Tag: Kathleen Martinez

New Statue Discovered at Taposiris Magna Possibly Ptolemy IV

Kathleen Martinez and Dr Zahi Hawass at the Taposiris Magna digArchaeologists 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!

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.

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.

“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

At the Franklin for Tut

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?

DSC05527-AlexandriaTC: 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.

Pharaoh hatsTC: 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?

Cleopatra CloserTC: 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.

Cleopatra Comes to Philadelphia (Well, some of her Treasures)

Alexandria, Egypt (2007-05-057)

Just as Cleopatra’s tomb could be discovered at Taposiris Magna, some of her greatest treasures will be winging their way to the States. Next June Cleopatra: The Search for the Last Queen of Egypt will be showcased at Philadelphia’s Franklin Institute for six months, before heading to three other US cities on a massive tour.

The exhibition will bring together some of the best-known artefacts and freshest discoveries from Cleopatra’s city of Alexandria.

The Institute’s senior vice president of marketing, programs and business development Troy Collins says the show’s treasures are coming from two major sources: “Land sources from the famous explorer Zahi Hawass, as well as some new outstanding and visually stunning objects that have been recovered from under the Bay of Alexandria by explorer Franck Goddio.”

The show will highlight objects found found above and below water in and around Alexandria

Dr Hawass and Dominican expert Kathleen Martinez‘ search for Cleopatra’s tomb will be featured at the exhibition. You can see two videos on the ongoing saga here: an interview with Dr Hawass and a look at the pioneering dig with Dr Martinez. The Institute is no stranger to blockbuster Egyptian exhibitions, having been home to Tutankhamun And The Golden Age of The Pharaohs in summer 2007. King Tut’s relics are still touring north America, visiting Toronto on the latest leg of their journey.

French underwater archaeologist Goddio made headlines by discovering Cleopatra’s palace, and two sunken cities lost beneath the Mediterranean, in 1996. Cleopatra is one of the ancient world’s most enigmatic characters, ruling Egypt from 51-30 BC. Her reign ended in disaster, when Egypt was swallowed up by the Roman Empire.

Look out for an interview with Troy Collins on the treasures of Cleopatra, coming soon to Heritage Key!

Digging for Cleopatra’s Tomb at Taposiris Magna

Dr Kathleen Martinez's is leading an excavation to find the Tomb of Cleopatra. Click image to skip to the video.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.