Tag: Alexandria

Did Cleopatra Prefer Poison to Suicide by Snake?

Still from ZDF Kleopatras Tod Alexandria, 30BC. When Cleopatra, the last Queen of Egypt, is forced to surrender to Octavian, she decides she’d rather die than fall in enemy hands. She locks herself in the temple, and manages to deceive her Roman captors: by inducing an Egyptian cobra to bite her on the arm, she kills herself. A quiet and painless death. Or so the story goes. 2,000 years after the famous suicide, German historian Christoph Schaefer is challenging this ‘suicide-by-snake’ theory, claiming the Queen used a mixture of hemlock, wolfsbane and opium to poison herself.

Ruling out Death by Snake

After studying historical texts and consulting with toxicologists, Christoph Schaefer came to the conclusion that an asp bite believed to be that of an Egyptian cobra could not have caused a slow and painless death. The viper’s venom would have paralysed Cleopatra’s body, whilefully conscious,causing agonizing pains. An particularly awkward, excruciating death, unsuitable for a queen and incompatible with the quiet and pain-free death described by the ancient Roman historians.

But didn’t Shakespeare fantasise.. err.. introduce she caressed the venomous snake to her breast? Professor Dietrich Mebs, toxicologist from Frankfurt University: This would be highly impractical, because this particular area has a large amount of fat tissue, slowing down the progress of the poison in the body. It takes it the longer until the effect of the snake venom occurs.

snake bite symptoms Schaefer points out that even if the queen was willing to face the pain, death-by-snake is quite unpredictable: although the Egyptian cobra’s venom is a potent neurotoxin, and just a few milligrams are enough to kill an adult human, the bite itself is not always lethal.

When defending itself, a snake is capable of biting without injecting venom into its victim. The so-called ‘dry bite’, allowing the serpent to avoid wasting venom on a creature too large for it to eat, would be,although obnoxious, far from lethal. Would the queen take this risk?

Then How Did Queen Cleopatra Die?

Then how did Cleopatra commit suicide, assuming she wasn’t murdered by Octavian’s men and death-by-snake is no option? Four-hundred years beforeEgypt’s queen heard about her lover’s death, the philosopher Socrates was sentenced (for corrupting the youth and impiety, if you’re curious) to execution by drinking a potion containing hemlock, one of nature’s most powerful toxins. That the Egyptians had an extensive knowledge of plant medicine is well documented in ancient Egypt’s most famous medical papyrus. The’Ebers Papyrus‘ reveals that Queen Cleopatra’s physicians must have known about plant toxins, describing amongst others aconite and mandrake.

Drug Overdose:Hemlock, Opium and Aconite

Professor Mebs suggests that Cleopatra took a poisonous cocktail to escape her hopeless situation. The main ingredient of this concoction would have been hemlock (which paralyses the nervous system until you die from respiratory failure), which the queen would have combined with a pinch of aconite (or monkshood), just to be on the safe side, and opium. The opium, a powerful painkiller that with a large enough dose would have put Egypt’s last queen into a gentle sleep, rendering her oblivious to her death by suffocation. All’s well that ends well?

The researchers will present their full findings on Adventure Science, screened by German TV channel ZDF today at 10.15pm. The full documentary ‘Kleopatras Tod’ is available on the network’s website here. (It also contains some nice underwater footage from the excavations by Goddio, subject of the current exhibition ‘Cleopatra: the search for the Last Queen of Egypt‘.)

The Myth of a Serpent

But then why did the myth of suicide-by-snake become history?What does the snake symbolize? The documentarysuggeststhe Egyptian queen staged it all, a case of deliberate misinformation. After all, Cleopatra was constantly identified with snakes throughout her life: the snake was the emblem of the royal house of Egypt, as well as associated with the goddess Isis. A snake swallowing its own tail is a symbol of immortality, yet because of its poison is is also an omen of death. Quite appropriate a symbolic way to die, then?

Adding a sexual side to the Queen’s ‘brave’ suicide scene (and escape from capture) must have benefit Octavian as well: Cleopatra, the promiscuous queen, Egypt’s sex kitten, defeated by Octavian, restorer of Roman virtue. Contemporous historians must have decided Cleopatra was a serpent, of sinful nature, destroying two great Roman men, hypnotizing, poisoning and smothering them?

