"Mysteries at the Museum" Cleopatra: Mysteries at the Museum Specials

1 00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:12,074 Watch Online Movies and Series for FREE www.osdb.link/lm 2 00:00:13,540 --> 00:00:16,010 On August 12, 30 B.C., 3 00:00:16,010 --> 00:00:18,350 the last reigning ruler of Egypt, 4 00:00:18,350 --> 00:00:20,110 Cleopatra VII, 5 00:00:20,120 --> 00:00:23,480 committed suicide by snake bite. 6 00:00:23,490 --> 00:00:26,150 To this day, her tomb has never been found. 7 00:00:26,160 --> 00:00:28,620 Wow. 8 00:00:30,390 --> 00:00:33,560 There is no more powerful, nor controversial woman 9 00:00:33,560 --> 00:00:37,000 in history than Cleopatra. 10 00:00:37,000 --> 00:00:41,640 The stunning and mercurial leader of the Egyptian empire. 11 00:00:41,640 --> 00:00:44,770 For 2,000 years, her reputation of striking beauty, 12 00:00:44,770 --> 00:00:47,570 murderous ambition, and libertine lust 13 00:00:47,580 --> 00:00:49,910 has defined the reputation, 14 00:00:49,910 --> 00:00:53,380 her reputation as the last Pharaoh of ancient Egypt. 15 00:00:53,380 --> 00:00:55,520 But is this the real story? 16 00:00:55,520 --> 00:00:59,590 How much do we actually know about the real Cleopatra? 17 00:00:59,590 --> 00:01:02,320 What new clues are being discovered today? 18 00:01:02,320 --> 00:01:03,920 Now we send this to the lab. 19 00:01:03,930 --> 00:01:05,430 You're rewriting history. 20 00:01:05,430 --> 00:01:07,060 With cutting edge technology... 21 00:01:07,060 --> 00:01:09,400 There is a whole world beneath. 22 00:01:09,400 --> 00:01:10,900 It's incredible. 23 00:01:10,900 --> 00:01:14,270 ...just how close are we to discovering Cleopatra's tomb? 24 00:01:14,270 --> 00:01:16,870 So something is beneath here and you are refusing 25 00:01:16,870 --> 00:01:18,270 to give up until you find it. 26 00:01:18,270 --> 00:01:19,570 It's a matter of time. 27 00:01:19,580 --> 00:01:22,510 From the catacombs of ancient Alexandria... 28 00:01:22,510 --> 00:01:26,210 Down to find Cleopatra's tomb. 29 00:01:26,220 --> 00:01:29,050 ...to ancient ruins on the ocean floor. 30 00:01:29,050 --> 00:01:31,050 Wow. 31 00:01:31,050 --> 00:01:33,290 Who was Cleopatra? 32 00:01:33,290 --> 00:01:35,960 Here is a woman ruling at a time 33 00:01:35,960 --> 00:01:37,960 when it was all about men. 34 00:01:37,960 --> 00:01:41,130 And where is her final resting place? 35 00:01:41,130 --> 00:01:43,960 It's a quest to discover her tomb. 36 00:01:43,970 --> 00:01:47,970 And reveal the true legacy of Egypt's most enigmatic queen. 37 00:01:47,970 --> 00:01:51,370 It's incredible to think that Cleopatra's tomb could be 38 00:01:51,370 --> 00:01:54,510 somewhere right beneath my feet. 39 00:01:54,510 --> 00:01:57,510 Wow! 40 00:01:57,510 --> 00:01:59,510 I'm Don Wildman. 41 00:01:59,520 --> 00:02:01,950 I've explored the world's greatest mysteries, 42 00:02:01,950 --> 00:02:04,890 examined rare artifacts and epic monuments. 43 00:02:04,890 --> 00:02:06,390 That is unbelievable. 44 00:02:06,390 --> 00:02:09,520 Now I'm digging deeper into some of the most perplexing 45 00:02:09,530 --> 00:02:12,260 and famous cases in history. 46 00:02:12,260 --> 00:02:14,600 My goal? To get closer to the truth. 47 00:02:14,600 --> 00:02:17,330 -Let's burn this place down. -Let's burn it down. 48 00:02:17,330 --> 00:02:20,100 On this special episode of 49 00:02:20,100 --> 00:02:24,140 "Mysteries at the Museum: Cleopatra." 50 00:02:40,860 --> 00:02:42,960 After more than 2,000 years, 51 00:02:42,960 --> 00:02:46,690 Cleopatra endures as one of the most fascinating 52 00:02:46,700 --> 00:02:49,430 and iconic female leaders in history. 53 00:02:49,430 --> 00:02:52,700 A Pharaoh queen, she ruled over one of the greatest kingdoms 54 00:02:52,700 --> 00:02:55,640 of the ancient world -- Egypt. 55 00:02:55,640 --> 00:02:57,900 Fearlessly taking on the Roman empire, 56 00:02:57,910 --> 00:03:01,840 she seduced both Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, 57 00:03:01,840 --> 00:03:05,510 two of the most powerful men in Western history. 58 00:03:05,510 --> 00:03:09,180 The name Cleopatra evokes a lasting image of a sexy 59 00:03:09,180 --> 00:03:10,720 and ambitious woman. 60 00:03:10,720 --> 00:03:13,050 A temptress who would stop at nothing to get 61 00:03:13,050 --> 00:03:14,490 what she wanted. 62 00:03:14,490 --> 00:03:16,320 From Shakespeare to Hollywood, 63 00:03:16,330 --> 00:03:19,860 Cleopatra is ingrained in our cultural consciousness 64 00:03:19,860 --> 00:03:25,400 as history's most famous femme fatale. 65 00:03:25,400 --> 00:03:28,200 But how accurate is all of this history? 66 00:03:28,200 --> 00:03:30,270 Many of the details of Cleopatra's life 67 00:03:30,270 --> 00:03:33,870 are either unknown or clouded by myth. 68 00:03:33,880 --> 00:03:36,740 So how do we begin to separate the notorious reputation 69 00:03:36,750 --> 00:03:40,410 from the woman who ruled as Egypt's last Pharaoh? 70 00:03:40,420 --> 00:03:43,420 Many believe the missing pieces could be revealed 71 00:03:43,420 --> 00:03:45,450 with the discovery of her tomb. 72 00:03:45,450 --> 00:03:49,490 After more than 2,000 years, it has yet to be found. 73 00:03:49,490 --> 00:03:52,830 So can we uncover her final resting place 74 00:03:52,830 --> 00:03:55,400 and fill in the missing pieces once and for all? 75 00:04:03,210 --> 00:04:06,770 To find out, I first need to separate fact from fiction 76 00:04:06,780 --> 00:04:10,040 and learn about the true details of her life. 77 00:04:10,050 --> 00:04:12,350 And to begin this journey, we need to travel back 78 00:04:12,350 --> 00:04:14,780 to 69 B.C., 79 00:04:14,780 --> 00:04:18,720 the year Cleopatra was born. 80 00:04:18,720 --> 00:04:20,650 Although she was born in Egypt 81 00:04:20,660 --> 00:04:22,590 and was Egypt's most famous queen, 82 00:04:22,590 --> 00:04:25,060 she was not, in fact, Egyptian. 83 00:04:25,060 --> 00:04:28,700 She was Greek. 84 00:04:28,700 --> 00:04:32,770 So how did Egypt end up with a Greek queen? 85 00:04:32,770 --> 00:04:35,070 After Alexander the Great, the Greek king, 86 00:04:35,070 --> 00:04:37,270 conquered Egypt in 320 B.C.E., 87 00:04:37,270 --> 00:04:40,270 he gifted the empire to his star general, 88 00:04:40,280 --> 00:04:43,210 Ptolemy I, who took the roll of Pharaoh, 89 00:04:43,210 --> 00:04:45,680 an Egyptian royal ruler. 90 00:04:45,680 --> 00:04:49,880 For the next 250 years, the Egyptian empire had 91 00:04:49,890 --> 00:04:51,890 Greek Pharaohs in power. 92 00:04:51,890 --> 00:04:55,490 In the year 69 B.C., Cleopatra was born 93 00:04:55,490 --> 00:04:58,890 into this royal family, also known as the Ptolemy line. 94 00:05:00,900 --> 00:05:05,700 So what was life really like for the Greek queen of Egypt? 95 00:05:05,700 --> 00:05:09,370 I've come to her birthplace, the city of Alexandria. 