Is Cleopatra's Tomb at Taposiris Magna Or Will It Never Be Found?

Summary: Is Cleopatra's tomb at Taposiris Magna, where Kathleen Martínez has been searching since 2004, or will it never be found, perhaps because of Octavian?

One of history's great mysteries concerns the location of the tombs of Cleopatra and Marc Antony; Dominican archaeologist, diplomat and lawyer Kathleen Martínez's identification of Taposiris Magna, a temple complex west of Cleopatra's hometown of Alexandria, as a strong candidate has motivated her steadfast searches there since 2004: Kathleen Martinez @drkathmartinez, via Twitter Nov 21, 2021

Is Cleopatra's tomb at Taposiris Magna, where Kathleen Martínez has searched since 2004, or will it never be found, perhaps because the last Ptolemaic queen's enemy, Rome's Octavian, had the bodies of Cleopatra, Mark Antony and Cleopatra's and Julius Caesar's son, Caesarion, destroyed or hidden?

The fascination that Cleopatra VII Philopator (Ancient Greek: Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ, Kleopatra Philopator; ca. 69-Aug. 10 or 12, 30 BCE) holds for Dominican archaeologist, diplomat and lawyer Kathleen Teresa Martínez Berry (born 1966) traces back to an argument in 1990 with her father, legal scholar and professor Fausto Martínez, according to magazine and newspaper writer Chip Brown in "The Search for Cleopatra," published in the June 2011 issue of National Geographic magazine. Kathleen's retrieval of Antony and Cleopatra by Elizabethan playwright William Shakespeare (bapt. April 26, 1564-April 23, 1616) from her father's extensive home library occasioned an atypical disparagement from her characteristically fair father. He denounced Cleopatra as a "trollop" (mujerzuela). Kathleen's cogent response of the distortion of Cleopatra's true character by Roman propaganda and anti-female bias during and after the queen's lifetime yielded a concession of unfairness from her father.

Awareness of history's intentional misrepresentation of Cleopatra's character also has been expressed, for example, in the 21st century by American Egyptologist Jacquelyn Williamson and in the 19th century by U.S. naval officer Henry Honychurch Gorringe (Aug. 11, 1841-July 7, 1885). The loss of Egyptian sources via the destruction of Alexandria's great library and the Nile Delta's poor preservation environment have created an imbalance in which Cleopatra has been profiled by her fearers and haters. "After her death there was no one but the conquerors of her kingdom to perpetuate her memory," Gorringe assessed in Egyptian Obelisks (page 73), published in 1882.

Kathleen's post-paternal argument-inspired resolve to scrutinize Cleopatra uncovered the ignorance of the queen's burial site "in any ancient writing." Kathleen's realization of Cleopatra's sensitivity to goddess Isis, associated with the afterlife, death and resurrection, guided her to consult Greek geographer Strabo (Greek: Στράβων, Strabon; from adjective στράϐων, strabon, "cross-eyed"; ca. 64/60 BCE-ca. 20/24 CE) for sites linked with the Osiris myth, in which Isis compellingly resurrects her dismembered brother-husband Osiris in order for the couple to conceive Horus, their falcon-headed son, who avenges his father's fratricide by Set, brother of Isis and Osiris. Kathleen finessed her list to 21 places, including Taposiris Magna ("great tomb of Osiris"). The ruined temple complex had enjoyed status in antiquity as one of the 14 sites in Egypt where Set had deposited his brother's dismembered body parts.

Kathleen whittled her list of candidates by reaching out to Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass (born 1947). He arranged for her to visit sites beginning in 2004. After visiting Taposiris Magna in 2004, she returned to the site in March 2005. Afterward, Kathleen shared with Dr. Hawass her belief in Taposiris Magna as the repository of Cleopatra's tomb. Kathleen and Zahi's joint Dominican-Egyptian team has been excavating Taposiris Magna since October 2005.

