Where is cleopatra buried

According to a recent report in the Sun, that may be about to change. South view of the Osiris Temple in Taposiris Magna. Photo by Koantao CC by 3. Kathleen Martinez, the head of the Dominican archaeological mission, is the one who put forth the theory that Taposiris Magna might be the answer to the mystery.

The temple and its surrounding city constituted an important port city during that period. Archaeologists digging at Taposiris Magna, where they believe the tomb of Cleopatra to be. Image courtesy of the Science Channel. It hosted glorious mysteries in honor of the main gods of Egypt. The Roman historian Strabo wrote that Alexander the Great himself stayed in this place at one time. This temple, quite obviously, was a significant, holy place in those days.

This is another argument in favor of the fact that it was here that the great Cleopatra found her last refuge. The city was built over two thousand years ago. Radar surveys of the area revealed a whole network of corridors and tunnels and three structures that could be mausoleums. Twenty-seven tombs and ten mummies have been found in the area around the temple, which may add weight to Dr. A team of archaeologists discovered one undisturbed tomb covered in gold leaf.

It is she who is considered the final resting place of the great Cleopatra. Martinez has always held to the theory that the queen and her lover are buried under the temple of Isis and Osiris. Also, during excavations, archaeologists found a ceramic mask under the sanctuary of Isis, which could be the death mask of Mark Antony. The Dominican expedition made many exciting finds during the excavation of the temple. One of them is a unique stela with hieroglyphic and demotic inscriptions.

This stela belongs to the era of Ptolemy V. As you know, it was during his reign that a decree was issued, which was carved on the famous Rosetta Stone, which, in turn, became the key to unraveling the mystery of decoding Egyptian hieroglyphs. Arrow Media. They may be special, but these are probably not the mummies of Antony and Cleopatra.

As Dr. He told MailOnline:. The mummies have been X-rayed and there is a suggestion that they may be priests. They are male and female and one had a scarab, a symbol of rebirth, painted in gold leaf on its remains.

A collection of Old Kingdom boats have also been unearthed at the site. There may have been a town at the site since Pre-Dynastic times and it has served as an important port for a long period of its history.

An old wine press and bridge have been found at the site and it also had a lighthouse by the Ptolemaic period. The Taposiris Magna lighthouse has been used as basis for reconstructions of the more famous Pharos of Alexandria since scholars believe it may have been built as a scaled-down replica. The Lighthouse in Taposiris Magna. The focus of interest for archaeologists who link the site to Cleopatra and Antony is the temple to Osiris that was built during the reign of Ptolemy II.

This is primarily due to Dr. Martinez made the association between the site and the lost tomb of Antony and Cleopatra by combining some of the following pieces of evidence: a Cleopatra bust, 22 coins with her image, amulets, a headless statue dating to Cleopatra's reign, and a mask depicting a man with a cleft chin — who some suspect is Mark Antony. As Martinez has said :. One of the treasures discovered at Taposiris Magna by Dr.

Even though Dr. At the very least, he is certain that these two mummies which are making headlines are not the remains of the lovers.

It is a historical mystery that has endured for nearly two millennia and shows no clear signs of being solved in the near future. Though we can always hope some surprising find may change all of that! By Alicia McDermott. Alicia McDermott holds degrees in Anthropology, Psychology, and International Development Studies and has worked in various fields such as education, anthropology, and tourism.

Ever since she was a child Alicia has had a passion for writing and she has written Read More. Hmmm, I would look harder at the couple found. A comparison could then be done between the sisters. All the C5 documentary showed is that high status individuals were buried at Taposiris which was already known.

None of the tombs of the Ptolemeic kings and queens have been found, which suggests they are at Alexandria and therefore under the sea. Cleopatra would have known that her treasure would be plundered and her tomb ransacked — so maybe she had a mausoleum built there and her actual tomb at a secret location? Good luck to Dr M in finding it! Nat Geo channel last night had a one hour program on this with Dr.

Only found tunnels though. Watch for it, they will run it again. Ancient Origins has been quoted by:.