96 00:05:09,370 --> 00:05:12,110 Named after Alexander the Great, 97 00:05:12,110 --> 00:05:14,040 it's a port city on the Mediterranean Sea 98 00:05:14,040 --> 00:05:15,980 in northern Egypt. 99 00:05:15,980 --> 00:05:18,580 2,000 years ago, when Cleopatra was born, 100 00:05:18,580 --> 00:05:22,280 it was the largest port in the world and the capital 101 00:05:22,280 --> 00:05:23,980 of ancient Egypt. 102 00:05:23,990 --> 00:05:27,720 Still one of the most important civilizations of its time. 103 00:05:27,720 --> 00:05:30,790 In terms of population, knowledge, and culture, 104 00:05:30,790 --> 00:05:34,730 Alexandria even surpassed Rome in importance. 105 00:05:34,730 --> 00:05:37,060 Walking around this sprawling metropolis, 106 00:05:37,070 --> 00:05:38,470 it's immediately evident we're not in 107 00:05:38,470 --> 00:05:40,470 Cleopatra's Alexandria anymore. 108 00:05:40,470 --> 00:05:42,140 I mean, there's no sign of that. 109 00:05:42,140 --> 00:05:45,540 There's no sign of the dazzling palatial architecture 110 00:05:45,540 --> 00:05:48,070 that made this place the crowned jewel 111 00:05:48,080 --> 00:05:49,280 of the Mediterranean. 112 00:05:49,280 --> 00:05:50,680 It's gone. 113 00:05:50,680 --> 00:05:53,750 But with any ancient city, you have to find a portal 114 00:05:53,750 --> 00:05:56,150 into the past, a way to look back in time. 115 00:05:56,150 --> 00:05:58,690 And here in Alexandria, you start underground 116 00:05:58,690 --> 00:06:02,420 to see the hidden layers that fill in the backdrop 117 00:06:02,420 --> 00:06:04,490 of the story of Egypt's most famous queen. 118 00:06:12,630 --> 00:06:13,770 Hello, Colin, how are you doing? 119 00:06:13,770 --> 00:06:14,770 Hi, Don, welcome to Alexandria. 120 00:06:14,770 --> 00:06:18,240 -How's it going? -Thank you very much. 121 00:06:18,240 --> 00:06:20,710 Colin Clement is an historian and guide 122 00:06:20,710 --> 00:06:22,310 who knows where to find the layers of 123 00:06:22,310 --> 00:06:24,110 Alexandria's ancient past 124 00:06:24,110 --> 00:06:27,050 that tell the true story of Cleopatra. 125 00:06:27,050 --> 00:06:29,980 Layers that may help lead us closer to her tomb. 126 00:06:29,990 --> 00:06:32,520 There is no place that shows the city's blend 127 00:06:32,520 --> 00:06:36,060 of both Greek and Egyptian culture better than here, 128 00:06:36,060 --> 00:06:38,130 the catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa, 129 00:06:38,130 --> 00:06:39,930 considered one of the seven wonders 130 00:06:39,930 --> 00:06:41,390 of the Middle Ages. 131 00:06:45,200 --> 00:06:47,070 Wow, what is this place? 132 00:06:47,070 --> 00:06:52,710 Colin tells me the story of Cleopatra's Egypt can be found 133 00:06:52,710 --> 00:06:55,080 in these catacombs. 134 00:06:55,080 --> 00:06:58,480 Now this is the main tomb of this particular complex. 135 00:06:58,480 --> 00:07:00,850 Wow, it is spectacular. 136 00:07:00,850 --> 00:07:03,420 So I am seeing a lot of different elements, aren't I? 137 00:07:03,420 --> 00:07:05,480 Oh, absolutely. This is expressing Alexandria. 138 00:07:05,490 --> 00:07:08,150 Very much Alexandria about the time of Cleopatra. 139 00:07:08,160 --> 00:07:10,420 It's the sort of cultural milieu that she was born into, 140 00:07:10,430 --> 00:07:12,030 which was layered. -Okay. 141 00:07:12,030 --> 00:07:14,230 Because here, if we look, the entrance to this tomb, 142 00:07:14,230 --> 00:07:15,830 it's purely Egyptian in form. 143 00:07:15,830 --> 00:07:18,200 We have the cobra with the wings deployed. Mm-hmm. 144 00:07:18,200 --> 00:07:20,730 And then columns, the Papyriform columns, 145 00:07:20,740 --> 00:07:23,900 it's all speaks of Egypt. 146 00:07:23,910 --> 00:07:26,640 But if you take two steps in into the antechamber, 147 00:07:26,640 --> 00:07:29,180 you see suddenly we come back to Greece. Hmm. 148 00:07:29,180 --> 00:07:31,910 That medallion, that shield, is the head of Medusa. Wow. 149 00:07:31,910 --> 00:07:35,250 Who was the great, you know, protective emblem of tombs 150 00:07:35,250 --> 00:07:36,550 in the Greek world. 151 00:07:36,550 --> 00:07:39,020 -But then look at its head. -There's a crown. 152 00:07:39,020 --> 00:07:41,150 And that's the crown of upper and lower Egypt. Oh, fascinating. 153 00:07:41,160 --> 00:07:42,920 So we have Greek imagery, 154 00:07:42,930 --> 00:07:44,190 but with an Egyptian stamp on it. 155 00:07:44,190 --> 00:07:46,530 So we got these two things sitting next together, 156 00:07:46,530 --> 00:07:48,390 being shared in this one tomb complex. 157 00:07:48,400 --> 00:07:50,260 So this is a perfect cross-section of 158 00:07:50,270 --> 00:07:52,030 what was happening at the time of Cleopatra. 159 00:07:52,030 --> 00:07:54,230 -Greek and Egyptian. -Absolutely. 160 00:07:54,240 --> 00:07:57,000 We know Cleopatra was the first of that dynasty 161 00:07:57,010 --> 00:08:00,510 to learn the local language, to speak Egyptian. Huh. 162 00:08:00,510 --> 00:08:02,210 By speaking the native tongue, 163 00:08:02,210 --> 00:08:05,280 Cleopatra had the support of the Egyptian people 164 00:08:05,280 --> 00:08:08,880 and she furthered this loyalty by exploiting the belief 165 00:08:08,880 --> 00:08:12,720 that all Pharaohs have a direct connection to the Gods. 166 00:08:12,720 --> 00:08:15,220 Cleopatra aligned herself with the most popular 167 00:08:15,220 --> 00:08:17,820 Egyptian goddess, Isis. 168 00:08:21,560 --> 00:08:24,300 So once she assumes power, what's her motivation here? 169 00:08:24,300 --> 00:08:26,670 What does she want to become? 170 00:08:26,670 --> 00:08:29,440 She wants to try to reestablish a certain 171 00:08:29,440 --> 00:08:30,840 independence for Egypt. 172 00:08:30,840 --> 00:08:35,480 Try to fend off the outside threat which is ultimately Rome. 173 00:08:39,410 --> 00:08:41,710 But outside threats like Rome weren't 174 00:08:41,720 --> 00:08:44,180 Cleopatra's only problem. 175 00:08:44,190 --> 00:08:48,020 It turns out Cleopatra wasn't even the lone ruler of Egypt. 176 00:08:48,020 --> 00:08:51,060 She shared the throne with her younger brother, 177 00:08:51,060 --> 00:08:54,890 to whom she was married. 178 00:08:54,900 --> 00:08:57,000 So Cleopatra, 18 years old, assumes power with her brother. 179 00:08:57,000 --> 00:09:00,600 She's a co-regent, yeah? 180 00:09:00,600 --> 00:09:01,700 Right, yes, indeed. 181 00:09:01,700 --> 00:09:04,000 Which is not completely abnormal. Yeah. 182 00:09:04,010 --> 00:09:06,540 There's a history within Egypt of brother/sister marriage 183 00:09:06,540 --> 00:09:08,070 for the rulers. -Mm-hmm. 184 00:09:08,080 --> 00:09:09,140 But in this instance, there was -- 185 00:09:09,140 --> 00:09:10,280 there seemed to be some an imbalance, why? 186 00:09:10,280 --> 00:09:11,480 Because she's the older of the sibling. 