The team's finds include a large granite headless statue of a Ptolemaic statue and the temple's original west-side gate in 2010, according to Dutch writer Ann Wuyts in "Ptolemaic statue and temple gate discovered at Taposiris Magna," published Tuesday, May 4, 2010, in The Independent. The well-preserved statue might portray Ptolemy IV, constructor of the Taposiris Magna temple, according to Zahi Hawass. Ptolemy IV Philopator (Greek: Πτολεμαῖος Φιλοπάτωρ, Ptolemaios Philopator; "Ptolemy, lover of his Father"; May/June 244-July/August 204 BC) reigned from 221 to 204 BCE as Ptolemaic Egypt's fourth pharaoh. Traces on one of the entrance's limestone foundation stones suggest an entrance lined with a series of Sphinx statues.

Greco-Roman style mummies occupied a necropolis behind the Temple of Osiris. The turning of their faces toward the temple possibilitizes the temple burial of "a significant royal personality," considered Dr. Hawass.

Kathleen Martínez has continued the determined archaeological exploration of Taposiris Magna that she initiated in 2005. Although the actual tombs thus far have eluded the explorers, the site remains active, with a plethora of finds. As Dr. Hawass observed in 2010, the discovery of the tombs of Cleopatra and Mark Antony would qualify as "the most important discovery of the 21st century," as reported by Ann Wuyt's May 4, 2010, article in The Independent. Yet, if the tombs are not found at Taposiris Magna, the discoveries inside and outside the temple complex have been "major."

No hints from ancient sources have eased the search for Cleopatra's tomb. Greek biographer Plutarch (46 BCE-ca. 122 CE) gave no place names in his biography of Mark Antony (Jan. 14, 83-Aug. 1, 30 BCE), in Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans, commonly known as Parallel Lives.

"But Caesar, although vexed at the death of the woman, admired her lofty spirit; and he gave orders that her body should be buried with that of Antony in splendid and regal fashion. Her women also received honourable interment by his orders," Plutarch recorded, according to American classicist Bernadotte Perrin's (Sep. 15, 1847-Aug. 31, 1920) translation, published in 1920 (Plutarch's Lives, vol. IX: Anthony, pages 328-331).

Perhaps, finding Cleopatra's tomb is impossible because an honored burial spot has never existed. Octavian (Gaius Octavius; Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus; Sep. 23, 63 BCE-Aug. 19, 14 CE), adopted son and heir of Roman general and statesman Gaius Julius Caesar (July 12 or 13, 100-March 15, 44 BCE), had Cleopatra's and Julius Caesar's son, Ptolemy XV Caesar Philopator Philometor (47-30 BCE), known as Caesarion, executed after Cleopatra's death. He disappeared with his death. Similarly, Cleopatra and Mark Antony left no traces with their deaths.

Friday, Aug. 30, 2013, 16:49, seaward-facing image of north facade of Temple of Osiris ruins, Taposiris Magna, northwestern edge of Nile Delta, northern Egypt: Koantao, CC BY SA 3.0 Unported, via Wikimedia Commons

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

One of history's great mysteries concerns the location of the tombs of Cleopatra and Marc Antony; Dominican archaeologist, diplomat and lawyer Kathleen Martínez's identification of Taposiris Magna, a temple complex west of Cleopatra's hometown of Alexandria, as a strong candidate has motivated her steadfast searches there since 2004: Kathleen Martinez @drkathmartinez, via Twitter Nov 21, 2021, @ https://twitter.com/drkathmartinez/status/1462351505596600323

Friday, Aug. 30, 2013, 16:49, seaward-facing image of north facade of Temple of Osiris ruins, Taposiris Magna, northwestern edge of Nile Delta, northern Egypt: Koantao, CC BY SA 3.0 Unported, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:North_View_of_Taposiris_Magna_Osiris_Temple.jpg

For further information:

Brown, Chip. "The Search for Cleopatra." National Geographic Magazine. July 2011.
Available via Internet Archive Wayback Machine @ https://web.archive.org/web/20180310120357/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2011/07/Cleopatra/

