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Author Topic: Tomb of Cleopatra & Antony to be discovered soon?  (Read 2043 times)

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Bohemond

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Tomb of Cleopatra & Antony to be discovered soon?
« on: August 18, 2006, 01:46:34 am »
First Tut, now Cleo in Dr Zahi's sights
August 17 2006 at 03:59PM 
By Shaun Smillie


In little over two months, famed Egyptologist Dr Zahi Hawass hopes to unearth the discovery of his lifetime: the tomb of one of history's greatest women, Cleopatra.

The celebrity archaeologist, who is on a whistle stop lecture tour of South Africa, said that "the discovery would even be bigger than that of King Tut".

Hawass told The Star on Wednesday that he suspects Cleopatra is buried with her Roman lover Mark Antony at a temple 30km from Alexandra called Tabusiris Magna.

This is Hawass's first visit to SA
"I believe it is a very sacred place and this is where they would have hidden Cleopatra and Marc Antony from Octavian," Hawass explained.

Access to the tomb, Hawass believes, is through a shaft. Previously he had descended 35m down the shaft but could get no further because of water.

"It has a high water table but I plan to go back in October," Hawass said.

Some of the clues that point to the tomb belonging to Cleopatra are a coin bearing her face and a statute. Cleopatra and Mark Antony committed suicide as the Roman leader Octavian hunted them in Egypt, in 30BC.

South Africans, particularly those with DSTV, would probably recognise Hawass as that Egyptologist who endlessly appears on documentaries wearing that Indiana Jones-styled hat.

But the Zahi Hawass who appeared in the Wits Great Hall cut a different figure... he was dressed in a charcoal suit.

This is Hawass's first visit to SA and he took the opportunity to introduce the audience to "adventure in archaeology", a slide show tour of some of his discoveries of Egypt.

"You know that 70 percent of Egypt's treasures still need to be uncovered," he said.

Some of these archaeological treasures, Hawass said, actually lie under the streets and houses of Cairo. His lecture also touched on how he organised a CT scan to be done of King Tutankhamun's mummy.

For years scientists have speculated whether the boy king was murdered. The project, which took place at the Valley of the Kings, had even Hawass wondering at one stage if the Curse of King Tut had returned. Unexplained power failures had workers fearing for their lives.

The results of the CT scan, believes Hawass, put to bed the theory that Tut was murdered by a blow to the head.

"What was originally thought of to be the hole in the back of his head that killed him, we found was part of the mummification process," Hawass explained.

While in SA, Hawass has also been in contact with several universities. "Perhaps we could collaborate in the future, talk about excavation techniques," he said.

When he gets back to Egypt, Hawass will have to start preparing for his next big operation - moving a 250 ton statute through the streets of Cairo.

Link: http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=588&art_id=vn20060817110201376C264205

Salve

Bohemond  ;)

Offline LordBest

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Re: Tomb of Cleopatra & Antony to be discovered soon?
« Reply #1 on: August 18, 2006, 09:16:32 am »
It would be pretty incredible if he is right. Despite his someone larger than life personality (putting it politely, some people really dont like him) he doesn't make unsubstantiated claims, even if he does exaggerate somewhat on those godawful "live digs" you sometimes see on TV. Interesting enough the skellington of Cleopatra VIIs sister Arsinoe is probably (possibly?) preserved in Ephesus/Pergamon/SomeplaceinAsiaMinor.
                                             LordBest. 8)

Offline awl

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Re: Tomb of Cleopatra & Antony to be discovered soon?
« Reply #2 on: August 18, 2006, 06:17:29 pm »
It is very possible that the tomb may house the largest Antony/Cleopartra coin hoard ever. Imagine the artifacts :angel:.

DVX

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Re: Tomb of Cleopatra & Antony to be discovered soon?
« Reply #3 on: August 19, 2006, 03:49:30 pm »
Awass is surely a great archeologist and a genuine lover of his job, but a great living "spot" for his country too: he knows what people like to hear from a famous archeologist that is a grat communicator too... However, good luck!!

Retrospectator

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Re: Tomb of Cleopatra & Antony to be discovered soon?
« Reply #4 on: August 21, 2006, 09:51:22 am »
A little morbid question here: Was Mark Antony's corpse mummified? This passage from Plutarch's Life of Antony may well suggest this, but it still leaves doubts:

"Many kings and great commanders made petition to Caesar for the body of Antony, to give him his funeral rites; but he would not take away his corpse from Cleopatra, by whose hands he was buried with royal splendor and magnificence, it being granted to her to employ what she pleased on his funeral."

I quote from here: http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/bl/bl_text_plutarch_antony.htm

Shakespeare used Plutarch as a source for his plays, although in Antony and Cleopatra he has Cleopatra give him a Roman burial.

Offline Salem Alshdaifat

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Re: Tomb of Cleopatra & Antony to be discovered soon?
« Reply #5 on: August 21, 2006, 10:34:21 am »
I belive that Mark Antony was mummified, I saw so many very early Roman, head masks and I think they were buried according to the Egyptian funeral tradetions, I am looking badly to see the tomb, and what it might containe, as I am badly looking for the day that they will uncover Alexander Tomb.

Retrospectator

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Re: Tomb of Cleopatra & Antony to be discovered soon?
« Reply #6 on: August 21, 2006, 11:06:52 am »
Here's what Plutarch wrote about Cleopatra's funeral in the same work:

"But Caesar, though much disappointed by her death, yet could not but admire the greatness of her spirit, and gave order that her body should he buried by Antony with royal splendor and magnificence. Her women, also, received honorable burial by his directions."

I quote from here: http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/bl/bl_text_plutarch_antony.htm

Notice that Plutarch uses the same language for both funerals, perhaps simply for convenience, but Cleopatra would surely have been mummified.
 

basemetal

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Re: Tomb of Cleopatra & Antony to be discovered soon?
« Reply #7 on: August 21, 2006, 09:58:18 pm »
Dr Zahi Hawass
I agree that he popularizes archeology.  But I have a degree in Political Science (never used it-hard to open up a little political science shop after graduation) and until I saw many of his TV specials or specials featuring him I never truly understood what a "cult of personality" was.
The good is that he introduces people who would never otherwise be interested in ancient Egyptian history to a bit of same.
The bad is that he has enormous power to permit or limit exploration of same. 
Note his reluctance to allow further remote vehicle exploration of the great pyramid while going in whole hog on iffy National Geographic productions of "opening" various tombs that are obviously such made for TV productions that even one interested in Egyptian history is tempted to click the remote.
I feel he has a "history of egypt according to Zahi" and anything falling outside that vision due to his enoumous power is put off or refused.  Please.....flame me. :)

 

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