Nowadays, Cleopatra putting the viper to her breast just mainly makes for good TV and high viewing ratings. So, what’s your guess for the upcoming Cleopatra film? Will we see Angelina Jolie die by a toxic potion, by the hand of a vicious Roman or by snake? And if by snake (my guess), arm or breast? !

Cleopatra: The Search for the Last Queen of Egypt Opens at Franklin Institute, Philadelphia

Philadelphia’s Franklin Institute plays host to the world premiere of Cleopatra: The Search for the Last Queen of Egypt this Saturday (June 5). The exhibition, which runs until January 2 2011, promises to be a spectacular affair, combining over 150 artefacts relating to the famous queen, and visits the archaeology that is unearthing her amazing world day by day (click here for an interview with the Institute’s Troy Collins).

The show is organised by National Geographic, the same brains behind the Terracotta Warriors’ recent trip across North America. The exhibition’s showcase treasures include statues, jewellery and everyday items from Cleopatra’s fateful reign – here’s a quick list of the top artefacts:

Colossus of a Ptolemaic King: This huge red granite statue weighs in at 5.5 tons, and reaches a height of 16.5ft. The king in whose image it was created is unknown.

Colossal Head of Caesarion: Another large granite artefact, this time representing Caesarion, Cleopatra’s son who ruled with her from 44-30 BC. It is part of a statue which would have reached around 16ft in height.

Statue of a Ptolemaic Queen: this spooky statue is thought to represent either Cleopatra II or III, both of whom ruled Egypt during the mid-2nd century BC. Her most intriguing feature is her highly detailed hair, on which sits a diadem, or crown, emblazoned with the uraeus snake, symbol of Egypt. It’s one of many ancient treasures that have been pulled from the Bay of Aboukir, where Franck Goddio claims to have discovered the royal palace of Cleopatra.

Papyrus signed by Cleopatra:For me this seems the exhibition’s most fascinating artefact. For while the show’s other pieces are draped in grandeur and artistic splendour, this seemingly uninspiring tax exemption form was signed by none other than Cleopatra herself, apparently as a gesture of goodwill towards her Roman lover Mark Antony. Not only is it a glimpse into Cleopatra’s life, it’s also a rare insight into the daily bureaucracy of the ancient world.

Click To Watch Video

Search for the Tomb of Cleopatra (Featuring Dr. Kathleen Martinez)

Dr Kathleen Martinez, a young archaeologist from the Dominican Republic, has been excavating a site in Giza in the search for the tomb of Cleopatra.

CLICK TO WATCH

The exhibition’s artefacts may be spectacular enough, but just as intriguing is its collection of information and relics from the two highest-profile digs going on in search of Cleopatra. One is going on at Taposiris Magna, 30 miles west of Alexandria, led by Dominican archaeologist Kathleen Martinez (watch a video of the dig here).

The team is funded by Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities. Its chief, Dr Zahi Hawass, says the show gives a glimpse into the life of one of the world’s greatest characters. “This exhibition will give the American people the chance to learn about our search for Cleopatra, and will share with them the magic of this fascinating queen.”

Franck Goddio’s longstanding underwater search for Cleopatra will also be featured in the exhibition. Since 1992 Goddio and his team have been scouring the Mediterranean for remnants of the queen, and believe they have located her royal palace (click here for a list of the world’s top ten underwater cities). “We are delighted to present our underwater archaeological acheivements and discoveries…to the American public,” says Goddio.

Cleopatra (69-30 BC) was the last ruler of Egypt before it was taken by the Romans. Known as one of her era’s most beautiful women she won the hearts of two of Rome’s most powerful men – Julius Caesar and Mark Antony – before committing suicide when Egypt was finally lost. Following her death the Romans wiped out any trace of Cleopatra, making her one of the ancient world’s most enigmatic rulers.

Travel the Spice Route: Maps and Tips to Plan Your Trip

The ancient Spice Route (probably named as a result of the ancient Incense and Perfume routes) was an epic journey which initially began in Arabia, but eventually evolved to link Moluccas (the Indonesian Spice Islands) with Arabia and from there into Europe.

The route generally is believed to take in Malacca, Sri Lanka, and Kerala in India. At Kerela, it split into two, with one route to Europe going via Baghdad and the other Accra.

