History is filled with stories of a thousand conquerors. Kings and queens with enough treasures to span centuries and legacies sung from generation to generation. But few have a legacy as iconic and mysterious as Cleopatra VII — Queen, temptress, strategist.
Though her life and death have been well-documented with paintings, books, and movies made in an attempt to tell her story, much of Cleopatra’s tale remains shrouded in mystery and controversy. A major contributor to this enigma is the fact that Cleopatra’s last resting place remains undiscovered and may never be.
Or so we thought.
A recent archaeological discovery by Dr. Kathleen Martinez, criminal lawyer turned archaeologist, might be the answer to the question that has plagued historians, scientists, and scholars for decades, “Where is the last pharaoh of Egypt buried?” However, this fortunate discovery may not only uncover one interred royalty, but it might also unearth two.
According to Plutarch, the ancient Greek historian who authored a biography of Cleopatra’s husband, the Roman general Mark Antony, both Antony and Cleopatra are believed to be buried inside Cleopatra’s mausoleum. Plutarch writes that Antony impaled himself on his sword after receiving false reports that Octavian, Caesar’s great-nephew, and his Roman forces had invaded Egypt and killed Cleopatra, his lover. Antony died in Cleopatra’s arms and was buried in her mausoleum.
However, Cleopatra took her life in the same mausoleum two weeks later, not wanting to live in captivity and willing to join her dead lover.
There are numerous speculations as to the death of this mighty Queen. Was it suicide or murder? Was she bitten by an asp or downed by her poison, cleverly hidden in a hairpin?
What happened to Cleopatra VII?
Dr. Kathleen’s discovery may yet shed more light.
A Long-winded Search for A Lost Tomb
For decades, scientists and archaeologists have argued about the exact location of Cleopatra’s famed mausoleum. Many thought her tomb was in Alexandria, her hometown, where she spent most of her time in Egypt. Unfortunately, earthquakes, tidal waves, and rising sea levels have pounded the coastlines of the great city, and a big part of it is submerged 20 feet underwater.
So for a good while (1200 years ), the world thought Alexandria was forever lost to the Mediterranean.
In 1992, Franck Goddio, a French explorer, led the European Institute of Underwater Archaeology in excavating ancient Alexandria. Their search uncovered a wealth of historical objects: magnificent granite sphinxes, massive limestone blocks, and towering columns.
However, Cleopatra’s tomb remained hidden. She was not there.
Following the “unsuccessful” attempts to find Cleopatra’s tomb in underwater Alexandria, archeologists theorized that Cleopatra may have given instructions to be laid in another city a few miles away from Alexandria. The sacred city of Taposiris Magna.
Taposiris Magna: Dr. Martinez's Geometric Discovery
While excavations continued in Alexandria and the science world marveled at the discoveries there, an archaeologist from the University of Santo Domingo by the name of Kathleen Martinez was already on a mission of her own.
The goal? To find Cleopatra.
Martinez has been on the search for Cleopatra’s missing tomb for almost 20 years, and she may have made a groundbreaking discovery.
The Egyptian Ministry for Tourism and Antiquities revealed in a Facebook Statement that Martinez and her dig team had discovered a 1,305-meter (4,281-foot) tunnel, 13 meters (43 feet) underground while digging for artifacts in the city of Taposiris Magna.
In a talk with CNN, Martinez further disclosed that “The excavation revealed a huge religious center with three sanctuaries, a sacred lake, more than 1,500 objects, busts, statues, golden pieces, a huge collection of coins portraying Alexander the Great, Queen Cleopatra, and the Ptolemies,”
The tunnels reportedly lead to the Mediterranean Sea, and maybe the path to the long-lost tomb of Cleopatra VII.