Draycott, Jane. "Why the discovery of Cleopatra’s tomb would rewrite history." The Conversation. Nov. 15, 2022.
Available via Archaeology News Network @ https://archaeonewsnet.com/2022/11/why-the-discovery-of-cleopatras-tomb-would-rewrite-history.html
Available via The Conversation @ https://theconversation.com/why-the-discovery-of-cleopatras-tomb-would-rewrite-history-194481

Jarus, Owen."Mummy with a gold tongue found in Egypt." Live Science > Archaeology > Ancient Egyptians. Feb. 1, 2021.
Available via Live Science @ https://www.livescience.com/mummy-with-gold-tongue-discovered.html

Kathleen Martinez. "con el equipo de expertos en radares y el Dr Hawass en Taposiris Magna... estoy convencida que habra grandes resultados!!" Facebook. Nov. 20, 2017.
Available via Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1622383294488511&set=ecnf.100001505673802
Available via Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/kathleenegipto/posts/pfbid0QWtomznGepmdYAiptxhaHL6a4RFwbR2dBvi8X2uoyXYXC88sYKkDdZXBbjACCbWJl

Kathleen Martinez. "Hemos iniciado las exploraciones con radares en esta nueva temporada!!" Facebook. Nov. 20, 2017.
Available via Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1622385011155006&set=ecnf.100001505673802 Available via Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/kathleenegipto/posts/pfbid025NmmXte8BWF67fSBkYmyMRQvzjoom6tbftCdSPCCujhxsmB4mFrHZnAzW6rcyNDTl

Kathleen Martinez @drkathmartinez. "I have never seen before a rainbow from beginning to end -- only @Tapisiris Magna/ Nunca había visto un arcoíris de comienzo a final -- solo @Taposiris Magna. Gran augurio." Twitter. Nov 21, 2021.
Available via Twitter @ https://twitter.com/drkathmartinez/status/1462351505596600323

Marriner, Derdriu. "Cleopatra's Needle in London Associates Cleopatra With Julius Caesar." Earth and Space News. Thursday, Aug. 10, 2023.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2023/08/cleopatras-needle-in-london-associates.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Cleopatra's Needle in New York Associates Cleopatra With Julius Caesar." Earth and Space News. Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2023/08/cleopatras-needle-in-new-york.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Cleopatra's Needles: Heliopolis to Alexandria to London and New York." Earth and Space News. Thursday, Aug. 3, 2023.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2023/08/cleopatras-needles-heliopolis-to.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Did Cleopatra Kill Herself Or, As With Her First Son, Was She Killed?" Earth and Space News. Thursday, Aug. 24, 2023.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2023/08/did-cleopatra-kill-herself-or-as-with.html

Perrin, Bernadotte, trans. "LXXXVI. . . . But Caesar, although vexed at the death of the woman, admired her lofty spirit; and he gave orders that her body should be buried with that of Antony in splendid and regal fashion. Her women also received honourable interment by his orders." Pages 328-331. Plutarch's Lives, vol. IX: Anthony, pages 138-333. In eleven volumes. Loeb Classical Library. First printed 1920. London: William Heinemann Ltd; Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press, MCMLIX [1959].br /> Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/plutarchslives09plutuoft/page/328/mode/1up
Available via Perseus Digital Library Project -- Tufts University @ http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A2008.01.0007%3Achapter%3D85

Starr, Michelle. "Archaeologists Seeking Cleopatra's Tomb Uncovered a 'Geometric Miracle' Tunnel." ScienceAlert > Humans. May 7, 2023.
Available @ https://www.sciencealert.com/archaeologists-seeking-cleopatras-tomb-uncovered-a-geometric-miracle-tunnel

Wuyts, Ann. "Ptolemaic statue and temple gate discovered at Taposiris Magna." The Independent > Life & Style > History. Tuesday, May 4, 2010.
Available via Internet Archive Wayback Machine @ https://web.archive.org/web/20111029080444/http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/history/ptolemaic-statue-and-temple-gate-discovered-at-taposiris-magna-1961972.html