Arabia had the monopoly on the spice route for over 2000 years, and its said that both the Roman invasion of Persia in 24 BC and the discovery of America are partially attributed to Europeans wanting to break that monopoly.

The Spice route was initially an overland route but it later developed into a marine route. This resulted in Alexandria becoming a major port and the naming of its Pepper Gate entrance as a consequence.

Now I should imagine the route is predominately an airborne one, but visitors still go to these places, both for trade and holiday purposes.

Spices in Antiquity

The ancient Egyptians used spices in their embalming process as early as 3000 years BC and in 2600 BC, records indicate labourers building Cheops great pyramid were fed Asiatic spices to give them strength. Hatshepsut also brought aromatic herbs and spices back from Punt (modern Ethiopia/Eritrea).

Archaeological evidence in Syria suggest cloves, which could only be obtained from the Moluccas, were popular in Sumeria (circa 2400 BC) and there are even biblical references to the Spice route, with Joseph (he of the coat of many colours) being sold to a spice caravan by his brothers.

The Route in Arabia

Perhaps the Nabateans can be credited with developing the first spice routes circa 950 BC when they began trading with India and China using camel and donkey caravans. These early routes focused on getting incense, perfumes and other spices that could bypass the Persians then be sold to the Greeks.

This route began in the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula, where some of the finer perfume and spice plants were already being grown. The spices then travelled north, following a route parallel to the Red Sea. There are reportedly approximately 65 resting stations along this section.

At Dedan, in Northern Saudi Arabia, the route divided with one veering north eastward, towards Mesopotamia, and two others towards the sea. These second two deviations ultimately brought the perfume, spices and incense to the Nabatean capital, Petra; one continued inland directly to Petra while the other went southward to the port of Leuce Come, on the east shore of the Red Sea. From there this route continued by land to Petra.

Once in Petra, the route splits again with one route heading north to Damascus, and the other heading west. This western route went through Israel to Gaza and from there to Egypt or to Greece and Rome in Europe.

Buy Related Books

The Hemlock Cup: Socrates, Athens and the Search for the Good Life by Bettany Hughes

The Spice Route: A History by John Keay

Rome and the Distant East: Trade Routes to the Ancient Lands of Arabia, India and China by Raoul McLaughlin

There were two routes through Israel to Gaza; one taking in points at Moa, Mahaml, Avdat and Haluza and a secondary route via Hazeva, Mamshit (Mampsis) and Beersheba. This has been approved, recognised and acknowledged as the World Heritage Perfume Route by UNESCO since 2005.

Places to Visit

Travel in Saudi Arabia is can be difficult, particularly for single women, so perhaps its best to start at Petra. This magnificent rock city was the main point for spices arriving from the Far East and I assume, it was here traders would decide on what was to follow the northern or western routes.

There are specialist operators offering tours which take in the points of the Spice route in Israel and Jordan. Given the terrain and location of some of these sites, many of these tours, are done predominantly in 4x4s and involve camping (or glamping if you’re lucky). Along the route, as well as major towns, you can see the ruins of stopping stations for the camel trains, (known as caravanserais or kahns) as well as army outposts usually built on hills to protect the caravans with their valuable cargos.

Route via Moa, Avdat, Shivta and Halutza

Although the ruins at Moa, Katzera and Ein Saharonim are minimal, the surrounding scenery is stunning. You can often get glimpses of desert wildlife at Ein Saharonim which boasts of being the deepest point in the Ramon Crater.

For more substantial remains, Avdat is definitely worth a visit. Situated 650m above sea level, some of its impressive structures include walls, pillars and Roman baths, Shivta has impressive arches and other structural remains.

Quite a few of the structures in Halutza were destroyed at the end of the Ottoman period, but you can still see walls and building remains.

Route via Hazeva, Mamshit (Mampsis) and Beersheba

Although Mamshit was quite a small city, it is one of the best preserved in the area.It has a bath house, and mosaics can be seen in the church.

Sometimes known as the capital of the Negev, Beersheba is a vibrant modern city. Excavations of the remains of ancient Beersheba began in earnest in the late 1960s and visitors can now see well preserved buildings such as houses, stables (or storehouses) and an altar.

Although it would be nice to visit the final part of the Spice route in Israel, currently the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office advices against travel in Gaza.

