Cleopatra’s Hidden Tomb
Archaeologists have been puzzling over the whereabouts of Cleopatra’s tomb since she was last seen in her mausoleum in the legendary deathbed tableau, adorned with diadem and royal finery and reposed on what Plutarch described as a golden couch. After Caesar’s assassination, his heir Octavian battled Antony for control of the Roman Empire for more than a decade; following Antony and Cleopatra’s defeat at Actium, Octavian’s forces entered Alexandria in the summer of 30 B.C.
Cleopatra barricaded herself behind her mausoleum’s massive doors, amid stores of gold, silver, pearls, art, and other treasures that she vowed to torch lest they fall into Roman hands. Now armed with new information, researchers and archaeologists have cast their eyes to the Taposiris Magna Temple, where her tomb may be hidden. More from Zohar StarGate’s Ancient Discoveries.
