14 DAY TRIAL // Egypt’s Superior Council for Antiquities Director Zahi Hawass announced on Wednesday that a team of Egyptian archaeologists would start excavations on a new location near the ancient city of Alexandria, where they believed the bodies of the pharaoh Cleopatra and her consort Mark Antony were entombed. The couple left a huge mark on the history of the country, and their demise signified the fall of the 300-year-long Greek pharaoh dynasty in Egypt.
According to the announcement, the couple might have been buried in an intricate and complex tunnel system, located beneath the Tabusiris Magna temple, some 17 miles away from Alexandria. The new sites were not found by investigators per se, but uncovered via a series of radar scans on the region. The archeology team will start the digs next week, at three different points in the underground structure, in hopes that at least one of the tunnels leads to a burial chamber.
If they are successful, the expedition members could finally unravel at least some of the mystery surrounding the famous couple, which has been likened to an ancient version of Romeo and Juliet. Old texts say that Cleopatra was one of the most beautiful women in the world and that she committed suicide together with Mark Antony. She was reportedly bitten by an asp, while her consort had previously stabbed himself in the belly with a sword. He is said to have eventually died from his wound.
Times Online reports that recent excavations at a site nearby revealed a large number of artifacts dating back to the first half of the first century BC, including a statue of Aphrodite, an alabaster head of a statue believed to have belonged to Cleopatra, about two dozen coins bearing her markings, as well as a mask that archaeologists say could have belonged to Mark Antony. In addition, ten mummies belonging to high-rank nobles were also found, which strengthened assumptions that the couple might be buried close by.
Not everyone shares the expert's enthusiasm. University of Oxford Professor of Egyptology John Baines shares that it's doubtful that Mark Antony be buried alongside his consort. “It’s unlikely Mark Antony would have a tomb that anyone would be able to discover because he was the enemy at the time he died.” Dr. Hawass replies that, “This is our theory. Others may disagree, but we are searching to see if we can prove it.”