Is Cleopatra Really Buried Here?

Hmmm... Threshold to Cleopatra's mausoleum discovered off Alexandria coast • Threshold to massive door found off Alexandria • Queen's mausoleum part of sunken palace complex Helena Smith in Athens guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 23 December 2009 22.10 GMT They were one of the world's most famous couples, who lived lives of power and glory – but who spent their last hours in despair and confusion. Now, more than 2,000 years since Antony and Cleopatra walked the earth, historians believe they may finally have solved the riddle of their last hours together. A team of Greek marine archaeologists who have spent years conducting underwater excavations off the coast of Alexandria in Egypt have unearthed a giant granite threshold to a door that they believe was once the entrance to a magnificent mausoleum that Cleopatra VII, queen of the Egyptians, had built for herself shortly before her death. They believe the 15-tonne antiquity would have held a seven metre-high door so heavy that it would have prevented the queen from consoling her Roman lover before he died, reputedly in 30BC. "As soon as I saw it, I thought we are in the presence of a very special piece of a very special door," Harry Tzalas, the historian who heads the Greek mission, said. "There was no way that such a heavy piece, with fittings for double hinges and double doors, could have moved with the waves so there was no doubt in my mind that it belonged to the mausoleum. Like Macedonian tomb doors, when it closed, it closed for good." Tzalas believes the discovery of the threshold sheds new light on an element of the couple's dying hours which has long eluded historians. In the first century AD the Greek historian Plutarch wrote that Mark Antony, after being wrongly informed that Cleopatra had killed herself, had tried to take his own life. When the dying general expressed his wish to pass away alongside his mistress, who was hiding inside the mausoleum with her ladies-in-waiting, he was "hoisted with chains and ropes" to the building's upper floor so that he could be brought in to the building through a window. Plutarch wrote, "when closed the [mausoleum's] door mechanism could not open again". The discovery in the Mediterranean Sea of such huge pieces of masonry at the entrance to what is believed to be the mausoleum would explain the historian's line. Tzalas said: "For years, archaeologists have wondered what Plutarch, a very reliable historian, meant by that. And now, finally, I think we have the answer. "Allowing a dying man to be hoisted on ropes was not a very nice, or comforting thing to do, but Cleopatra couldn't do otherwise. She was there only with females and they simply couldn't open such a heavy door." The threshold, part of the sunken palace complex in which Cleopatra is believed to have died, was discovered recently at a depth of eight metres but only revealed this week. It has yet to be brought to the surface. The archaeologists have also recovered a nine-tonne granite block which they believe formed part of a portico belonging to the adjoining temple of Isis Lochias. "We believe it was part of the complex surrounding Cleopatra's palace," said Zahi Hawas, Egypt's top archaeologist. "This is an important part of Alexandria's history and brings us closer to knowing more about the ancient city." According to Plutarch, who based his accounts largely on eyewitness testimonies, Antony died within seconds of laying eyes on his beloved queen and mother of his children. Cleopatra, the most powerful woman of her day and Egypt's most fabled ruler, is believed to have taken her own life just days later, legend has it with the aid of an asp.