187 00:09:11,480 --> 00:09:13,950 Okay, but she's been groomed for this. Clearly. 188 00:09:13,950 --> 00:09:16,480 I mean, she'd been groomed into, the, you know, 189 00:09:16,480 --> 00:09:19,220 the political machinations of the whole dynasty. 190 00:09:19,220 --> 00:09:23,420 She is 300 years a distillation of Ptolemaic rule, 191 00:09:23,420 --> 00:09:24,890 a great education. 192 00:09:24,890 --> 00:09:26,930 I mean, she's been brought up in a court. 193 00:09:26,930 --> 00:09:31,430 So she has to navigate a classic sibling rivalry 194 00:09:31,430 --> 00:09:33,500 but also the factions within a court? Absolutely. 195 00:09:33,500 --> 00:09:35,770 Eventually, she gets pushed out. 196 00:09:35,770 --> 00:09:39,440 The backers, whoever they were behind her younger brother, 197 00:09:39,440 --> 00:09:41,310 expel her from the capital. 198 00:09:41,310 --> 00:09:45,040 So Cleopatra is forced out of power and into exile. 199 00:09:45,050 --> 00:09:46,580 Where does she go? 200 00:09:46,580 --> 00:09:48,310 She goes to Sinai Peninsula, which is Egyptian territory. Mm-hmm. 201 00:09:48,320 --> 00:09:49,920 So exile, yes. 202 00:09:49,920 --> 00:09:51,080 Mm, she's not been kicked out of the country. 203 00:09:51,090 --> 00:09:52,990 She's not been murdered. 204 00:09:52,990 --> 00:09:55,320 She's been pushed away from the center of power. Hmm. 205 00:09:55,320 --> 00:09:56,660 And her brother takes over. 206 00:09:56,660 --> 00:09:57,820 And what happens there? 207 00:09:57,830 --> 00:09:59,390 Well, we don't really know. 208 00:09:59,390 --> 00:10:01,390 She's in some three years or so she's away from Alexandria. 209 00:10:01,400 --> 00:10:04,460 She's away from the wheels of power. 210 00:10:04,470 --> 00:10:06,070 But it's not so much what happened there, 211 00:10:06,070 --> 00:10:07,870 it's what happens outside of Egypt. 212 00:10:07,870 --> 00:10:10,940 What's happening just across the water in the Roman world 213 00:10:10,940 --> 00:10:12,910 that's gonna give her the opportunity to come back. 214 00:10:12,910 --> 00:10:14,310 Because Rome is rising. 215 00:10:14,310 --> 00:10:16,410 Oh, Rome has risen and it's just waiting to come in. 216 00:10:16,410 --> 00:10:19,810 -And take over Egypt. -Indeed. 217 00:10:19,810 --> 00:10:23,750 Although Rome, who's power reached as far as Persia, 218 00:10:23,750 --> 00:10:25,550 had always been perceived as a threat 219 00:10:25,550 --> 00:10:28,950 to Egypt's independence, it would turn out to be the key 220 00:10:28,960 --> 00:10:31,220 to Cleopatra's escape from exile 221 00:10:31,230 --> 00:10:33,530 and to regaining her throne. 222 00:10:33,530 --> 00:10:36,560 At this point in Rome, there's civil war, right? 223 00:10:36,560 --> 00:10:38,030 There's civil war, indeed, yes. 224 00:10:38,030 --> 00:10:40,170 I mean, there's a major clash between the two great generals 225 00:10:40,170 --> 00:10:44,440 of the period -- Julius Caesar and Pompey. Yeah. 226 00:10:44,440 --> 00:10:46,710 Pompey and Caesar were both triumphant 227 00:10:46,710 --> 00:10:51,910 military men fighting for control of the Roman Republic. 228 00:10:51,910 --> 00:10:53,250 So a civil war between Julius Caesar 229 00:10:53,250 --> 00:10:55,450 and Pompey results in what? -Mm-hmm. 230 00:10:55,450 --> 00:10:57,380 Well, there's a massive battle in what is now 231 00:10:57,390 --> 00:10:58,990 central Greece at Farsala. 232 00:10:58,990 --> 00:11:00,320 -Pompey is defeated -- -Yeah. 233 00:11:00,320 --> 00:11:01,450 ...and he flees down south 234 00:11:01,460 --> 00:11:04,660 across the Mediterranean to Alexandria. 235 00:11:04,660 --> 00:11:05,990 What happens to Pompey here? 236 00:11:05,990 --> 00:11:07,590 Well, the Egyptians see him coming. 237 00:11:07,600 --> 00:11:10,260 They know that he has been defeated by Caesar, 238 00:11:10,260 --> 00:11:12,530 so they presumed Caesar is in pursuit. Yeah. 239 00:11:12,530 --> 00:11:15,000 So almost before Pompey can get off the boat, 240 00:11:15,000 --> 00:11:16,070 they assassinate him. 241 00:11:16,070 --> 00:11:18,200 In tribute to Caesar? 242 00:11:18,210 --> 00:11:21,010 Yes, they can see that Pompey is perhaps yesterday's man. 243 00:11:21,010 --> 00:11:22,480 Caesar is today's man. 244 00:11:22,480 --> 00:11:25,110 And they wanna be on side with the rising power. 245 00:11:25,110 --> 00:11:28,150 Days after Pompey's murder, 246 00:11:28,150 --> 00:11:30,680 dressed in the imperial red, 247 00:11:30,690 --> 00:11:33,450 Julius Caesar arrived in Alexandria. 248 00:11:33,460 --> 00:11:35,160 The local Egyptian soldiers, 249 00:11:35,160 --> 00:11:37,620 as commanded by Cleopatra's brother, 250 00:11:37,630 --> 00:11:40,090 presented him with the head of Pompey, 251 00:11:40,090 --> 00:11:42,230 his defeated rival. 252 00:11:42,230 --> 00:11:45,170 Caesar was not happy to find that someone 253 00:11:45,170 --> 00:11:48,370 of Pompey's grandeur had been just slaughtered like that. Okay. 254 00:11:48,370 --> 00:11:51,500 Now, for Cleopatra, who's been out of favor 255 00:11:51,510 --> 00:11:54,770 and out of power, she sees that her sibling has made 256 00:11:54,780 --> 00:11:56,240 a false move. 257 00:11:56,240 --> 00:11:58,780 This is the beginning of Cleopatra's return from exile. 258 00:11:58,780 --> 00:12:03,350 -Her comeback, yes. -Yeah. 259 00:12:03,350 --> 00:12:06,320 Julius Caesar decided to stay in Alexandria. 260 00:12:06,320 --> 00:12:10,990 His army eventually killing Cleopatra's brother. 261 00:12:10,990 --> 00:12:14,590 With her brother now dead, Cleopatra saw an opportunity 262 00:12:14,600 --> 00:12:17,300 to regain her throne. 263 00:12:17,300 --> 00:12:20,000 So, she devised a master plan. 264 00:12:20,000 --> 00:12:21,530 But would it work? 265 00:12:21,540 --> 00:12:22,800 This is the crypt. 266 00:12:22,800 --> 00:12:24,740 This is where they would hide all their treasure. 267 00:12:24,740 --> 00:12:26,870 What's the truth behind the events 268 00:12:26,880 --> 00:12:28,540 that led to her suicide? 269 00:12:28,540 --> 00:12:30,480 That's Caesarion. That's her son. 270 00:12:30,480 --> 00:12:32,080 That's her secret weapon. 271 00:12:32,080 --> 00:12:36,550 Can we find the real answers hidden in her tomb? 272 00:12:36,550 --> 00:12:37,980 Wow! 273 00:12:43,660 --> 00:12:47,460 I'm on a quest to discover Cleopatra's tomb 274 00:12:47,460 --> 00:12:48,930 and reveal, once and for all, 275 00:12:48,930 --> 00:12:52,670 the true legacy of Egypt's last pharaoh. 276 00:12:52,670 --> 00:12:54,170 But until we make that discovery, 277 00:12:54,170 --> 00:12:55,940 we're left to fill in the pieces of 278 00:12:55,940 --> 00:12:57,940 this complicated puzzle. 279 00:12:57,940 --> 00:13:01,340 What we know is that Cleopatra was forced into exile 280 00:13:01,340 --> 00:13:02,780 by her brother. 281 00:13:02,780 --> 00:13:04,610 She then waited patiently for her opportunity 282 00:13:04,610 --> 00:13:06,150 to regain the throne. 