By: Olivia Lin

Cleopatra is one of the most well-known rulers of the ancient world. She was the last pharaoh of the influential empire of Egypt; she ruled as coregent and alone for 21 years. Cleopatra was born in Alexandra and lived her short 39 years there. Sadly, after her death, the Egyptian Empire fell to Roman powers.

Recently, Dr. Kaleen and her team discovered a tunnel around Temple Taposiris Magna. Numerous believe it is where Cleopatra rests. This tunnel is 1500m long and about 1.8m tall; with the tunnel, two stone heads were also found. If this place is really where Cleopatra’s tomb lies, in Dr. Kaleen’s words, “it would be the most important discovery of the 21 st century”.

Additionally, many other theories have been floating around her death and tomb placement. One of the widely accepted theories of how she died is that she was being bitten by a venomous snake. This has been argued to be fake. Individuals claim that she might have been poisoned to death with a drink, rather than a slow death by a snake. Others believe she was brutally murdered by Octavian’s men. No one will know how she died.

It’s suspected that Cleopatra’s handmaidens brought her to Taposiris Magna, where she is rumored to be now. Others speculate she is buried in a rock grave in a Macedonian-Egyptian cemetery. [Could use a transition here because Alexandria comes out of nowhere – Maybe you can even use the last sentence “Her tomb could also be located in the city” as this transition.] Alexandria is partially underwater because of earthquakes. Her tomb could also be located in the city.