New Statue Discovered at Taposiris Magna Possibly Ptolemy IV

Kathleen Martinez and Dr Zahi Hawass at the Taposiris Magna dig Archaeologists excavating at Taposiris Magna, 45 km west of Alexandria, have discovered a huge headless granite statue of an as yet unidentified Ptolemaic king, and the original gate to the temple one of fourteen temples said to contain a piece of the god Osiriss body.

The monumental sculpture, which is a traditional image of an ancient Egyptian pharaoh wearing collar and kilt, could represent Ptolemy IV, the pharaoh who constructed the Taposiris Magna temple. In a statement issued by the SCA, Dr Zahi Hawass says that the statue is very well preserved and might be one of the most beautiful statues carved in the ancient Egyptian style.

The joint Egyptian-Dominican team working at Taposiris Magna discovered the temple’s original gate, located on its western side. In pharaonic Egypt the temple was named Per-Usir, meaning ‘A place of Osiris’. When the god Seth killed Osiris, he cut him into fourteen pieces and threw them all over Egypt. This temple (there are 13 more, spread over Upper and Lower Egypt) contained one piece of the god’s body.

Click the images for a larger version.

The team also found limestone foundation stones, which would once have lined the entrance to the temple. One of the foundations, explained Hawass, bears traces indicating that the entrance was lined with a series of Sphinx statues similar to those of the pharaonic era.

The team, led by Kathleen Martinez, began excavations in Taposiris Magna five years ago in an attempt to locate the tomb of the well-known lovers, Queen Cleopatra VII and Mark Antony. There is some evidence that suggests that Egypt’s last Queen might not be buried inside the tomb built beside her royal palace, which is now under the eastern harbour of Alexandria.

Click To Watch Video

Zahi Hawass – The Search for Antony and Cleopatra

Join Zahi Hawass at the temple of Taposiris Magna near Alexandria, where he and Dominican scholar Kathleen Martinez are searching for the tomb of Cleopatra and Mark Antony!

CLICK TO WATCH

Dr Hawass has already hailed the dig as a success, whatever the outcome: If we discover the tomb… it will be the most important discovery of the 21st century. If we do not discover the tomb… we made major discoveries here, inside the temple and outside the temple.”

Dr Hawass pointed out that in the past five years the mission has discovered a collection of headless royal statues, which may have been subjected to destruction during the Byzantine and Christian eras. A collection of heads featuring Queen Cleopatra was also uncovered along with 24 metal coins bearing Cleopatras face.

Behind the temple, a necropolis was discovered, containing many Greco-Roman style mummies. Early investigations, said Dr Hawass, show that the mummies were buried with their faces turned towards the temple, which means it is likely the temple contained the burial of a significant royal personality, possibly Cleopatra VII.

Bettany Hughes’ TV Tour of the Ancient World Starts on More4

Bettany Hughes will be presenting a series of documentaries as part of More4's Ancient World season. Image Copyright - Channel 4. Channel 4’s digital channel More4 has kicked off a juicy seven-week series of documentaries fronted by historian Bettany Hughes. The Ancient World began on Wednesday 24 March with a new film about Alexandria, the city founded by Alexander the Great in 332BC. Hughes travelled to Egypt in search of the city’s ancient origins, delved beneath the streets and explored the sunken ruins that are all that remain of what was once the largest city in the world.

Alexandria is one of the world’s greatest ancient cities. It’s a hugely fascinating place and a topic ripe for exploration. For centuries it was a centre of science and learning. Its lighthouse was once one of the SevenWonders of the World (see if you can pinpoint where the others are in this fun online game), and was even taller than the Great Pyramid.

As Hughes explains in her film, Alexandrian scientists were the first to accurately chart the movements of the planets and suggest that the Earth travelled around the sun. They measured the circumference of the Earth using nothing more than pure mathematical theory and a bunch of sticks, and developed the astrolabe, which interpreted the movements of the stars for navigation.

The cast of characters in the documentary reads like a whos who of the ancient world, from famous figures such as Julius Caesar and Cleopatra, to the Greek general Ptolemy and the female mathematician and philosopher Hypatia played by Rachel Weisz in the upcoming feature film Agora, which also charts the rise of St Cyril and the eventual downfall of Alexandria, culminating in the destruction of its legendary library.