283 00:13:06,150 --> 00:13:09,280 And when Julius Caesar arrived in Alexandria, 284 00:13:09,280 --> 00:13:14,220 she prepared to make her move and devised a master plan. 285 00:13:14,220 --> 00:13:17,520 It's the stuff of legend. 286 00:13:17,530 --> 00:13:19,360 Here's how the story goes. 287 00:13:19,360 --> 00:13:23,360 Now, under the cloak of darkness, Cleopatra approaches, 288 00:13:23,370 --> 00:13:25,430 right here in these waters, Alexandria Harbor, 289 00:13:25,430 --> 00:13:27,430 in the company of her most trusted advisor 290 00:13:27,440 --> 00:13:31,170 in a tiny little wooden boat in complete secrecy. 291 00:13:31,170 --> 00:13:33,770 She has that advisor 292 00:13:33,780 --> 00:13:35,980 wrap her in a carpet 293 00:13:35,980 --> 00:13:38,710 and hoisted onto his shoulder and he walks right 294 00:13:38,710 --> 00:13:40,480 to Caesar's quarters. 295 00:13:40,480 --> 00:13:44,120 He is then presenting this carpet as a gift to Caesar. 296 00:13:44,120 --> 00:13:46,850 And he unrolls the carpet in the quarters, 297 00:13:46,860 --> 00:13:50,520 and who should roll out with it but Cleopatra. 298 00:13:50,530 --> 00:13:53,060 Now at this point, Caesar is the most powerful man 299 00:13:53,060 --> 00:13:54,230 in the world looking down 300 00:13:54,230 --> 00:13:57,730 at a 21-year-old stunning young queen. 301 00:13:57,730 --> 00:14:01,630 And the history of the world is changed forever. 302 00:14:01,640 --> 00:14:04,940 Cleopatra's plan had been executed to perfection. 303 00:14:04,940 --> 00:14:09,680 She was the queen of Egypt once again. 304 00:14:09,680 --> 00:14:11,810 She and Caesar embarked on a very public 305 00:14:11,810 --> 00:14:14,010 and flagrant relationship. 306 00:14:14,020 --> 00:14:17,420 Together, they took a four-month trip on the Nile 307 00:14:17,420 --> 00:14:20,820 where Cleopatra introduced Caesar to the great pyramids. 308 00:14:20,820 --> 00:14:23,520 The couple were adored wherever they went. 309 00:14:23,520 --> 00:14:26,490 But if their fiery romance could bind them politically 310 00:14:26,490 --> 00:14:29,360 as well, then Cleopatra could accomplish more 311 00:14:29,360 --> 00:14:32,100 than just returning Egypt to its former glory. 312 00:14:32,100 --> 00:14:35,900 She would be the most powerful woman in the world. 313 00:14:35,900 --> 00:14:38,840 And that's exactly what happened when she became pregnant 314 00:14:38,840 --> 00:14:41,240 with Caesar's child. 315 00:14:41,240 --> 00:14:44,780 In 46 B.C., Cleopatra gave birth to a boy 316 00:14:44,780 --> 00:14:49,180 and called him Caesarion, also known as Little Caesar. 317 00:14:53,190 --> 00:14:56,260 With her ties to Caesar cemented by blood, 318 00:14:56,260 --> 00:14:59,330 Cleopatra and her new family split their time 319 00:14:59,330 --> 00:15:01,660 between Alexandria and Rome. 320 00:15:01,660 --> 00:15:04,800 The legendary seductress had rendered the Roman Empire 321 00:15:04,800 --> 00:15:06,830 a powerless threat to Egypt. 322 00:15:06,830 --> 00:15:11,400 But this newfound security wouldn't last. 323 00:15:11,410 --> 00:15:13,810 Caesar had grown into a dictator. 324 00:15:13,810 --> 00:15:16,410 Fearing the emperor's unchecked power, 325 00:15:16,410 --> 00:15:21,350 the Roman senate staged a coupe, and on March 15, 44 B.C., 326 00:15:21,350 --> 00:15:25,220 Caesar was assassinated in Rome by his own government. 327 00:15:25,220 --> 00:15:28,660 So who would lead Caesar's empire and what would that mean 328 00:15:28,660 --> 00:15:32,390 for the fate of Cleopatra and her son Caesarion? 329 00:15:32,390 --> 00:15:34,360 Being a Pharaoh meant that Cleopatra had 330 00:15:34,360 --> 00:15:36,630 a direct connection to the gods. 331 00:15:36,630 --> 00:15:38,560 She was a living goddess. 332 00:15:38,570 --> 00:15:40,230 She considered herself to be the incarnation 333 00:15:40,240 --> 00:15:43,570 of the most popular Egyptian goddess, Isis. 334 00:15:43,570 --> 00:15:46,840 Performing religious rituals, building new temples, 335 00:15:46,840 --> 00:15:50,110 embellishing old ones, she took special care 336 00:15:50,110 --> 00:15:53,450 to maintain the loyalty and good will of the people. 337 00:15:55,180 --> 00:15:58,720 I've traveled to the Temple of Hathor in Dendera, 338 00:15:58,720 --> 00:16:01,850 one of the best preserved temple complexes in Egypt. 339 00:16:01,860 --> 00:16:03,520 Wow. 340 00:16:03,530 --> 00:16:06,260 Oh, my goodness, look at this. 341 00:16:06,260 --> 00:16:10,560 And one of Cleopatra's most exquisite accomplishments. 342 00:16:10,570 --> 00:16:12,130 Man. 343 00:16:12,130 --> 00:16:15,000 The present Temple of Hathor was largely built 344 00:16:15,000 --> 00:16:19,340 by Cleopatra and her father, and the wealth it held could be 345 00:16:19,340 --> 00:16:21,740 the key to Cleopatra's survival, 346 00:16:21,740 --> 00:16:24,280 even after Caesar's assassination. 347 00:16:24,280 --> 00:16:27,910 -Dr. Ikram, how are you? -Hey, Don. Nice to see you. 348 00:16:27,920 --> 00:16:31,750 Glad you made it. I know. Amazing, isn't it? Breathtaking interior. 349 00:16:31,750 --> 00:16:34,790 Famed Egyptologist Dr. Selima Ikram, 350 00:16:34,790 --> 00:16:35,960 is a professor at 351 00:16:35,960 --> 00:16:39,060 the American University in Cairo. 352 00:16:39,060 --> 00:16:41,360 This was built by? 353 00:16:41,360 --> 00:16:44,060 It was Cleopatra's father who started it. Okay. 354 00:16:44,060 --> 00:16:47,230 But then he died and so Cleopatra finished it off 355 00:16:47,240 --> 00:16:50,800 and she's also responsible for all the splendid decoration. 356 00:16:50,810 --> 00:16:54,440 By building the temple, decorating it, she was showing 357 00:16:54,440 --> 00:16:56,580 the people that she cared. 358 00:16:56,580 --> 00:16:58,740 Without Caesar's protection, 359 00:16:58,750 --> 00:17:01,710 how will Cleopatra protect her empire? 360 00:17:05,890 --> 00:17:07,650 -Caesar is dead. -Yeah. 361 00:17:07,660 --> 00:17:10,590 This has huge implications, obviously, for Egypt, right? 362 00:17:10,590 --> 00:17:13,590 Yeah, it's a complete disaster because without him, 363 00:17:13,590 --> 00:17:16,000 she is open to being preyed upon by Rome. 364 00:17:16,000 --> 00:17:17,460 Right, exactly. 365 00:17:17,470 --> 00:17:19,330 When Caesar dies, there's a huge power vacuum, 366 00:17:19,330 --> 00:17:22,070 and it's going to be filled by two people. 367 00:17:22,070 --> 00:17:24,540 One, Octavian. 368 00:17:24,540 --> 00:17:27,470 And the other, Mark Antony. 369 00:17:27,480 --> 00:17:29,810 But they're really different people who are supposed 370 00:17:29,810 --> 00:17:32,650 to be ruling Rome together, and neither one of them 371 00:17:32,650 --> 00:17:34,210 really wants to share. 