“The excavation revealed a huge religious center with three sanctuaries, a sacred lake, more than 1,500 objects, busts, gold statues, a huge collection of engraved ancient coins,” Martinez told CNN. depicting Alexander the Great, Queen Cleopatra and the Divine Soldier.
Kathleen Martinez discovered a tunnel that could lead to the lost tomb. Credit: Project Kathleen Martinez-Nazar / Taposiris Magna
She added: “The most interesting discovery was the complex of tunnels leading to the Mediterranean Sea and the submerged structures. Exploring these underwater structures will be the next stage in the quest to find the lost tomb of the Egyptian queen – a journey that began in 2005.
“My perseverance is not to be confused with obsession. I admire Cleopatra as a historical figure. She was a victim of Roman propaganda aimed at distorting her image.” Martinez said.
“She was an educated woman, perhaps the first to study formally at the Museum in Alexandria, the cultural center of her time,” said Martinez, who said she admired Cleopatra as her role. is a student, a linguist, a mother and a philosopher.
When her husband, Roman general Mark Antony, died in her arms in 30 BC, Cleopatra took her own life shortly thereafter by allowing a demon to bite her, according to popular belief. The moment has become immortalized in art and literature – but, more than two millennia later, little is still known about where their remains lie.
Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra and Richard Burton as Mark Antony. Credit: Twentieth Century Fox
A series of clues led Martinez to believe that Cleopatra’s tomb might be located in the Temple of Osiris in the ruined city of Taposiris Magna, on Egypt’s northern coast, where the Nile meets the Mediterranean.
Chief among them is the name itself. According to Martinez, In her day, Cleopatra was considered the “human incarnation of the goddess Isis”, as Antony was considered the incarnation of Orisis, the husband of Isis.
Martinez believes Cleopatra may have chosen to bury her husband in the temple to reflect this myth. Of all the 20 temples around Alexandria she studied, Martinez said, “no other place, structure or temple combines as many conditions as the Taposiris Magna.”
Excavations to date have unearthed more than 1,500 ancient objects. Credit: Egypt Ministry of Tourism
In 2004, Martinez gave his theory to Zahi Hawass, an Egyptian archaeologist who was then Egypt’s Minister of Antiquities. Her project was approved a year later.
And after years of searching, Martinez felt himself approaching.
Excavations to date have revealed that the “temple is dedicated to Isis” – which Martinez believes is another indication that the lost tomb lies nearby – as well as undersea tunnels.
The search for the lost grave brought Martinez to the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea. Credit: Project Kathleen Martinez-Nazar / Taposiris Magna
Now, Martinez said, she is at “the beginning of a new journey” – underwater excavations.
According to a statement by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, Egypt’s coast has been affected by earthquakes for centuries, causing parts of the Tamposiris Magna to collapse and sink under the waves.
This is where Martinez and her team are looking next. Though it’s too early to tell where these tunnels lead, she’s hopeful.
If the tunnels lead to Cleopatra, “it would be the most important discovery of the century,” she said.
