Archeologists believe they have found Cleopatra's tomb

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• Archeologists working at a site in Egypt believe they have found a tunnel that leads to Cleopatra's tomb
• Theories suggest she was buried beneath Taposiris Magna Temple, near the ancient capital of Alexandria
• The tunnel is carved through layers of rock and stretches for more than 4,800 feet and measures six feet high
• Expert says finding the tomb of the ancient queen would be 'the most important discovery of the 21st century'

9 November 2022

A tunnel carved through layers of rock has been discovered beneath Egypt's ancient Taposiris Magna Temple, which may lead to the long-lost tomb of Cleopatra.

The tunnel, which is being hailed as a 'geometric miracle', stretches for more than 4,800 feet, measures about six feet high and is said to resemble the Tunnel of Eupalinos on the Greek island of Samos – revered as one of the most important engineering achievements of the Classical world.

Archaeologist Kathleen Martinez of the University of San Domingo has been convinced for more than a decade that Egypt's last pharaoh Cleopatra and her lover Mark Antony were laid to rest within the temple, and is sure the tunnel could be the path to this discovery.



The Taposiris Magna Temple, whose name means 'great tomb of Osiris', is located near the Egyptian city of Alexandria, once the country's capital.

Martinez said there's a good chance the queen is buried there and if she is, finding the remains of Egypt's last pharaoh would be 'the most important discovery of the 21st century.'


The carved rock, which is being hailed as a 'geometric miracle', stretches for more than 4,800 feet and measures about six feet high. Archaeologists are hopeful that Cleopatra and her lover Mark Antony's remains are at the end of the tunnel




Experts believe Cleopatra made plans for herself and Antony to be buried at a temple called Taposiris Magna in order to imitate the ancient myth of Isis and Osiris

The archaeologist believes that, after Mark Antony killed himself following his defeat to Caesar Augustus, also known as Octavian, Cleopatra put detailed plans in place for them both to be buried there, in echoes of the myth.

Martinez, who has been working at the Taposiris Magna Temple for over 15 years, previously told National Geographic: 'Cleopatra negotiated with Octavian to allow her to bury Mark Antony in Egypt.

'She wanted to be buried with him because she wanted to reenact the legend of Isis and Osiris.

'The true meaning of the cult of Osiris is that it grants immortality.

'After their deaths, the gods would allow Cleopatra to live with Antony in another form of existence, so they would have eternal life together.'

Martinez may now be on the right track after uncovering the tunnel carved in rock that sits about 43 feet below the temple.


Pictured, two mummies found two years ago inside a sealed tomb at Taposiris Magna, where digs are ongoing to uncover the grave of Cleopatra

TAPOSIRIS MAGNA: A CITY ESTABLISHED BY PTOLEMY II

Taposiris Magna is a city in Egypt established by Pharaoh Ptolemy II Philadelphus between 280 and 270 BC.

Its position on the arm of the now dried up bed of Lake Mareotis suggests it may have played a role in trade between Egypt and Libya.

Traders from the west would be able to go by water to the harbor, then take a caravan route onwards.

The name means 'great tomb of Osiris' and likely comes from a great temple.

During an excavation in 2020 a team of archaeologists found a mummy with a golden tongue, likely so that it could speak with Osiris in the afterlife.

The temple in the city was thought to be the final resting place of Cleopatra.

Teams working at the site found a part of the tunnel that was submerged under the Mediterranean, a number of pottery vessels and pottery tractors were found under the mud sediment, as well as a rectangular block of limestone and a blind completion.

The research team believes that the Taposiris Magna Temple's foundation may also be underwater due to at least 23 earthquakes hitting the Egyptian coast between 320 AD and 1303 AD.

Martinez also uncovered several important artifacts inside the temple including coins bearing the images and names of both Queen Cleopatra, Alexander the Great and a number of beheaded statues, and statues of the goddess Isis, as well.

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A 10th century CE lexicon or encyclopedia, known as the Suidas, makes the identification complete under the entry for Isis:

Isis: She is called Io. She was snatched by Zeus from Argos and he, fearing Hera, changed her first into a white cow, then into a black one, and then into a one that was violet-coloured. After wandering around with her, he came into Egypt. The Egyptians, then, honour Isis, and for this reason they carve the horns of a cow on the head of her statue, alluding to the change from maiden to cow.

"Inachus's daughter Io, whom the Egyptians, having changed the name, call Isis and worship."
-St. Jerome, Chronicon

According to Herodotus, the Egyptians never sacrifice cows

“for these are sacred to Isis. For the image of Isis is always made in the form of a woman with the horns of an ox, as Io is pictured by the Greeks; and for that reason all Egyptians are alike in treating cows far more holy than other beasts.”

Io dates to about 1667 BC and is the mother of Epaphus ie. Apis/Apepi I.

Apis also the king of Argos was the founder of Memphis, as Aristippus says in the first Book of the Arcadica

Moreover Aristeas of Argos says that this Apis was surnamed Sarapis, and that it is he whom the Egyptians worship

But Nymphodorus of Amphipolis, in the third Book of The Customs of Asia, says that when Apis the bull died and was embalmed, he was deposited in a coffin (soros) in the temple of the daemon who was worshipped there, and thence was called Soroapis and afterwards Sarapis. And Apis is the third from Inachus.

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The Eleusian mysteries were arround since 1525 BC when Triopas was king of Argos and were based on the cult of Isis which documented her search for Osiris which was transposed to Demeter's search for her daughter Persephone.