Internal view of the temple of Osiris in Taposiris Magna
“The last secret of Cleopatra.” Mystery rekindles with new discoveries in Egypt.
A new National Geographic documentary, ‘Cleopatra’s Final Secret’ (‘The Last Secret of Cleopatra’), rekindle one of the greatest puzzles in ancient history: where the remains of Cleopatra VIIthe last queen of Egypt.
Recent excavations in Taposiris Walka temple located on the Mediterranean coast, revealed hundreds of coins with the portrait of Cleopatra VII and an ancient submerged port. Both are strong evidence that the sovereign tomb could be close, the archaeologist believes Kathleen Martinezresponsible for the investigation.
The revelation is part of the documentary that opens on September 25 at National Geographic and is available on Disney+ and Hulu platforms. Production follows more than fifteen years of work by Martinez, who since 2005 leads excavations in the temple dedicated to the goddess Isis.
During the last years, Martinez’s team has found Hundreds of bronze coins with the image of Cleopatra VII in different zones of the temple. More than 200 appeared in the courtyard, about 300 next to the entrance and others at dispersed points of the complex. The most surprising discovery is more recent: more than 330 coins were unearthed by a “sacred trench” hidden by one of the temple walls, apparently Hidden purposepoints the.
Coins, used as offerings to the goddess Isis, portray Cleopatra with the typical iconography of her reign. The team says that the quantity and site of discoveries reinforce the hypothesis that the queen may have been buried in Taposiris Magna, a space that served as an elite necropolis at the end of the Hellenistic period. Among the findings there were also a bust possibly from Cleopatra herself, cosmetics remains, an unknown pharaoh model and a ring with the image of the goddess Hathor and a Greek inscription that evokes the solar god Ra.
The investigation also revealed the existence of a submerged port In the immediate vicinity of the temple, used during the reign of Cleopatra. Fragments of amphores, stone and metal anchors and traces that prove the intense maritime activity at the time were identified. The tomb may be in one of the submerged areas, it is believed, especially after an underground tunnel has been discovered that leads to Porto.
Cleopatra VII reigned between 51 and 30 BC and left scars in Mediterranean history. Allied and lover of Julius Caesar, with whom he had a son, Cesarion, then joined Marco António, Roman general and co-regent of the Republic. From the relationship were born three children, but the alliance did not resist the civil war against Caio Octavio, future emperor Augusto. After Antonio’s defeat and consequent Roman advance, Cleopatra opted for suicide instead of becoming a prisoner in Rome.
Despite its notoriety, the queen’s tomb was never found. Old sources do not say much about the place of their grave.
For Martinez, Cleopatra’s spiritual connection to the goddess Isis and the accumulation of coins and objects of her time in Taposiris Magna support the hypothesis that the lost tomb is found there. But Many academic remain skeptical.
Andrew Meadows, an Oxford teacher, acknowledges that the currencies are authentic and date from Cleopatra’s reign, but stresses that There is no literary or archaeological evidence that suggests that it was buried in that place. Thomas Faucher, from the Alexandrian Studies Center in Egypt, sharing the same position, and recalls that The idea was rejected for much of the scientific community.
Sitta von Reden, from the University of Friburgo, believes that Cleopatra was buried in Alexandriaprobably in an area currently submerged with the Royal Palace. Still, he admits that temples such as Taposiris Magna may have claimed to have the queen’s body for reasons of religious prestige.