Bit of Isis Temple Raised from Alexandria Sea Bed

Monument lifted from Cleopatra's underwater city By KATARINA KRATOVAC, Associated Press Writer Katarina Kratovac, Associated Press Writer – Thu Dec 17, 9:39 pm ET ALEXANDRIA, Egypt – Archaeologists on Thursday hoisted a 9-ton temple pylon from the waters of the Mediterranean that was part of the palace complex of the fabled Cleopatra before it became submerged for centuries in the harbor of Alexandria. The pylon, which once stood at the entrance to a temple of Isis, is to be the centerpiece of an ambitious underwater museum planned by Egypt to showcase the sunken city, believed to have been toppled into the sea by earthquakes in the 4th century. Divers and underwater archaeologists used a giant crane and ropes to lift the 9-ton, 7.4-foot-tall pylon, covered with muck and seaweed, out of the murky waters. It was deposited ashore as Egypt's top archaeologist, Zahi Hawass, and other officials watched. The pylon was part of a sprawling palace from which the Ptolemaic dynasty ruled Egypt and where 1st Century B.C. Queen Cleopatra wooed the Roman general Marc Antony before they both committed suicide after their defeat by Augustus Caesar. The temple dedicated to Isis, a pharaonic goddess of fertility and magic, is at least 2,050 years old, but archaeologists believe it's likely much older. The pylon was cut from a single slab of red granite quarried in Aswan, some 700 miles (more than 1,100 kilometers) to the south, officials said. "The cult of Isis was so powerful, it's no wonder Cleopatra chose to make her living quarters next to the temple," said coastal geoarchaeologist Jean-Daniel Stanley of the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. Egyptian authorities hope that eventually the pylon will become a part of the underwater museum, an ambitious attempt to draw tourists to the country's northern coast, often overshadowed by the grand pharaonic temples of Luxor in the south, the Giza pyramids outside Cairo and the beaches of the Red Sea. They are hoping the allure of Alexandria, founded in 331 B.C. by Alexander the Great, can also be a draw. Cleopatra's palace and other buildings and monuments now lie strewn on the seabed in the harbor of Alexandria, the second largest city of Egypt. Since 1994, archaeologists have been exploring the ruins, one of the richest underwater excavations in the Mediterranean, with some 6,000 artifacts. Another 20,000 objects are scattered off other parts of Alexandria's coast, said Ibrahim Darwish, head of the city's underwater archaeology department. In recent years, excavators have discovered dozens of sphinxes in the harbor, along with pieces of what is believed to be the Alexandria Lighthouse, or Pharos, which was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The pylon is the first major artifact extracted from the harbor since 2002, when authorities banned further removal of major artifacts from the sea for fear it would damage them. "The tower is unique among Alexandria's antiquities. We believe it was part of the complex surrounding Cleopatra's palace," Hawass said, as the crane gently placed the pylon on the harbor bank. "This is an important part of Alexandria's history and it brings us closer to knowing more about the ancient city." Hawass has already launched another high-profile dig connected to Cleopatra. In April, he said he hopes to find the long-lost tomb of Antony and Cleopatra — and that he believes it may be inside a temple of Osiris located about 30 miles (50 kilometers) west of Alexandria. The pylon extracted Thursday was discovered by a Greek expedition in 1998. Retrieving it was a laborious process: For weeks, divers cleaned it of mud and scum, then they dragged it across the sea floor for three days to bring it closer to the harbor's edge for Thursday's extraction. A truck stood by to ferry the pylon to a freshwater tank, where it will lie for six months until all the salt, which acts as a preservative underwater but damages it once exposed, is dissolved. Still in its planning stages, the underwater museum would allow visitors to walk through underwater tunnels for close-up views of sunken artifacts, and it may even include a submarine on rails. A collaboration between Egypt and UNESCO, the museum would cost at least $140 million, said Darwish. The above-water section would feature sail-shaped structures that would complement the architecture of the harbor and have the city's corniche seabank in the backdrop, with the splendid Alexandria Library on the other end of the bay, Darwish said. "To me, the greatest draw would be that visitors would be able to see these amazing objects in their natural surrounding, not out of context on some museum shelf," said Stanley, who has carried out excavations around Alexandria but is not involved in the underwater dig. Speaking to The Associated Press by phone from Washington, Stanley cautioned that the dangers to such a museum would be twofold — from storms, which in wintertime have been known to sink ships in Alexandria's harbor, and from earthquakes. Egypt and UNESCO are still studying the feasibility of building such an underwater museum. No one knows where the money would come from, but there is hope construction could start as early as late 2010. "If the study shows it's possible, this could become a magical place, both above and underwater," Hawass said. "If you can smell the sea here, you can smell the history." Darwish, one of seven Egyptian archaeologists who are also qualified divers, said the country has had to rely on foreign expertise, mostly French and Greek, for diving archaeology expeditions around Alexandria. That will change, he says, as the Alexandria university educates more underwater archaeologists. A temporary downtown museum will house the Isis pylon extracted Thursday and some 200 other objects removed from the sea here in the last decade.

