“The excavations revealed a huge religious center with three sanctuaries, a sacred lake, more than 1,500 objects, busts, statues, gold pieces, a huge collection of coins depicting Alexander the Great, Queen Cleopatra and the Ptolemies,” Martinez told CNN.
Kathleen Martinez discovered a tunnel that could lead to a lost tomb. Credit: Kathleen Martinez-Nazar/Taposiris Magna Project
“The most interesting discovery is the complex of tunnels and sunken buildings leading to the Mediterranean Sea,” he added. Exploring these underwater structures will be the next phase of his search for the lost tomb of an Egyptian queen – a journey that began in 2005.
“My persistence cannot be confused with obsession. I admire Cleopatra as a historical figure. She was a victim of Roman propaganda to distort her image,” Martinez said.
“She was an educated woman, probably the first woman to receive a formal education at the Museum in Alexandria,” according to Martinez, who admired Cleopatra as a student, linguist, mother and philosopher.
When her husband, the Roman general Mark Antony, died in her arms in 30 BC, Cleopatra killed herself shortly after, popularly believed, by letting an asp bite her. The moment has been immortalized in art and literature, but more than two thousand years later, little is known about the whereabouts of their remains.
Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra and Richard Burton as Mark Antony. Credit: Twentieth Century Fox
A number of clues led Martinez to believe that Cleopatra’s tomb might be in the Temple of Osiris at the ruined city of Taposiris Magna on Egypt’s north coast, where the Nile River meets the Mediterranean Sea.
The most important among them was the name itself. According to Martinez, Cleopatra was considered “the human incarnation of the goddess Isis” in her time, as Antony was considered the person of the god Orisis, the husband of Isis.
Martinez believes that Cleopatra may have chosen to bury her husband in the temple to reflect this myth. Of all the 20 temples around Alexandria he studied, Martinez said, “no site, structure or temple incorporates as many amenities as the temple of Taposiris Magna.”
More than 1,500 ancient objects have been discovered during the excavations so far. Credit: Egyptian Ministry of Tourism
In 2004, Martinez took his theory to Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass, who was then Egypt’s minister of antiquities. His project was approved a year later.
After years of searching, Martinez feels he’s getting closer.
Excavations so far have revealed a “temple dedicated to Isis,” which Martinez believes is another sign that the lost tomb is nearby, as well as tunnels under the sea.
The search for the lost tomb took Martinez to the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea. Credit: Kathleen Martinez-Nazar/Taposiris Magna Project
Martinez said that now he is “at the beginning of a new journey” – underwater excavations.
According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the Egyptian coastline has been affected by earthquakes for centuries, causing some parts of the Tamposiris Magna River to collapse and sink under the waves.
That’s where Martinez and his team are looking next. Although “it’s too early to know where these tunnels lead,” he is optimistic.
If the tunnels lead to Cleopatra, “it will be the most important discovery of the century,” he said.
