Where is Cleopatra?
Understanding Cleopatra
Cleopatra ‘father-loving goddess’; was born 70/69 BC. Cleopatra was born in Egypt, but she was not Egyptian. She was actually Macedonian but still became the ruler of Egypt at age 18. She was an absolute monarch who ruled for almost three decades and was the last active Pharaoh of Egypt. Cleopatra was highly intelligent who knew several languages including Greek, Arabic, and Hebrew. She fought in the war of Actium, a civil war in the Roman Republic and was a rare female admiral.
The Death of Cleopatra (TW: suicide)
In 30 BC it is believed that Cleopatra killed herself. But what lead to this suicide?
Cleopatra’s forces were defeated by Octavian. who would later become the first Roman emperor, Augustus. Cleopatra was paraded through the streets of Rome as a prisoner in triumph of celebrating the Octavion’s victory. To avoid being a prisoner and possible torture and death she chooses suicide.
The most popular death we know for her is the Snake Bite. Cleopatra uses an asp (venomous snake also know also Egyptian Cobra) to poison and kill herself. This story is actually very similar to Romeo and Juliet. Mark Antony allied himself with the Egyptian queen Cleopatra against Octavian, as they were in love and both committied suicide in 30 BC after losing the Battle of Actium to Octavian. Antony stabbed himself in the stomach with a sword and was carried into Cleopatra’s tomb, where he told her he would die honorably.
Some say she could have used a cocktail of drugs, applied a toxic ointment, or even used a sharp pin covered in poison. Another theory is Cleopatra may have been poisoned by Octavian and/or his men.
Where Is Cleopatra Now?
Cleopatra is said to have declared that “No man would find my tomb.”
Like we discussed earlier, Cleopatra was extremely smart. So, her hiding her tomb is not unexpected. People often did this to avoid rape, robbery, and to not be disturbed in the afterlife.
Even in 2025 Cleopatra has never been discovered. But a huge breakthrough thanks to Kathleen Martinez an archaeologist who has been searching for her tomb for decades.
“Cleopatra outsmarted everyone,” says archeologist who has devoted her life to finding the ancient queen. In 2022 Dr. Kathleen Martinez’s biggest breakthrough as discovering a 4,281 fot tunnel; beneath the egyptian temple. The tunnel was discovered 43 feet underground and is 2 meters tall and is made from sandstone. This tunnel leads to the Mediterranean Sea and sunken structures. Martinez also found a half-length statue of a king wearing the Nemes headdress, 337 coins, many featuring Queen Cleopatra VII’s image, alongside ritual pottery, oil lamps, limestone containers, bronze statues, a scarab amulet inscribed with “The justice of Ra has arisen” and an array of other artifacts. It’s believed the tunnel will lead to the final resting place of the Egyptian queen — a hidden tomb where she is assumed to have been buried with ill-fated lover Mark Antony after their suicides. Martinez and her team plan to continue examining the site with underwater excavations.
