Cleopatra VII is one of the most famous women in world history. The steps she took to gain power and the means with which she went about it as well as the circumstances of her death has made her more than just a historical figure but an icon. With that said however, many aspects of her life, as well as the body of the famous pharaoh have been lost in time.
Cleopatra was the daughter of Ptolemy XII Auletes. Both were from the Ptolemaic dynasty in Egypt meaning that they descended from Greeks and not Egyptians. During her lifetime, she served as co-ruler of Egypt with her father, two brothers (Ptolemy XIII and Ptolemy XIV) and her son Ptolemy XV. With each change in co-ruler she gained more power until, when Ptolemy XIV took the throne he essentially had no power and when Cleopatra wished for her son to be on the throne, she had her brother killed. In addition to likely killing her second brother she actively worked against her brother Ptolomey XIII which eventually led to the loss of his position as pharaoh and also banished, and likely had assassinated, her younger sister. In short she was not afraid to use whatever means necessary to get what she wants. This is further proven by her affairs with two powerful Romans Julius Caesar and Mark Anthony. To keep her power and protect her kingdom she seduced Julius Caesar. When Julius Caesar was assassinated she sided with Mark Anthony in his attempts of taking over Rome. He also becoming Cleopatra’s lover and she had two children with him. However, Mark Anthony’s attempt to take control of Rome ended in failed and he committed suicide. Knowing, as a result of siding with the loser in the war, that she would likely face death and/or torture, Cleopatra committed suicide. The story goes that she committed suicide by using the venom of a snake. It is said that after Cleopatra died her and Mark Anthony’s bodies were moved to a tomb to stay together for eternity. However, the exact location of the tomb has been lost to history.
So, where is the tomb?
The remains of Cleopatra and Mark Anthony had to be entombed without drawing a lot of attention as both were considered traitors to the Roman Empire. If the tomb was found it was likely to be desecrated. With that said, the burial locations of pharaohs took years of preparation to make. Cleopatra building a tomb for herself comes with problems however as this would mean that a large group of people would likely see the building of the tomb and would be able to location the tomb to either ransack or would be able to inform Cleopatra’s enemies the location it. Thus, it is quite possible that she decided to use a preexisting site as a place to be buried. Either way, for convenience of movement of belonging and the bodies themselves, the tomb was likely located in or near the city of Alexandria, where Cleopatra ruled from. There are the remains of a lot of the buildings which would have been around from Cleopatra’s time which remains can be found underwater as a result of a tsunami and earthquake which hit Alexandria on July 21st 365. This event destroyed and swept up a large portion of the city which can now be found in the waters surrounding the modern city of Alexandria. Thus, if archeologists were to find the remains of the burial place of Cleopatra and Mark Anthony within the old city of Alexandria it would be submerged underwater and likely without the remains of those buried in the location. This is assuming that the building survived until 365 which may have not occurred as a large portion of the city was also destroyed in 115 AD during the Kitos War. If the building was in the city and survived both of these events it would have likely been destroyed by the Christians during the later 300s AD when the Romans had the pagan temples of the city destroyed.
If the tomb was located outside of the city there is a higher chance that a fairly intact tomb can be found. As a result of Alexandria having been a major location of politics and trade it is unsurprising that the remains of buildings from Cleopatra’s time are difficult to find in an intact condition. Outside of the city, with less activity occurring relating to politics and commerce, there is a higher chance of survival of a ancient building.
Currently, a temple called Taposiris Magna is thought to be a likely option for where Cleopatra was buried. Taposiris Magna was a temple built for the god Osiris and was built by Ptolemy II over two hundred years before Cleopatra’s birth. The reason why this temple may be the resting place of Cleopatra and Mark Anthony is because the mummies which have been found are facing toward the temple which means that an important royal was buried in the temple. Based on the dates of the mummies and artifacts such as coins found it is thought that the burial of the royal would have been around the time of the death of Cleopatra. That being said, the remains of the royal buried in the temple have not been found yet and the excavation has been halted as a result of the revolution in Egypt and the instability in the country which has followed. Hopefully the situation in Egypt will calm soon and the search can continue.
Sources:
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/history/ptolemaic-statue-and-temple-gate-discovered-at-taposiris-magna-1961972.html
http://www.dominicantoday.com/dr/local/2013/8/27/48763/Cleopatra-search-affected-by-Egypt-crisis
http://acelebrationofwomen.org/2012/04/woman-of-action-cleopatra/