Hundreds of coins depicting Cleopatra VII, an Egyptian pharaoh who was a lover of Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, have been discovered at Taposiris Magna, a temple site from ancient Egypt. On top of that, the same team recently found a submerged port on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt and say that it's possible that her tomb could be located underwater near the port.
Both finds are part of "Cleopatra's Final Secret," a new documentary that premieres on the National Geographic channel Sept. 25 at 10 p.m. EDT (9 p.m. CDT) and on Disney+ and Hulu the following day.
According to Martinez, the coins were found within a temple dedicated to the goddess Isis. Her team found hundreds of coins across the site — more than 200 inside the courtyard of the temple, more than 300 at the entrance, and more in other locations within or near the temple. Notably, the team unearthed more than 330 coins near a wall of the temple in a "sacred trench" that appears to have been hidden.
What's more, research has revealed a port, which is now underwater, beside the temple. Researchers investigating the port have already found the remains of pottery vessels as well as stone and metal anchors. This port was in use around the time of Cleopatra.
Most of the coins are made of bronze. And while the excavation, cleaning and identification of the coins is ongoing, it appears that many depict Cleopatra VII, Martinez told Live Science. The coins found at the entranceway and courtyard of the temple were intended as offerings to the goddess Isis, she said.
Related: Where is Cleopatra's tomb?
Cleopatra's missing tomb
Cleopatra reigned over Egypt from roughly 51 to 30 B.C. For a time, she was a co-ruler with Caesarion, a child who was her son with Julius Caesar. After Caesar's assassination in 44 B.C., she became a lover of Mark Antony, a Roman general who was a co-ruler of the Roman Republic, and had three children with him. Antony was defeated in a civil war against Octavian, another Roman co-ruler who later became Rome's first and, arguably, longest-serving emperor. After Octavian won, Cleopatra VII died by suicide rather than be taken to Rome.
Cleopatra VII's tomb has never been found, but Martinez said there's evidence the pharaoh was buried at Taposiris Magna. She made several arguments for this, including that Cleopatra felt a close relationship with Isis and that the large number of Cleopatra VII coins suggests the tomb is there.
In addition, there are dozens of other burials at the site that date to around Cleopatra's VII's time, Martinez said. Some of these include gilded mummies, which indicate that Taposiris Magna was used for elite burials in Cleopatra's time. Many other scholars disagree with this theory and tend to believe that Cleopatra was buried in Alexandria.
"Sacred trench"
Martinez's team started excavations at Taposiris Magna in 2005 and found the first Cleopatra VII coins in 2006. They have been continuing excavations ever since. Last year, they found a "sacred trench," as Martinez called it, that appears to have been hidden near the wall of the temple.
So far, more than 330 coins, most of which depict Cleopatra VII, have been found inside the trench. Many other artifacts have also been discovered, including a bust depicting someone who might be Cleopatra VII, the remains of female makeup, the model of an unknown pharaoh, and a ring that has an image of Hathor (a goddess associated with love and beauty) on it along with a Greek inscription on the back which says the "justice of Ra [a sun god] has arisen," Martinez said.
Martinez believes these coins and artifacts were hidden to prevent them from being captured by the Romans. "This is clear evidence that Cleopatra was loved and they wanted to preserve things that were [from her time]" and didn't want the Romans getting them, Martinez said.
"No archaeological evidence yet"
Live Science was shown an exclusive video clip showing a few of the coins being excavated. Scholars not affiliated with the excavation said the coins appear to depict Cleopatra VII but disagreed with the idea that she is buried at the site.
"Yes indeed, these are coins struck during the reign of Cleopatra, and bearing her portrait," Andrew Meadows, a classics professor at the University of Oxford, told Live Science in an email. "Was she buried there? We have absolutely no ancient literary or documentary evidence to suggest so. And I have seen no archaeological evidence yet to suggest that she was."
Thomas Faucher, director of the Center for Alexandrian Studies in Egypt, said "these are, indeed, bronze coins of Cleopatra VII." However, the "idea of Cleopatra [being] buried in Taposiris has long been rejected by a lot of scholars," he told Live Science in an email, adding that he also has doubts.
Sitta von Reden, a professor of ancient history at the University of Freiburg in Germany, said she believes Cleopatra was buried in Alexandria in a now-submerged area near the royal palace. However, she doesn't rule out that the temple at Taposiris Magna might have claimed to have had Cleopatra's body.
"It may well be that individual sanctuaries claimed to have the body of Cleopatra and may have set up a cult in their temple district for whatever reason," von Reden told Live Science in an email.
Martinez said she understands that many scholars disagree with her theory, but she doesn't mind.
"In science I think it's good to have different opinions," Martinez said. She still believes in her theory, saying that "I am convinced that we will find the tomb of Cleopatra at Taposiris Magna." The tomb could be in a part of the site that is now underwater, she said, noting the discovery of a large tunnel leading to the newfound underwater port. She will continue to search for Cleopatra's tomb at the site until the tomb is found there or elsewhere.
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