The Lost Tomb of Cleopatra

People who go to great lengths to hide their possessions often have their reasons to. For Egypt’s Queen Cleopatra, it was not an object that she needed to hide, it was herself. Since her death in 30 B.C., the location of Cleopatra’s tomb has been a great mystery to the world. Despite numerous attempts to find it, no one has been successful.

Cleopatra took her own life (before the Romans had the chance to do it themselves) when the Egyptians were defeated in the Battle of Actium. After the Roman’s siege of Egypt, Cleopatra did not want them to find and desecrate her tomb—destroying her legacy forever. She knew that if the Romans entered her tomb, it would give them the satisfaction of a proper victory. 

Additionally, Cleopatra wanted to be with her lover and political ally, Mark Antony, who also killed himself during the final battle. She was infatuated with the story of Isis and Osiris, a myth stating that performing a proper embalming ritual and burial would grant a deceased person an afterlife. She believed being buried with Antony would let her reenact this myth and allow them to be together in the afterlife for eternity. But, if their tomb was destroyed, the myth would not come true. 

Although her actual tomb has never been located, a countless number of artifacts have emerged during various archaeological digs, which could potentially be connected to Cleopatra. Archaeologist Kathleen Martinez has been on a quest to find the tomb since 2005 and believes that various artifacts her team has discovered, including a small marble bust, belong to the Egyptian queen.  

Marble Bust found by Martinez’s team. Newcomb, T. (2024, December 11). An archaeologist claims she’s found a stunning statue of Cleopatra at her alleged tomb. Popular Mechanics. https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/archaeology/a63148916/an-archaeologist-claims-shes-found-a-stunning-statue-of-cleopatra-at-her-alleged-tomb/

According to an article published in Popular Mechanics, along with the female bust, Martinez’s team found pieces of a statute of a king wearing a “nemes” (a striped headdress common for pharaohs), a set of pottery, oil lamps, limestone pots, bronze statues, a two-piece amulet engraved with the phrase “The justice of Ra has risen,” and a bronze ring dedicated to the fertility goddess Hathor. There were also 337 coins, many of which depict Cleopatra. These findings indicate that archaeologists are getting closer to the actual location of the tomb. In 2022, Martinez’s team uncovered a 4,218 foot tunnel under the temple ruins of Taposirus Magna, which they believe will lead them to the tomb.

Cleopatra was a prominent figure in the ancient world and finding her would be truly remarkable. The great hunt that Cleopatra sparked for her tomb has furthered the mystery as to what treasures lie inside.