatra was Macedonian, but even though her ancestry was Macedonian, she was still considered an Egyptian and reigned as an Egyptian queen.