In 41bce, the Queen of Egypt Queen Cleopatra VII arrived at the harbor of Tarsus. This was the capital of the new Roman authority in the eastern provinca’s of the Roman Empire. As history has documented it so very well this ruler was Marcus Antonius (Mark Antony). Antony had summoned Queen Cleopatra to the city of Tarsus and upon her arrived she was suppose to request an audience with the Marc Antony.

Aegypt was a client kingdom of Roma and therefore part of Antony’s Eastern Roman Empire. As a client kingdom, Roman Laws was to supercede all client kingdom’s laws in the Roman provincia’s.
As such Cleopatra had been warned by noble’s of other eastern client kingdoms before leaving Egypt, that she was to be arrested once she stepped foot on Roman controlled soil; namely Tarsus where she was summoned to, by Antony to explain her conduct and be punished for said conduct.

Queen Cleopatra was informed that Antony loved pleasure, luxury and power and so as not to be punished for the crime that she was charged with, Cleopatra decided to play an elaborate diplomatic game. Instead of having Antony arrive on Egyptian shores with legions of Roma bend on Egypt’s destruction.
Cleopatra decided to host extravagant banquets upon her barge inviting the noble’s and of course Antony and Caesar’s supporters. These banquets were offered almost every night upon her arrival in Tarsus harbor aboard her barge.
Cleopatra would entertain Antony and his officers at banquets almost nightly; one night Cleopatra while hosting a dinner for her Roman allies, noble’s of eastern kingdoms and soon to be lover Mark Antony made a statement that she could give Antony and those that attended the dinner the next night, the most expensive meal ever prepared in all times throughout the known world.
In fact, Queen Cleopatra was so certain that she made a wager with Antony:

”That if he, Antony won he would gain more power and wealth, than he could dream of, it is said that Antony now had fell under Cleopatra’s enchantment and into her trap and was willing to take the wager.” “For Antony had attended almost all of her pervious banquets and believed there was no way that Cleopatra could surpass any of her previous banquets.”

“Cleopatra simply told Antony that the banquet was not finished yet and upon saying this smiled, then gave a signal to one of her handmaiden’s the slave stepped forward with a golden tray.” “Upon this tray the Queen had placed two golden goblets, a container full of wine vinegar, a mortar and pestle.
Cleopatra was again wearing her favorite pearl earrings, she then removed one of her legendary pearl earrings and placed this magnificent pearl earring in the mortar and using the pestle crushed the pearl into powder.” “Cleopatra then without a moment of hesitation poured the powdered pearl into one goblet, poured the wine vinegar over the pearl and drank it down to the surprise and wonderment of all her guests present at evenings banquet.”