Bettany Hughes – The Face of TV History

The<br /> Minoans is a 2004 series also presented by Bettany Hughes. Image<br /> Copyright - Channel 4.

Channel 4/More4 excel at these types of documentaries and Bettany Hughes has emerged in recent years as the face of ancient world programming. Previous credits include The Seven Ages of Britain, which screened on Channel 4 in 2003.

Oxford-educated Hughes is currently a research fellow at Kings College London. Her enthusiastic and thoughtful presenting style makes her an ideal tour guide to the ancient world (her brother, incidentally, is TV cricket pundit Simon Hughes who brings a similarly insightful perspective to his field of interest).

The Ancient World is more a season, rather than a series. If you havent caught Bettany Hughess programmes before, it helpfully brings them together for the first time. The run includes her 2004 series The Minoans, charting the history of Bronze Age society on Crete, and her 2005 film Helen of Troy, which accompanied her critically acclaimed book of the same name.

Fans of the bloody sword-and-sandals caper 300, starring Gerard Butler, might also want to check out Hughess three-part film The Spartans. Director Zack Snyder has cited this documentary as a key inspiration for 300, and Hughes was interviewed for the making of feature on the 300 DVD.

Other programmes in the Ancient World Season include Athens: The Truth about Democracy and When the Moors Ruled in Europe, covering Islamic rule in Spain and Portugal.

In total, the seven-week season spans around 3,000 years of history no mean feat for one historian and constitutes pretty much required viewed for anyone with a passing interest in the ancient world. Which, if youre reading this, is probably you…

The Ancient World Episodes and Broadcast Dates:

24 March – Alexandria: The Greatest City
31 March – Engineering Ancient Egypt
7 April – The Minoans
14 April – Helen of Troy
21 April – The Spartans (three-part series)
28 April – Athens: The Truth About Democracy (two-part series)
5 May – When the Moors Ruled in Europe

Let us know in the comment box below what you think of the series as it progresses, and check our publications section for more books and DVDs about the ancient world. If you’d like to review these programmes or any books or films for us, contact us and let us know.

You can also join our debate about edutainment, and take part in our Bloggers Challenge on the subject of sex, guns and education (do you need the first two to persuade kids to engage in the latter?)

Queen Berenike’s Bastet Temple Discovered in Alexandria

Ptolomeic Cat Statue discovered at Queen Berenike Temple The remains of a temple of Queen Berenike – wife of King Ptolemy III – have been discovered by archaeologists in Alexandria, Egypt. Dr. Zahi Hawass said the remains discovered are 60 meters by 15 meters, and extend under Ismail Fahmy street. About 600 Ptolemaic statues – amongst which are beautiful depictions of the cat goddess Bastet – were also unearthed.

Dr. Mohamed Abdel Maqsoud, Head of Antiquities of Lower Egypt, said that the mission excavating at Kom el Dikka on property of the Alexandria Security Forces included 18 skilled excavators and restorers. The large collection of Bastet statues indicates that the temple was dedicated to her.

The Bastet statues were unearthed in three different areas of the site, alongside other limestone statues of unidentified women and children. Clay pots and bronze and faience statues of different ancient Egyptian deities have also been uncovered, as have terracotta statues of the gods Harpocrates and Ptah.

Head of a statue from the Ptolemaic era, one of more than 600 statues discovered at the excavation site in Alexandria. Early studies on site revealed that the temples foundation can be dated to the reign of Queen Berenice – the wife of King Ptolemy III Euergetes (246-222 BC) – making this the first Ptolemaic temple discovered in Alexandria to be dedicated to Bastet. It also indicates that her worship continued in Egypt after the decline of the ancient Egyptian era.

Bastet originally took the form of a lion and protected the king during battle. However the Greek rulers of the Ptolemaic Dynasty associated her instead with their own Artemis, changing her appearance to that of a cat and calling her Ailuros, a lunar goddess.

The temple is thought to have been destroyed in later eras when it was put to use as a quarry, which lead to the disappearence of most of its stone blocks.

The inscribed base of a granite statue from the reign of King Ptolemy IV (205-222 BC) was also unearthed. It bears ancient Greek text written in nine lines stating that the statue belonged to a top official in the Ptolemaic court. Dr. Maqsoud claims the base was made to celebrate Egypts victory over the Greeks during the Battle of Raphia in 217 BC.

