"Cleopatra: Sex, Lies and Secrets"/Cleopatra: Sex, Lies and Secrets - Science Channel
Beneath the temple in the remains of the city of Taposiris Magna in Egypt, archaeologists recently discovered a secret tunnel that they dubbed a "geometric miracle".
The city was founded in Egypt by the Hellenistic king Ptolemy II Philadelphus between 280 and 270 BC and its name means "the great tomb of Osiris" (the god of death in Egyptian mythology). The
tunnel was discovered at a depth of 13 meters underground by Catherine Martins, an archaeologist from the Republic The Dominican. The tunnel is two meters high and it was cut for an incredible length of 1,300 meters in the sandstone of the area. It is not yet clear what the purpose of this tunnel is, parts of which have sunk into the water. Martinez, who has been working and researching this area since 2004, believes that this tunnel is the tip of the iceberg to finding the "Cleopatra's Lost Tomb."
Its design, according to the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, is strikingly similar to the 1,036-meter-long Apfelinion Tunnel—a 6th-century BC aqueduct found on the Greek island of Samos. Often called an engineering marvel, the Greek tunnel was unprecedented. In its planning and construction in the cut Katupa,
the engineering of the new tunnel found in Egypt is no less impressive.
The secret tunnel discovered / screenshot, Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities
The tunnel's purpose is currently unknown, and parts of it are still submerged in water, but Martinez, who has been working at Teposiris Magna since 2004 in search of the lost tomb of Cleopatra VII, believes the tunnel is a promising tip.
Taposiris was consecrated around 280 BC by Ptolemy II, the son of Ptolemy I, who was one of the commanders of Alexander the Great's army and Cleopatra's ancestors. The team of archaeologists believe that the temple was dedicated to the god Osiris and his sister and consort, the goddess Isis - the goddess of medicine, magic and nature that Cleopatra tried to identify her people with her. Statuettes (small figurines) of Isis were found on the site, as well as coins bearing the names and figures of Cleopatra and Alexander the Great.
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A secret tunnel discovered in Egypt/screenshot, Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities
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The tunnel has already yielded some treasures: a rectangular block of limestone and pieces of pottery.
The archaeologists who worked on the site estimate that the continued excavation at the site can give us more information about whether the new tunnel could lead to long-lost tombs.
The next steps include exploring the nearby Mediterranean Sea.
Between 320 and 1303 AD, a series of earthquakes hit the coast, causing part of the temple to collapse and be swallowed by the waves.
Previous excavations have revealed a network of tunnels stretching from Lake Marriott to the Mediterranean Sea.
In 2009, the Minister of Antiquities at the time, Zahi Hawass, said: "If we discovered the tomb of Cleopatra and Marcus Antonius - this will be the most important discovery of the 21st century. If we did not discover the tomb of Cleopatra and Marcus Antonius, we made great discoveries here, inside the temple and outside the temple." .
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Cleopatra
Egypt
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