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Writer's pictureWendy Bradfield

Have Archaeologists Discovered the Lost Tomb of Egypt’s Queen Cleopatra?



Queen Cleopatra
Cleopatra

Kathleen Martinez, the Dominican archaeologist, may have discovered the lost tomb of Egypt's most famous queen, Cleopatra.


Martinez discovered a secret passageway revealing countless treasures from Queen Cleopatra's reign.


Some say she is closer than ever to discovering the lost tomb.


"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," Martinez told CNN.

Ancient Egyptian coin, Queen Cleopatra
Coin of Cleopatra

The Egyptian Ministry for Tourism and Antiquities called the 4,281-foot underground tunnel an "engineering miracle."


Martinez's search has spanned 20 years in the coastal city of Alexandria.


She's excavated on both land and sea, as the palace of Cleopatra is submerged below the Mediterranean sea.


Martinez had a hunch that Cleopatra's tomb might be located within the ruins of Taposiris Magna in the Temple of Osiris.


Kathleen Martinez
Kathleen Martinez

Taposiris Magna is on Egypt's northern coast, where the Nile River joins the Mediterranean.


What makes Martinez think this is the location of the lost tomb of Cleopatra?


Cleopatra believed she was the incarnation of the ancient Egyptian Goddess Isis and that Marc Antony, her husband, was the living image of the God Osiris.


Isis & Osiris were husband and wife in ancient mythology, so where better to be buried than the Temple of Osiris?


Martinez's theory is compelling.


Taposiris Magna Tunnel
Taposiris Magna Tunnel

Thinking about Martinez's search, one is reminded of Howard Carter's obsession with finding the tomb of King Tut.


He was sure he would find the tomb of Tut, and Martinez is not giving up her search any time soon.


History is always recorded by the winners.


Rome paints a picture of Cleopatra that minimizes her extraordinary rule.


Romans insisted she was just a power-hungry woman who seduced men to get what she wanted.


But history tells another story.


Cleopatra was Pharaoh for 21 years.


She was an intellectual, spoke nine languages, and published writings on science, medicine, and astronomy.


Cleopatra led military campaigns, grew the wealth of her country, and by all accounts, was the wealthiest, most powerful woman in the ancient world.


Cleopatra was the last ruling pharaoh ending a dynastic legacy of 5,000 years.


"I am Queen Cleopatra, the last Pharaoh of Egypt. I ruled the wealthiest country in the world from the age of 18 until now. I am 39 years old, and today I invite the venom of a sacred cobra to my neck. I will not be taken alive and paraded through the streets of Rome as a prisoner bound in chains. I will ascend to the realm of gods as Isis, by the swift strike of a royal Asp."


I need coffee strong enough to wake up my ancestors! You can buy me one here if you enjoy my scribblings! Many thanks, xoxo


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Photos by: Alamy/Museum of Tourism & Antiquities, Channel 5, Kathleen Martinez-Nazar/Taposiris Magna Project, Cris Bouroncle/AFP via Getty Images.


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