372 00:17:34,220 --> 00:17:36,220 And where does Cleopatra fit into this? 373 00:17:36,220 --> 00:17:38,750 Ah, she has to come up with another strategy. 374 00:17:38,750 --> 00:17:40,750 Just pull this up. 375 00:17:40,760 --> 00:17:41,950 Oh, okay. 376 00:17:41,960 --> 00:17:44,820 And...there we go. 377 00:17:44,830 --> 00:17:46,890 -Like so, huh? -Mm-hmm. 378 00:17:46,890 --> 00:17:47,960 That's great. 379 00:17:47,960 --> 00:17:49,930 -Down you go. -Okay. 380 00:17:53,370 --> 00:17:54,900 Oh, this is great. 381 00:17:54,900 --> 00:17:56,270 This is the crypt. 382 00:17:56,270 --> 00:17:59,370 It's one of the great secrets of Dendera. Oh, I see. 383 00:17:59,370 --> 00:18:02,040 This is where they would hide all their treasure. Oh, okay. 384 00:18:07,380 --> 00:18:11,180 With Caesar dead, Cleopatra makes elaborate preparations 385 00:18:11,190 --> 00:18:15,020 and she sails off to Tarsus, which is in Asia Minor Turkey, 386 00:18:15,020 --> 00:18:19,290 and set her sights on Mark Antony. 387 00:18:19,290 --> 00:18:21,930 And of course, at this point, he's been doing battle 388 00:18:21,930 --> 00:18:23,460 and not doing too well. -Mm-hmm. 389 00:18:23,460 --> 00:18:26,330 So he needs money. Gold, wealth. 390 00:18:26,330 --> 00:18:28,070 And Cleopatra has all of that. 391 00:18:28,070 --> 00:18:31,140 And she sails up the river in this barge 392 00:18:31,140 --> 00:18:32,540 that she's prepared. 393 00:18:32,540 --> 00:18:36,340 Huge boat, gilded oars, people dressed very elaborately, 394 00:18:36,340 --> 00:18:39,250 little boys dressed as cupid, and she comes 395 00:18:39,250 --> 00:18:41,610 in Diaphanous clothing, clad as a goddess. 396 00:18:41,620 --> 00:18:44,350 She's Isis. 397 00:18:44,350 --> 00:18:47,150 And here, for example, you see this broad collar, 398 00:18:47,160 --> 00:18:50,660 which was originally gold and incredibly heavy. Okay. 399 00:18:50,660 --> 00:18:52,290 -She would've been wearing it. -Yeah. 400 00:18:52,290 --> 00:18:54,030 So this is something that Mark Antony would've seen 401 00:18:54,030 --> 00:18:56,100 as very real value. 402 00:18:56,100 --> 00:18:58,360 And so, this is how it all starts. 403 00:18:58,370 --> 00:18:59,630 -This is high-stakes stuff. -Absolutely. 404 00:18:59,630 --> 00:19:02,940 This is her whole life she's putting into this. 405 00:19:02,940 --> 00:19:04,240 Not just her life. 406 00:19:04,240 --> 00:19:06,140 Much more important, it's her empire. 407 00:19:09,210 --> 00:19:10,980 What started out as a political move 408 00:19:10,980 --> 00:19:14,980 by Cleopatra quickly turned into a heated relationship 409 00:19:14,980 --> 00:19:19,790 and Mark Antony decided to go back to Egypt with her. 410 00:19:19,790 --> 00:19:21,450 -Passion did take over. -Okay. 411 00:19:21,460 --> 00:19:22,860 Foolishly. 412 00:19:22,860 --> 00:19:24,390 For the second time, 413 00:19:24,390 --> 00:19:26,730 Cleopatra had successfully seduced 414 00:19:26,730 --> 00:19:29,500 the leader of Rome. 415 00:19:29,500 --> 00:19:31,730 They really are wonderfully well suited, 416 00:19:31,730 --> 00:19:33,270 having a great time. 417 00:19:33,270 --> 00:19:36,470 Except the longer Mark Antony stays with Cleopatra, 418 00:19:36,470 --> 00:19:38,740 the more complicated things become in Rome. 419 00:19:38,740 --> 00:19:40,140 In what way? 420 00:19:40,140 --> 00:19:42,410 Well, he's losing his popularity because he's hanging out 421 00:19:42,410 --> 00:19:43,810 with this Eastern woman. 422 00:19:43,810 --> 00:19:47,350 So he decides that he is going to strategically go back 423 00:19:47,350 --> 00:19:51,880 to Rome and marry his coregent Octavian's sister. Oh, okay. 424 00:19:51,890 --> 00:19:53,490 Octavia. 425 00:19:53,490 --> 00:19:55,820 A classic political maneuver among royalty. Absolutely. 426 00:19:55,820 --> 00:19:57,920 And so he goes back, does this. 427 00:19:57,930 --> 00:20:00,790 Octavia is this wonderful, perfect sort of person, 428 00:20:00,800 --> 00:20:02,700 and so the Romans feel very happy again. 429 00:20:02,700 --> 00:20:05,100 And of course, Cleopatra is not quite so happy. Right. 430 00:20:05,100 --> 00:20:08,730 But she does understand that this is a political ploy. 431 00:20:08,740 --> 00:20:12,370 Despite his marriage to his rival Octavian's sister, 432 00:20:12,370 --> 00:20:15,910 Antony continued his love affair with Cleopatra 433 00:20:15,910 --> 00:20:17,510 and he married her, too. 434 00:20:17,510 --> 00:20:20,110 They had three children together. 435 00:20:20,110 --> 00:20:23,520 This put further strain on Antony's relations with Rome. 436 00:20:23,520 --> 00:20:27,250 And fearing Octavian might order Mark Antony killed 437 00:20:27,250 --> 00:20:28,590 for marrying her. 438 00:20:28,590 --> 00:20:30,190 That's incredible. 439 00:20:30,190 --> 00:20:32,260 Cleopatra devised a backup plan. 440 00:20:32,260 --> 00:20:35,060 So this entire picture is leading up to the star 441 00:20:35,060 --> 00:20:37,730 of the show, Cleopatra right there. Yeah. 442 00:20:37,730 --> 00:20:39,800 -And next to her? -That's Caesarion. 443 00:20:39,800 --> 00:20:42,470 That's her son. That's her secret weapon. 444 00:20:42,470 --> 00:20:46,210 Caesarion, the first-born son of Cleopatra 445 00:20:46,210 --> 00:20:48,940 and Julius Caesar, a possible heir to the throne 446 00:20:48,940 --> 00:20:51,280 of both Egypt and Rome. 447 00:20:53,950 --> 00:20:56,420 For Cleopatra, she's making a huge public statement 448 00:20:56,420 --> 00:20:59,020 about this is my son. -Mm-hmm. 449 00:20:59,020 --> 00:21:02,760 And he is going to, in fact, take over the country. 450 00:21:02,760 --> 00:21:05,390 And this is marking him as the heir apparent, 451 00:21:05,390 --> 00:21:08,230 so it really is a public acclimation of them 452 00:21:08,230 --> 00:21:10,300 as a ruling couple. -Okay. 453 00:21:10,300 --> 00:21:12,300 This is also something that she can say, 454 00:21:12,300 --> 00:21:16,300 "I have a king to rule with me," so should things go 455 00:21:16,300 --> 00:21:20,440 pear-shaped with Mark Antony, she has someone. 456 00:21:20,440 --> 00:21:23,110 And things did go pear-shaped. 457 00:21:23,110 --> 00:21:25,580 After several years of tension, Octavian declared war 458 00:21:25,580 --> 00:21:28,550 against Cleopatra and Mark Antony. 459 00:21:28,550 --> 00:21:31,250 And defeated Antony's forces in Alexandria. 460 00:21:31,250 --> 00:21:35,860 But Antony didn't die. 461 00:21:35,860 --> 00:21:39,730 Octavian, aware of his leverage, sends word to Cleopatra 462 00:21:39,730 --> 00:21:42,930 that if she kills Mark Antony, he may spare her life 463 00:21:42,930 --> 00:21:45,260 and be open to political negotiation 464 00:21:45,270 --> 00:21:48,600 of who will rule Egypt. 465 00:21:48,600 --> 00:21:51,070 Cleopatra realizes she's not powerful enough 466 00:21:51,070 --> 00:21:53,670 to expel Mark Antony from Egypt. 