Several factors informed Martinez’s decision to explore Taposiris, besides the rumors that Cleopatra may have desired a more sacred burial place. Chief among them was the name itself. Taposiris Magna, now known as Abu Sir, was called Per Usiri by the ancient Egyptians, meaning “Dwelling of Osiris.” The name is derived from the temple built in honor of Osiris at the site, which is also believed to be where Isis found parts of Osiris’ body after his brutal dismemberment by Seth. According to scholars and historians, Cleopatra was considered the human incarnation of the goddess Isis, and Antony, her lover, was Osiris.
Therefore, it is fitting for them to be buried in the temple dedicated to Osiris, Isis’ husband.
Subsequently, in 2004, Martinez presented her suspicions to Zahi Hawass, an Egyptian archaeologist and then Egypt’s minister for antiquities. And a year later, with Zahi’s help, her project was approved.
Other clues which influenced Martinez’s choice include a series of unique finds that point to Cleopatra’s presence in Taposiris. They include; a Cleopatra bust, coins bearing her image, amulets, a headless statue from Cleopatra’s reign, and a mask showing a man with a cleft chin, whom some believe is Mark Antony.
And now we have the tunnel.
Described as a “geometric miracle’ by the Egyptian Ministry for Tourism and Antiquities, the tunnel is a replica of the Eupalinos Tunnel on the Greek island of Samos, considered one of the most significant engineering achievements of ages past and which served as an aqueduct for over 1,000 years.
The next stage of her archaeological mission will involve underwater excavations to investigate the submerged parts of the tunnel and find the final resting place of the great Egyptian Queen.
Although Martinez is quite hopeful that the tunnels lead to Cleopatra, it may be a premature celebration, just like it was two years ago.
Another False Cleopatra?
In 2020, The Guardian reported the discovery of two mummies (male and female) by Martinez’s team at the Taposiris dig site. It described them as “high-status individuals who lived at the time of Cleopatra” and quoted Dr. Glenn Godenho’s claim that they were “…important members of society.”
Dr. Glenn Godenho is a senior lecturer in Egyptology at Liverpool University and was the presenter for the Channel 5 documentary, The Hunt for Cleopatra’s Tomb.
The news about the breakthrough spread like wildfire, and pretty soon, people speculated that they were the mummies of Antony and Cleopatra.
Although archaeologists disproved it almost immediately, and the mummies later “identified” as possible priests, there is still much uncertainty as to the true nature of the water-damaged bodies. A major reason behind the debunking was that the tombs were nondescript and unadorned, unbefitting of royalty. However, Cleopatra didn’t die in normal conditions. In fact, given that Cleopatra was a Roman prisoner at the time of her death, it’s most likely that she received a simple funeral in a stark tomb.
Cleopatra’s Tomb May Rewrite History
The tunnel at Taposiris Magna is remarkable and will be more so when it leads us to Cleopatra’s tomb. Think about how much new knowledge historians and archaeologists could learn from the contents of the grave. Imagine the centuries of wrong it could undo for this legendary Queen.
Egyptians loved Cleopatra. And although Greek and Roman literature paints her as the devil herself, reliefs and sculptures erected in her name show that she may have been a good ruler.
Her tomb will also shed more light on the Ptolemaic-Egyptian life and how the Greco-Macedonian royals lived in Alexandria. If anything, the tomb’s discovery will finally lay to rest the controversies surrounding her appearance, death, and more importantly, her race.
Cleopatra was more than a seductress and man-eater; she was brilliant. In the words of Dr. Martinez, “She was an educated woman, probably the first one who studied formally at the Museum in Alexandria, the center of culture in her time.” Cleopatra was also trained in mathematics, philosophy, oratory, and astronomy.
“My perseverance cannot be confused with obsession. I admire Cleopatra as a historical character. She was a victim of propaganda by the Romans, aiming to distort her image,” says Martinez.
Would the tunnel lead to the answers historians and Egyptologists so desperately seek? Is this the beginning of a spectacular discovery that could rival King Tut? Are we at the cusp of a history-shaking event? Or would this be another lost cause?
We can only wait and see.