A Roman water cistern, a group of 14 meter-deep water wells, stone water channels, the remains of a bath area and a large number of clay pots and sherds that can be dated to the 4th century BC were also uncovered.

According to Dr Maqsoud, it is very possible that this find – made during routine excavations at the Kom el Dikka area – is the first trace of the real location of Alexandria’s royal quarter.

Egypt Lifts Cleopatra Temple Pillar From Sunken Palace at Alexandria

Alexandria Colon

A huge granite block, believed to be part of a temple belonging to Egyptian queen Cleopatra, has been lifted from the sea at Alexandria. The nine-tonne stone, quarried in Aswan some 700 miles south of the city, is expected to be transported to a new museum celebrating the sunken city.

The block is thought to have been the pillar of a temple to Isis at Cleopatra’s palace. Alexandria became a centre of commerce and education during antiquity, but was razed by a 4th century AD earthquake. The stone is one of a series of underwater discoveries made by the Greek archaeological team which has scoured the area since 1998. Sphinxes and fragments of the city’s fabled Pharos, or lighthouse, one of the seven wonders of the world, are among the team’s other coups.

The act of retrieving the relic has been an unenviable mission. First divers spent weeks cleaning it of mud and scum, before dragging it across the seabed for three days. A crane then carried out the lifting process, after which it was put on a lorry for transportation to a huge freshwater tank, where it will stay until all the corrosive salt on it is removed.

VIDEO: Search for the Tomb of Cleopatra (Featuring Dr. Kathleen Martinez)

“This is one of the most important archaeological finds in Alexandria, among the 400 items recovered by the Greek archaeological team that has been engaged in underwater research since 1998,” says Egyptian Culture Minister Farouk Hosni. Antiquities chief Zahi Hawass has stressed the find’s importance: “We believe it was part of the complex surrounding Cleopatra’s palace,” he tells the Associated Press. “This is an important part of Alexandria’s history and it brings us closer to knowing more about the ancient city.”

The life of Cleopatra is slowly being brought to light by a number of high-profile digs in and around Alexandria. As well as the Greek project, Dominican explorer Kathleen Martinez hopes to find the last queen’s tomb at Taposiris Magna, a small suburb. And while Cleopatra may not cause the kind of hysterical interest as King Tut across the world, an upcoming US tour of her treasures is sure to give her profile a boom.

Interview: Troy Collins of the Franklin Institute on its Upcoming Cleopatra Exhibition

Next June, Cleopatra comes to Philadelphia. Not content with staging the most attended exhibition in American history, Tutankhamun And The Golden Age of The Pharaohs, the city’s Franklin Institute will play host to a world of treasures from the palaces, cities and monuments of the last queen of Egypt, entitled Cleopatra: The Search for the Last Queen of Egypt. One of the biggest characters of the ancient world, Cleopatra stole the hearts and minds of leaders, and oversaw her 3000-year-old empire’s destruction.

With excavations for her tomb (watch the video) ongoing at Taposiris Magna, can Cleopatra capture the American public like King Tut continues to? What is America’s fascination with Egypt, and how difficult is it to bring some of the empire’s freshest artefacts across the Atlantic? Heritage Key speaks to Troy Collins, the museum’s Marketing Senior VicePresident, about the upcoming show.

HK: How long has the concept of the Cleopatra exhibition been in the pipeline?

TC: This idea has been in the hopper for at least the last 24 months.

HK: How did it begin?

TC: It’s interesting because the conglomeration that is making up the producing group, and that includes American Exhibitions International, the Egyptian government and Zahi Hawass, National Geographic and now this French underwater explorer called Franck Goddio, really came together. And because of our success in premiring the King Tut exhibit and still maintaining the world attendance record for that exhibition we were the first organisation they approached when they had the concept in terms of launching this tour.

The exhibition from a storyline standpoint is beginning to take place, and it really focuses on Cleopatra herself, her beauty, the legend behind her history. And then it expands into the stories of Alexandria then, and recovering the ruins of Alexandria now as well as several underwater cities and ruins and artefacts that have been recovered from those underwater sites in the bay. Then it further goes on to talk about the search for the tomb, how that’s going, how it’s done and all the mysteries that surround that search. And an actual dig site for the little ones who will be touring the exhibition.