467 00:21:53,670 --> 00:21:56,210 And she has not the stomach to assassinate him. 468 00:21:56,210 --> 00:21:59,410 But is she willing to lose her empire for love? 469 00:21:59,410 --> 00:22:02,150 So she conceives of a chilling plot. 470 00:22:02,150 --> 00:22:05,220 She has a message sent to Mark Antony that says 471 00:22:05,220 --> 00:22:06,590 she has killed herself. 472 00:22:06,590 --> 00:22:08,150 Her hope? 473 00:22:08,160 --> 00:22:09,620 That upon hearing the news of her death, 474 00:22:09,620 --> 00:22:11,960 Antony would take his own life. 475 00:22:11,960 --> 00:22:14,190 And that is exactly what happened. 476 00:22:14,200 --> 00:22:15,830 Upon hearing the news of his great love, 477 00:22:15,830 --> 00:22:17,700 Mark Antony falls on his sword. 478 00:22:17,700 --> 00:22:20,900 But this romantic act of suicide does not 479 00:22:20,900 --> 00:22:22,440 immediately kill him. 480 00:22:22,440 --> 00:22:25,970 So he has himself carried to the place 481 00:22:25,970 --> 00:22:28,370 where Cleopatra's body's supposed to be. 482 00:22:28,380 --> 00:22:30,910 There, upon finding her still alive, 483 00:22:30,910 --> 00:22:33,710 he tells her to make her peace with Octavian. 484 00:22:33,710 --> 00:22:38,680 And then, and only then, does Mark Antony die. 485 00:22:41,220 --> 00:22:44,660 When Octavian finally reached Cleopatra, 486 00:22:44,660 --> 00:22:46,460 she tried to seduce him. 487 00:22:46,460 --> 00:22:48,590 But he resister her charms. 488 00:22:48,600 --> 00:22:51,800 He also resisted her son Caesarion as a possible heir 489 00:22:51,800 --> 00:22:53,600 to the throne. 490 00:22:53,600 --> 00:22:55,800 She was out of options. 491 00:22:55,800 --> 00:23:00,270 As lore famously tells it, she has a poison snake smuggled 492 00:23:00,270 --> 00:23:02,610 to her in a basket of figs. 493 00:23:02,610 --> 00:23:06,210 And then, fearless as ever, she had that snake bite her 494 00:23:06,210 --> 00:23:08,880 repeatedly upon the chest until she succumbed 495 00:23:08,880 --> 00:23:12,280 to its deadly poison. 496 00:23:12,290 --> 00:23:16,020 And in a last act of love and devotion, she arranged 497 00:23:16,020 --> 00:23:19,620 to have her body buried next to Mark Antony. 498 00:23:19,630 --> 00:23:23,360 Cleopatra, the last of the Ptolemaic dynasty, 499 00:23:23,360 --> 00:23:27,300 the last queen of Egypt, the last Pharaoh, 500 00:23:27,300 --> 00:23:29,300 was dead at 39. 501 00:23:34,710 --> 00:23:37,780 Cleopatra's legacy is one of history's most powerful 502 00:23:37,780 --> 00:23:41,410 and independent female leaders is unquestionable. 503 00:23:41,420 --> 00:23:43,650 Yet the role she's most remembered for is 504 00:23:43,650 --> 00:23:45,180 that of a seductress. 505 00:23:45,190 --> 00:23:48,320 A woman who used her gender and sensuality 506 00:23:48,320 --> 00:23:51,520 to manipulate the most powerful men in the ancient world. 507 00:23:51,530 --> 00:23:54,060 But what is the Cleopatra we presume to know 508 00:23:54,060 --> 00:23:55,460 was much different? 509 00:23:55,460 --> 00:23:59,730 What if she was more complex and compelling queen, after all? 510 00:23:59,730 --> 00:24:04,540 Who was the real Cleopatra? 511 00:24:04,540 --> 00:24:07,410 To find out, I'm searching for her lost tomb. 512 00:24:07,410 --> 00:24:10,210 So we enter the tomb over here. 513 00:24:10,210 --> 00:24:12,480 Cleopatra's tomb might be somewhere right 514 00:24:12,480 --> 00:24:16,680 beneath my feet. 515 00:24:21,260 --> 00:24:23,320 I'm on a quest to uncover 516 00:24:23,320 --> 00:24:25,720 the lost tomb of Cleopatra, 517 00:24:25,730 --> 00:24:27,860 Egypt's most enigmatic queen. 518 00:24:31,470 --> 00:24:34,670 As legend goes, after Cleopatra took her own life, 519 00:24:34,670 --> 00:24:37,970 she was buried in a tomb with Mark Antony. 520 00:24:37,970 --> 00:24:42,510 A tomb that has never been found. 521 00:24:42,510 --> 00:24:45,340 With her death, the Kingdom of Egypt was annexed 522 00:24:45,350 --> 00:24:46,810 by the Roman Empire, 523 00:24:46,810 --> 00:24:51,520 and the Ptolemaic Pharaoh dynasty came to an end. 524 00:24:51,520 --> 00:24:53,590 In the two millennia since her death, 525 00:24:53,590 --> 00:24:57,060 Cleopatra's life and legacy has been largely defined 526 00:24:57,060 --> 00:24:59,590 by what her Roman enemies wrote about her. 527 00:24:59,590 --> 00:25:00,990 That she was a dangerous seductress 528 00:25:01,000 --> 00:25:02,660 who used her sexuality 529 00:25:02,660 --> 00:25:05,930 and ambition to reach for power that was beyond 530 00:25:05,930 --> 00:25:09,400 what was proper for a woman. 531 00:25:09,400 --> 00:25:12,200 But we sometimes forget that this was a real woman 532 00:25:12,210 --> 00:25:14,070 who ruled one of the greatest civilizations 533 00:25:14,080 --> 00:25:15,670 of the ancient world 534 00:25:15,680 --> 00:25:18,210 and who died trying to save her kingdom 535 00:25:18,210 --> 00:25:20,080 from Roman conquest. 536 00:25:20,080 --> 00:25:22,550 So, beyond the myth, beyond the propaganda, 537 00:25:22,550 --> 00:25:25,950 who was the woman behind the formidable 538 00:25:25,950 --> 00:25:27,820 and fabled queen of Egypt? 539 00:25:27,820 --> 00:25:29,960 And how do we tease out the truth 540 00:25:29,960 --> 00:25:32,290 from her licentious reputation? 541 00:25:36,230 --> 00:25:38,230 My search for the truth has brought me 542 00:25:38,230 --> 00:25:41,470 to the Library of Alexandria. 543 00:25:41,470 --> 00:25:45,170 Wow. 544 00:25:45,170 --> 00:25:47,470 This library was a great seed of knowledge 545 00:25:47,480 --> 00:25:50,440 in the ancient world during the reign of Cleopatra. 546 00:25:50,440 --> 00:25:52,810 But it was completely destroyed by a fire. 547 00:25:52,810 --> 00:25:56,580 It was reborn in 2002 to reclaim the mantle 548 00:25:56,580 --> 00:25:59,180 of its ancient glory. 549 00:25:59,190 --> 00:26:01,850 This extraordinary architectural wonder is home 550 00:26:01,860 --> 00:26:05,820 to a vast complex where arts, history, philosophy, 551 00:26:05,830 --> 00:26:09,590 and science all come together. 552 00:26:09,600 --> 00:26:11,730 -Dr. Basir? -Hi, how are you? 553 00:26:11,730 --> 00:26:13,130 -Nice to meet you. -Nice meeting you. 554 00:26:13,130 --> 00:26:16,340 Dr. Hussein Basir is the director of 555 00:26:16,340 --> 00:26:20,270 the Antiquity Museum at the Alexandria Library. 556 00:26:20,270 --> 00:26:23,680 Dr. Basir has offered to show me ancient text 557 00:26:23,680 --> 00:26:29,310 that may hold the secrets to the real Cleopatra. 558 00:26:29,320 --> 00:26:32,550 So, Dr. Basir, my version of Cleopatra, 559 00:26:32,550 --> 00:26:37,090 a seductress, a harlot, a manipulator of men. 560 00:26:37,090 --> 00:26:39,360 That's what I was raised with. That's the Western version. 