Looking for the Queen in Alexandria

Nope, this is not an article about the lovely Chess Queen and current Women's World Champion GM Alexandra Kosteniuk :) This is about CLEOPATRA! (Image from this story at the Daily Mail Online, December 16, 2008) Article from the Global Arab Network: Alexandria - Looking for the Queen Edward Lewis Sunday, 26 July 2009 23:43 An archaeological mission taking place outside Alexandria could uncover the final resting place of Cleopatra and Mark Antony. As Edward Lewis reports, finding the tombs of history’s famous lovers could restore the reputation of ‘first city of the civilised world’ Exploring Alexandria’s past sometimes feels like a who’s who of ancient history. Starting with its founder, Alexander the Great, in 331BC and going on to include – among others – Ptolemy, Julius Caesar, Mark Antony, Cleopatra and the Roman emperor Augustus, the city was once the second largest and most influential in the Mediterranean, enjoying cultural diversity, enormous wealth and an unrivalled intellectual tradition. Within its boundaries it could boast the Pharos Lighthouse (one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World), the Great Library and the tomb of Alexander the Great, in addition to numerous other exquisite sacred and public structures. The Roman historian Diodorus of Sicily described it as “the first city of the civilised world”. Today, the “Bride of the Mediterranean” (Arous el Bahr), as the city is affectionately known by Egyptians, gives little impression of the scale and splendour it once possessed. It lives in the shadows of Luxor, Aswan and Cairo, repeatedly a bystander as Egypt’s antique history has been unearthed. With the exception of some stunning recent underwater discoveries, archaeology has been obstructed by natural and man-made elements, including earthquakes, a rising water table and rapid urban development. But now, the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities has released details of a mission taking place just outside Alexandria that could mark a remarkable change of fortunes for the city’s mute archaeological record. The Egyptian/Dominican Republic team aims to find the royal tombs of the Ptolemies – the Greek dynasty that ruled Egypt between 305BC and 30BC – including those of two of history’s most famous lovers, Cleopatra and Mark Antony. Goddess, queen, lover – Cleopatra has been immortalised through the works of historians (both ancient and contemporary), playwrights and film directors. The last of the Ptolemys, Cleopatra dedicated her life to retaining autonomy for Egypt while postponing the inevitable submission to Rome. Her love affairs and marriages, to Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, split the Roman Empire. Finding her tomb would place Alexandria on the archaeological map and rival anything previously discovered in Egypt. According to the Greek historian Plutarch, Mark Antony and Cleopatra were buried together in Egypt. Although neither a description of the tomb nor its location is recorded, according to Dr Said Altalhawy, the site director, and Dr Kathleen Martinez, the head of the mission, Taposiris Magna is a probable candidate. Situated on a spit of land between the Mediterranean and Lake Mariout some 45km west of Alexandria, Taposiris Magna was renowned in antiquity for its temple, founded in the third century BC and dedicated to the cult of Osiris, the Egyptian god of the underworld, and his wife Isis. The name means the “great house of Osiris”. “This is undoubtedly a funerary temple. It is a grand temple, a temple that linked the dead to another world,” explains Dr Altalhawy. “This is not a common archaeological site; it is a very important one.” Today, Taposiris Magna has been left behind as the surrounding area undergoes dramatic change. Vast Lego-like resorts line the coast. On the roadside near the temple, vendors sell watermelons, oblivious to the potential of what lies nearby. There are no signs or paths to the complex. Without specific directions or a knowledgeable driver, you could easily miss it. Yet it is precisely this isolation that has ensured Taposiris Magna’s preservation. After the modest archaeological discoveries of downtown Alexandria, the temple of Osiris is an impressive sight. Within its towering white brick walls, several structures are identifiable, ranging from Ptolemaic chambers to Byzantine chapels. Heads of columns lie on the temple floor and an intricate water system of narrow channels surround a small sacred lake. Scattered everywhere are the unmistakable shapes of amphora bases or handles sticking out of the sand alongside countless shards of sun-bleached pottery. “Everywhere we work, everywhere we dig we find something,” Dr Altalhawy says. One of the team’s most important discoveries is a temple dedicated to Isis, the Egyptian deity with whom Cleopatra is closely associated. That devotion to both Osiris and Isis is found within the same complex is, according to Dr Martinez, an example of “religious symbolism and a sacred union between Osiris and Isis; Osiris as Mark Antony and Isis as herself.” They also found coins depicting Cleopatra’s profile, further support, according to Dr Martinez, for the link between Goddess and queen. “After we saw Cleopatra’s face we knew the coins were important because we found them in the shrine of Isis where offerings to the gods were made.” Equally significant was a series of tunnels and chambers underneath the temple floor, which Dr Martinez strongly believes are tombs associated with a ruling elite. “We believe that it is inside the temple that we have the biggest possibility of finding a royal tomb. We have found a complex of tunnels and more than 10 chambers and shafts, some 25-30 metres deep that I believe will lead us to royalty.” Other striking finds include a fragment of a mask incorporating a cleft chin that bears a striking resemblance to Mark Antony, the head of a queen (thought to be that of Cleopatra) and a headless Ptolemaic statue. “Nothing we have found to date suggests this complex was an ordinary temple. They didn’t choose this area by chance,” adds Dr Altalhawy. Taposiris Magna, despite its size and obvious importance, was not even located in the regional capital. “We asked ourselves why is this temple here and not in the capital? It must have had an important function to be so isolated.” Whether or not the tombs of Cleopatra and Mark Antony are found, Taposiris Magna has yielded some remarkable discoveries, most significantly, a vast cemetery, some three kilometres square, that Dr Altalhawy believes is one of the biggest ancient cemeteries found in Egypt. Five metres under the topsoil, a tomb has been unveiled, the skeletons lying in the same position in which they were placed thousands of years ago. Each shaft is shared by a number of bones, some with their heads and feet missing, cut off by grave robbers eager to get hold of the valuable necklaces and anklets worn by the deceased. Surrounding the main chambers are shallow sarcophagi-shaped graves, no doubt created for the workers of the families who were often buried close to their masters. Most striking of all are two Ptolemaic mummies that lie side by side in a deep separate chamber. These mummies, and several others found, were once gilded, not only demonstrating the wealth of the occupants but also the importance of Osiris’s temple and its environs. This cemetery is similar to those at Giza and further south in Luxor, further suggesting that the complex houses royal tombs. “All the clues we have found leave me to the belief it is the tomb of Cleopatra and Mark Antony,” enthuses Dr Martinez. The site is now closed for the summer, and the team will have to wait until at least January before they can continue the search for the resting place of Alexandria’s most venerated daughter. Global Arab Network This report appears in the National MAGAZINE, Copyright of Abu Dhabi Media Company.