HK: How easy has it been to liaise with the Egyptian authorities?

TC:You know what they’ve been wonderful people, they’ve been wonderful partners. Everybody has their ways of doing business. We tried to experiment with King Tut in 2007 and it worked out beautifully, and we’re thrilled to be partners with the same folks again because we know we’re going to get a quality product, a beautiful product and a historically and culturally significant product. And we know that our audiences here will greatly appreciate it when we bring it.

HK: How did the Franklin Institute first get involved with King Tut? It’s not a traditionally ancient history-based museum.

TC: Traditionally we’re a science museum. However, we’re the most visited museum in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania here in the United States, and we feel an obligation to do two things: one is to inspire the learning of science and technology, and certainly bringing in an ancient history exhibit and developing scientific concepts and interactives that show the progression of science is within the scope of our mission. And secondly, as the most visited museum in Pennsylvania it’s really our duty to provide a forum for these types of exhibitions. We’re one of the few museums with the physical means to do that.

HK: Were you surprised with the attendance for the King Tut exhibit?

TC:I wasn’t here then but I know we expected big things out of it. But I think I’d be speaking in turn when I say I think everyone was very pleased how well the exhibition ended up doing. So when you look at the statistics there its 1.2million people coming to the King Tut exhibit, and for the museum in total visitation was about 1.7million so everybody was very very happy!

HK: Why do you think America is so besotted with Ancient Egypt?

TC: We do a lot of focus groups and audience testing, and there are some timeless topics that exist and Egypt continues to be one of them. Especially when you look at a nation that’s only 200-and-something years old, compared with Europe and Asia which have such a deeper history, Egypt has always held a mystique here. The creation of the pyramids, the ancient history, its ties to Biblical history there’s a lot of fascination. And there’s simply a thirst for more knowledge.

HK: Do you ever see it dissipating?

TC: I don’t see it dying down. It has been part of American culture and American pop culture, in television and motion pictures for generations now. And I think with each new generation of children especially if ancient history is covered in their curriculum, people will continue to find it fascinating and mysterious. If we can get young people engaged in that interest and get them passionate about learning, then we’re happy to do that.

HK: Do you think Cleopatra can bring in the same crowds as King Tut?

TC: I don’t know and we’re still in the process of developing our audience expectations. I don’t know if it will perform at the level of King Tut, but we certainly expect an extremely strong show.

HK: What is the draw with Cleopatra?

TC: It’s the mystique, it’s the legend, it’s her beauty, it’s her history, it’s the story with Antony, it’s the story of what the Roman Empire did following her reign that was so different than what happened after King Tut’s death. It’s all of those factors intertwined.

HK: There are still quite a few projects ongoing at Alexandria and Taposiris Magna. Have you got any contingency plans if something springs up between now and exhibition time?

TC: In terms of something going wrong? Or something going right?

HK: Something going right!

TC: Yes, we’ve thought about it. And unlike King Tut, where the expectation was the majority of the artefacts would be found in a single location, we all know that the expectation here is not that, and that the search is a lot more challenging and could go on for a very long time. So listen we’re keeping our fingers crossed! And we’re prepared to implement any surprise discoveries that might be found. But on the other hand we’re also being practical and saying the likelihood of that happening is not great.

HK: Do you hope this and King Tut will get the ball rolling with the Franklin presenting the ancient world to the city’s people?

TC: Absolutely. And in many ways that’s continued: we had an exhibition here which was another worldwide premiere of Galileo’s equipment, where once again we were able to tie ancient history to science.

HK: Many of the Tutankhamun treasures have been held back this time around because Egypt says they’re too fragile to travel. Do you think it’s bad for world heritage, or do you think it’s good that they are staying in their home country?

TC: Listen I’m not the Egyptian government or Zahi. And as someone who isn’t an expert on these artefacts I would certainly say it’s the Egyptian government’s right to do what’s best to protect that material. On the other hand, regardless of the reason, yes it is a shame that other people won’t be exposed to those objects. But there could be very good reasons I’m not familiar with. And obviously their care, protecting and stewardship is paramount.