561 00:26:39,360 --> 00:26:41,960 It was kind of a negative Cleopatra. Yes. 562 00:26:41,960 --> 00:26:44,630 Mm. 563 00:26:46,830 --> 00:26:49,900 Dr. Basir tells me that this Western view is 564 00:26:49,900 --> 00:26:53,340 actually influenced by Octavian who had vowed 565 00:26:53,340 --> 00:26:56,940 to destroy Cleopatra's reputation. 566 00:26:56,940 --> 00:26:58,980 And with her finally out of the picture, 567 00:26:58,980 --> 00:27:00,980 that's exactly what happened. 568 00:27:00,980 --> 00:27:04,780 The story of Cleopatra is retold by the Romans. Yes. 569 00:27:04,790 --> 00:27:06,890 And we end up with that version. Yes. 570 00:27:06,890 --> 00:27:09,190 Until now. 571 00:27:09,190 --> 00:27:12,320 In recent years, scholars across the world have begun 572 00:27:12,330 --> 00:27:15,260 to question the accepted history of Cleopatra. 573 00:27:15,260 --> 00:27:18,700 Thanks largely to medieval Islamic Egyptian texts 574 00:27:18,700 --> 00:27:21,000 that tell of a much different story. 575 00:27:21,000 --> 00:27:23,670 So this is whole different version of Cleopatra. Yes. 576 00:27:23,670 --> 00:27:24,940 Tell me what it says. 577 00:27:34,610 --> 00:27:36,820 Interesting. 578 00:27:36,820 --> 00:27:38,420 Wow, okay. 579 00:27:38,420 --> 00:27:41,250 To the ancient Greeks, a sage was a philosopher. 580 00:27:41,260 --> 00:27:44,620 The bearer of great wisdom. 581 00:27:44,620 --> 00:27:46,290 -So a sage, a philosopher. -Yes. 582 00:27:46,290 --> 00:27:49,930 This woman is smart. She's worldly, sophisticated. Yes. 583 00:27:53,730 --> 00:27:55,200 Interesting. 584 00:27:58,570 --> 00:28:02,240 Wow! 585 00:28:02,240 --> 00:28:06,410 So, Cleopatra was linked to the medical profession. 586 00:28:06,410 --> 00:28:09,750 She was an established author and a savant. 587 00:28:09,750 --> 00:28:11,820 And in addition to being the first Greek pharaoh 588 00:28:11,820 --> 00:28:14,650 to actually speak Egyptian, she was fluent 589 00:28:14,660 --> 00:28:17,290 in nine other languages. 590 00:28:17,290 --> 00:28:20,330 But perhaps the most interesting thing about these texts is 591 00:28:20,330 --> 00:28:22,190 what's not included. 592 00:28:22,200 --> 00:28:24,730 There's no mention of Cleopatra's assorted 593 00:28:24,730 --> 00:28:28,030 love affairs and scandals. 594 00:28:28,040 --> 00:28:29,730 You see? That's different. 595 00:28:29,740 --> 00:28:31,200 Yeah, but we've been sold a story, haven't we? 596 00:28:31,210 --> 00:28:33,610 This is a misogynistic, chauvinistic view of history, 597 00:28:33,610 --> 00:28:36,810 isn't it? -Yes, yes, yes. 598 00:28:36,810 --> 00:28:38,210 What seems clear is that 599 00:28:38,210 --> 00:28:41,210 Cleopatra has been hugely misrepresented. 600 00:28:41,220 --> 00:28:43,580 But scholars are beginning to revise this image. 601 00:28:43,580 --> 00:28:45,350 We're beginning to think differently 602 00:28:45,350 --> 00:28:47,220 about this iconic queen. 603 00:28:51,790 --> 00:28:54,360 One of the most enduring myths that has dominated 604 00:28:54,360 --> 00:28:57,500 our idea of Cleopatra through the ages is the one 605 00:28:57,500 --> 00:29:00,200 that surrounds her beauty. 606 00:29:00,200 --> 00:29:02,770 In the West, from the early Greeks and Romans 607 00:29:02,770 --> 00:29:05,440 through Shakespeare and ultimately emblazoned 608 00:29:05,440 --> 00:29:08,440 into our cultural consciousness by Hollywood, 609 00:29:08,440 --> 00:29:11,040 Cleopatra is represented as the quintessential, 610 00:29:11,050 --> 00:29:13,310 sultry femme fatale. 611 00:29:13,310 --> 00:29:15,910 When I think of Cleopatra, I immediately think 612 00:29:15,920 --> 00:29:18,150 of Elizabeth Taylor's iconic performance 613 00:29:18,150 --> 00:29:19,520 opposite Richard Burton. 614 00:29:19,520 --> 00:29:22,120 A beautiful and bewitching seductress. 615 00:29:22,120 --> 00:29:24,590 But does any visual evidence exist today 616 00:29:24,590 --> 00:29:27,660 that tells us how Cleopatra actually looked? 617 00:29:27,660 --> 00:29:30,560 I'm here at the Grand Egyptian Museum. 618 00:29:30,560 --> 00:29:33,130 It's known as the largest archeology museum in the world, 619 00:29:33,130 --> 00:29:34,870 still under construction. 620 00:29:34,870 --> 00:29:37,070 And I've been given special access into the lab 621 00:29:37,070 --> 00:29:39,670 where the only artifacts that exist 622 00:29:39,670 --> 00:29:41,040 about Cleopatra are stored. 623 00:29:46,280 --> 00:29:49,210 Ancient coins discovered at a recent archeological dig 624 00:29:49,220 --> 00:29:52,620 are decorated with Cleopatra's profile. 625 00:29:52,620 --> 00:29:54,890 This new evidence calls into question 626 00:29:54,890 --> 00:29:57,820 our notions of the beautiful queen. 627 00:29:57,830 --> 00:29:59,560 Here, take a look at this. 628 00:29:59,560 --> 00:30:01,660 That's amazing. 629 00:30:01,660 --> 00:30:05,430 Now, the tiny images here on these coins belie 630 00:30:05,430 --> 00:30:07,830 their importance, the huge importance of these. 631 00:30:07,830 --> 00:30:11,300 These are one of the few existing visual depictions 632 00:30:11,310 --> 00:30:15,770 of Cleopatra, of her face, that still exist from that time. 633 00:30:15,780 --> 00:30:18,780 But you look closer at her and that is not 634 00:30:18,780 --> 00:30:20,650 the Cleopatra I know, you know, 635 00:30:20,650 --> 00:30:23,720 from popular, you know, mythology. 636 00:30:23,720 --> 00:30:25,780 This is a different looking woman. 637 00:30:25,790 --> 00:30:27,850 Not necessarily the ravishing portrait 638 00:30:27,860 --> 00:30:30,360 that I would've expected. 639 00:30:30,360 --> 00:30:33,330 If we've gotten this wrong, her physicality, 640 00:30:33,330 --> 00:30:36,030 what else about Cleopatra have we gotten wrong? 641 00:30:39,100 --> 00:30:41,400 But perhaps the biggest mystery of all is 642 00:30:41,400 --> 00:30:43,270 what happened to her body afterwards. 643 00:30:43,270 --> 00:30:46,340 Archeologists around the world continue to search 644 00:30:46,340 --> 00:30:49,140 and theorize about the location of her tomb. 645 00:30:49,140 --> 00:30:51,540 But the burning question still remains. 646 00:30:51,550 --> 00:30:54,610 Where was Cleopatra finally laid to rest? 647 00:31:02,460 --> 00:31:05,220 I'm in Egypt uncovering the truth 648 00:31:05,230 --> 00:31:09,430 behind its last ruling pharaoh -- Cleopatra. 649 00:31:09,430 --> 00:31:12,360 But with all the swirling mysteries behind her reign 650 00:31:12,370 --> 00:31:15,830 and eventual suicide, one stands above all, 651 00:31:15,840 --> 00:31:17,500 where is her tomb? 652 00:31:19,840 --> 00:31:22,110 Connecting Cleopatra's physical legacy 653 00:31:22,110 --> 00:31:25,110 to modern day Alexandria has proven to be one 654 00:31:25,110 --> 00:31:27,580 of the biggest challenges for archeologists 655 00:31:27,580 --> 00:31:29,310 and historians alike. 