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Egyptian archaeologists hope to discover the tomb of Cleopatra and Marc Antony

Egypt to search 3 sites for Cleopatra's tomb http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/15/AR2009041501087.html Cleopatra bust among treasures found in Egypt temple http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/05/080530-antony-cleopatra_2.html Coin shows Cleopatra's ugly truth http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/tyne/6357311.stm Found: the sister Cleopatra killed http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article5908494.ece Dr. Zahi Hawass's blog http://drhawass.com/blogs/zahi-hawass Supreme Council of the Antiquities http://www.museumsector.gov.eg/ Pyramid Challenge http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/egyptians/launch_gms_pyramid_builder.shtml Antony and Cleopatra - Fact or Fiction http://www.biography.com/video.do?name=weboriginals&bcpid=1811456834&bclid=1407950740&bctid=1453535908 A team of archaeologists believes that they are on the verge of locating the burial site of the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra and her Roman consort, Marc Antony. According to the roman historian Plutarch, Cleopatra and Marc Antony were buried together after they both committed suicide, Antony with a sword and Cleopatra with poison, after the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Actium in 30 BC. The team, led by Dr. Zahi Hawass, the head of Egypt's Council of Antiquities, has been excavating at the temple of Taposiris Manga for three years near the Egyptian city of Alexandria. They have already found 22 coins with the image of Cleopatra, two statues of Cleopatra, another statue of a king and tunnels that show that the temple was used for burial. The most important discovery was a large cemetery with over 20 tombs, one with 10 mummies covered in gold. The discovery of the tombs around the temple is especially important because this can signal that important persons are buried inside the temple. Kathleen Martinez, who leads the archaeological team from the Dominican Republic also working on the site, has found three sites near the temple where she believes Antony and Cleopatra could be buried. Using radar, the teams found a number of deep shafts inside the temple, three of which are believed to have been used for burials. Dr. Hawass is excited about the prospects and believes that, should the tomb of Antony and Cleopatra be found, it "will be the most important discovery of the 21st century." Dr. Hawass also states that the coins found at the site bearing the likeness of Cleopatra reveal that she was a beauty and contradict a study by a British University team, which contended that Cleopatra was ugly and had a crooked nose, "The finds from Taposiris reflect a charm...and indicate that Cleopatra was in no way unattractive." The first link will take visitors to a piece from the Washington Post that discusses the plan to search the Taposiris temple for Antony and Cleopatra's tomb. The second link leads to a National Geographic article about some of the earlier finds at the temple, including a bust of Cleopatra and a mask believed to be Marc Antony's. The third link leads to a BBC news article that discusses the research performed on Egyptian coins at Newcastle University, which claims to demonstrate that Cleopatra's charms did not depend on her beauty. The fourth link will take visitors to an article from The Times, which discusses the find by archaeologists and forensic experts in Turkey, of Cleopatra's sister Arsinöe. If you are interested in staying up-to-date on Dr. Hawass's progress, the fifth link will take you to his blog which provides updates on the dig at the Taposiris temple as well as other important news and updates on all things Ancient Egypt. Think you could build a royal burial site? The sixth link will let you have a go at it using the BBC's Pyramid Challenge game. The last link leads to a short video from the Biography Channel about the facts and fiction surrounding Antony and Cleopatra.
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Date Issued
April 17th, 2009
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Date of Scout Publication
April 17th, 2009
Date Of Record Creation
April 17th, 2009 at 9:20am
Date Of Record Release
April 17th, 2009 at 10:25am
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