Google Earth Tour: Great Cities of the Ancient World

After Heritage Key’s recent video interview with John Julius Norwich on his new book “The Great Cities in History” (which you should definately watch here) I wrote an article looking at the greatest ancient cities that Lord Norwich selected. With cities across the globe and ranging from the Greeks and Romans, to the Egyptians and Muslims, as far as the Indus Valley and Chinese to the Mayan Civilisation. The city is very much an ancient concept, but one which our society relies upon today in order to maintain a place of power, culture and trade.

The earliest cities were based on sites near rivers where transportation and trade would be easiest, without having to combat the rough waters of the sea. Agriculture was also a key factor in the growth of cities, as farm workers congregated together to work the land in larger groups. The adoption of religion and the birth of social structures came about with the spread of the city, and soon came the need for defences and stores.

An ideal way to see the various world cities would be through Google Earth, which brings together satellite images from around the world in a 3D form to be able to see the position and general look of these city sites today. Although the images aren’t as high resolution as the GeoEye satellite imagery that Heritage Key is showcasing of Giza and Leptis Magna, it certainly does give you a good idea of these sites and the context in which they were born in.

The Google Earth Tour below shows 3D models and locations of the amazing ancient cities picked out in Lord Norwich’s book, in a flyover which will take you across the continents and zoom in on these magnificent structures.

VIDEO: John Julius Norwich on the Great Cities in History

To open webpages in a new window, right click the link in the information window and select “Open link in new window”. This will enable you to view the link in a full web browser.

You can also download this tour to your computer by clicking here, selecting “Save” and then running the file. It will automatically open Google Earth and begin the Heritage Key: Pyramids of the World tour.

Have a look through our Google Earth Tours too to experience more flythrough tours of world heritage sites!

Digging for Cleopatra’s Tomb at Taposiris Magna

It’s the most exciting project in Egypt, and one that’s captured the hearts and minds of people all over the world: could Kathleen Martinez have discovered the tomb of Cleopatra? The Dominican expert certainly thinks so, and tells Heritage Key all about it in this special video.

A Long Route to Egypt

It has taken Dr Martinez ten years to convince herself Taposiris Magna, just outside Alexandria, is the famous queen’s final resting place. And she knew from the off she had to get out in the field herself to have any chance of finding the tomb. “I needed to come to Egypt…to see the remains of this temple, to be sure that it has the possibility of being the lost tomb of Cleopatra.”

“This is the perfect place for the tomb of Cleopatra.”

Yet Martinez thought she had no chance of securing a spot in the field until she got a letter from Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, headed by Dr Zahi Hawass (watch the fascinating video about the project with Dr Hawass here) “They would give me two months only to prove my theory,” says Martinez. “In archaeology, two months is nothing.” The race was on: could Martinez capture her holy grail, and find the tomb of Egypt’s last queen?

Time Running Out

Coins Found in the Temple of Taposiris Magna. Image Credit - Supreme Council of Antiquities. Almost two months in the project seemed doomed to failure. But just as things were coming to a close, Martinez’ team hit gold. Tunnels were found, which would eventually reach a depth of 35m. They’re still being cleaned today, after Dr Hawass granted Martinez another season to prove her claim. To date the team’s biggest find has been a cemetery outside the temple, “which is the proof that in this area there is a royal tomb,” Martinez says excitedly.

Martinez feels a sense of responsibility for finding Cleopatra, an ancient character long draped in romance and legend. “If there’s a one per cent chance that the last queen of Egypt could be buried there, it is my duty to search for her.” So far the team has unearthed a huge number of Greco-Roman artefacts, including coins with Cleopatra‘s head on them. Dr Hawass has already hailed the dig as a success, whatever its outcome: “If we discover the tomb…it will be the most important discovery of the 21st century. If we do not discover the tomb…we made major discoveries here, inside the temple and outside the temple.”

A World-changing Discovery?

Martinez is captivating, and her passion for the discovery is clear to see. She knows this could be one of the world’s greatest discoveries, and a smile beams across her face. “We have changed forever what they know about funerary temples. This is the perfect place for the tomb of Cleopatra.”

HDVideo: Search for the Tomb of Cleopatra (Featuring Dr. Kathleen Martinez)

What do you think will happen at Taposiris Magna? Is it the perfect place to find Cleopatra? And what about Mark Antony – was he buried with his great love? Have your say, either via the , our contact page or by emailing me direct. You can watch a whole host of great videos here at Heritage Key – from the perils of Venice to the lost tombs of Thebes. Catch us here or on YouTube.