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Cleopatra and Anthony
Tarsus was named after Julius Caesar for a short period. After his death, Mark Anthony became responsible for managing the eastern states of the empire and Tarsus became an administration center. Shortly after the year 41 B.C, the young regent emperor improved the city of Tarsus through a number of large developments. Immediately after the death of Julius Caesar, by the hand of Brutus and Cassius, Cleopatra 7th was implicated in the plot and thus invited to Tarsus for questioning.
The city of Tarsus became an important center in the eyes of the world the moment Cleopatra’s magnificent ship entered port. The real, but hidden, reason for the invitation was in order to increase the authority and strength of the eastern Mediterranean region for the empire, but fate would have it that from then on the city would be known as the place of love. The attractive Egyptian Queen and the young prince attempted to quench their desire by swimming in the cold Cydnos River; in this way they became the talk of the ancient world.
Between the years 41-37 B.C Tarsus became viewed as a center of romance and it is partially for this reason that the following years, until 30 B.C, were difficult. The only way that the city profited in that period was by a proclamation of Augustus during the battle of Actium. He rewarded the city for supporting him by making it an independent metropolis and appointed one of its own citizens, Athenadorus, as administrator.
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