656 00:31:29,320 --> 00:31:31,250 By the 14th century, 657 00:31:31,250 --> 00:31:33,450 any trace of Ptolemaic Alexandria 658 00:31:33,450 --> 00:31:35,050 was basically gone. 659 00:31:35,060 --> 00:31:37,460 What hadn't been lost to the ravages of war 660 00:31:37,460 --> 00:31:41,060 and time was destroyed by natural catastrophe. 661 00:31:41,060 --> 00:31:44,060 A series of devastating earthquakes and the tsunamis 662 00:31:44,060 --> 00:31:46,730 to follow had basically destroyed Cleopatra's court 663 00:31:46,730 --> 00:31:50,540 and palace and it was submerged into the sea. 664 00:31:50,540 --> 00:31:54,070 And for more than 1,500 years, that's where it remained. 665 00:31:54,070 --> 00:31:55,670 Lost to the sands of time. 666 00:31:55,680 --> 00:31:57,140 How you doing? 667 00:31:57,140 --> 00:31:59,750 But in the '90s, remarkable underwater archeological 668 00:31:59,750 --> 00:32:02,680 discoveries started being made right out here, 669 00:32:02,680 --> 00:32:07,420 in Alexandria's eastern harbor. 670 00:32:07,420 --> 00:32:09,890 Many archeologists and historians believe 671 00:32:09,890 --> 00:32:12,390 that when her palace collapsed into the harbor, 672 00:32:12,390 --> 00:32:16,360 Cleopatra's royal tomb went down with it. 673 00:32:16,360 --> 00:32:18,360 Down to find Cleopatra's tomb. 674 00:32:26,970 --> 00:32:30,210 It's just extraordinary to see and touch the remains... 675 00:32:30,210 --> 00:32:31,440 Wow. 676 00:32:31,450 --> 00:32:34,910 ...of Cleopatra's palace after thousands of years. 677 00:32:37,350 --> 00:32:40,450 It's also clear trying to find her royal tomb hidden 678 00:32:40,450 --> 00:32:45,460 somewhere on the ocean floor would be nearly impossible. 679 00:32:45,460 --> 00:32:50,060 If it was there at all. 680 00:32:50,060 --> 00:32:53,470 It turns out a controversy is brewing among archeologists 681 00:32:53,470 --> 00:32:56,730 about other possible locations for the final resting place 682 00:32:56,740 --> 00:32:59,070 of Egypt's last pharaoh, 683 00:32:59,070 --> 00:33:03,340 where the truth about her legacy could be discovered. 684 00:33:03,340 --> 00:33:05,940 I'm about 45 minutes outside of Alexandria 685 00:33:05,950 --> 00:33:09,410 at a site known as Taposiris Magna. 686 00:33:09,420 --> 00:33:12,220 This is one of the publicized digs in Egypt. 687 00:33:12,220 --> 00:33:13,720 Currently underway 688 00:33:13,720 --> 00:33:16,550 and possibly at a very exciting juncture. 689 00:33:16,560 --> 00:33:18,360 I'm meeting a maverick archeologist 690 00:33:18,360 --> 00:33:19,560 who's making headlines 691 00:33:19,560 --> 00:33:22,490 in her quest to find Cleopatra's tomb. 692 00:33:22,500 --> 00:33:25,560 Is it possible the tomb is about to be discovered? 693 00:33:30,200 --> 00:33:33,170 Dr. Martinez? How you doing? Yes, hello, Don. 694 00:33:33,170 --> 00:33:37,040 Hi, Kathleen, nice to meet you. 695 00:33:37,040 --> 00:33:40,910 With nearly 15 years of research and excavation behind her, 696 00:33:40,910 --> 00:33:43,920 Dr. Kathleen Martinez feels she's on the brink 697 00:33:43,920 --> 00:33:46,520 of discovering Cleopatra's tomb. 698 00:33:46,520 --> 00:33:47,790 And I'm here to find out why. 699 00:33:52,860 --> 00:33:58,260 Uh-huh. 700 00:34:01,200 --> 00:34:04,800 Isis, the protective goddess that Cleopatra represented 701 00:34:04,810 --> 00:34:06,740 to Egyptian people. 702 00:34:06,740 --> 00:34:08,810 The same goddess she's depicted as 703 00:34:08,810 --> 00:34:11,740 on the temple wall Dendera. 704 00:34:11,750 --> 00:34:12,880 So it was important to find a place 705 00:34:12,880 --> 00:34:16,350 where Isis was represented, worshiped, 706 00:34:16,350 --> 00:34:18,680 because that might be also where Cleopatra is worshiped. 707 00:34:24,090 --> 00:34:25,490 That's incredible. 708 00:34:31,030 --> 00:34:34,100 Ah. 709 00:34:34,100 --> 00:34:35,570 200 coins. 710 00:34:35,570 --> 00:34:37,040 With Cleopatra. 711 00:34:37,040 --> 00:34:38,240 And these would be coins that would be right in here 712 00:34:38,240 --> 00:34:39,500 'cause this was the offering. 713 00:34:39,510 --> 00:34:41,040 It's the place you'd make your offerings. Yes. 714 00:34:41,040 --> 00:34:43,910 Okay. So I saw these coins in the Grand Museum that had -- Yes. 715 00:34:43,910 --> 00:34:45,980 ...these were the coins? -Yes, these are the coins. 716 00:34:45,980 --> 00:34:47,850 I get it. 717 00:34:47,850 --> 00:34:50,780 So these coins were part of the first clues discovered 718 00:34:50,780 --> 00:34:53,650 by Kathleen that pointed to this temple as 719 00:34:53,650 --> 00:34:57,120 a possible burial spot of Cleopatra. 720 00:34:57,120 --> 00:35:00,330 But since then, she's made another discovery 721 00:35:00,330 --> 00:35:02,530 that's even more convincing. 722 00:35:07,200 --> 00:35:10,000 Uh-huh. 723 00:35:10,000 --> 00:35:12,540 Really? 724 00:35:14,210 --> 00:35:16,210 Okay. 725 00:35:17,880 --> 00:35:19,610 Wow. 726 00:35:19,610 --> 00:35:20,880 -Amazing. -Isn't it incredible? 727 00:35:20,880 --> 00:35:22,010 It's huge! 728 00:35:25,090 --> 00:35:26,490 What did you find down here? 729 00:35:30,720 --> 00:35:33,230 Yeah. 730 00:35:33,230 --> 00:35:36,430 And the significance of a priest is what? 731 00:35:36,430 --> 00:35:38,500 Yeah. 732 00:35:38,500 --> 00:35:40,630 The presence of the priest buried here 733 00:35:40,630 --> 00:35:43,530 means that they were the guardians of a royal temple? Yes. 734 00:35:43,540 --> 00:35:46,040 Okay, so there was a Pharaoh beyond those priests? Yes. 735 00:35:46,040 --> 00:35:48,110 Or presumably there might be. 736 00:35:48,110 --> 00:35:49,370 Where does this shaft go? 737 00:35:49,380 --> 00:35:52,710 The shaft, it's turning to the same angle 738 00:35:52,710 --> 00:35:55,050 of the Isis chapel. 739 00:35:55,050 --> 00:35:58,920 And so that would be the person who embodies Isis. Yes. 740 00:35:58,920 --> 00:36:01,520 -Meaning Cleopatra. -Yes. 741 00:36:01,520 --> 00:36:02,790 -I salute you. 742 00:36:02,790 --> 00:36:05,020 I mean, this is an amazing accomplishment. 743 00:36:09,630 --> 00:36:12,700 Dr. Martinez has discovered a maze of shafts 744 00:36:12,700 --> 00:36:15,770 and tunnels throughout this temple complex 745 00:36:15,770 --> 00:36:18,070 that tempts the imagination. 746 00:36:25,280 --> 00:36:27,150 Wow. 747 00:36:31,250 --> 00:36:34,790 It's incredible to think that Cleopatra's tomb could be 748 00:36:34,790 --> 00:36:37,890 somewhere right beneath my feet. 749 00:36:37,890 --> 00:36:42,490 Finding her tomb and turning her legend real would be 750 00:36:42,500 --> 00:36:46,100 the greatest discovery in Egypt since Howard Carter opened 751 00:36:46,100 --> 00:36:48,830 Tutankhamun tomb in 1922. 752 00:36:48,840 --> 00:36:50,900 There's no telling how much we could learn 753 00:36:50,900 --> 00:36:54,340 about Cleopatra's life and how she ruled. 754 00:36:54,340 --> 00:36:56,870 So how close is Dr. Martinez 755 00:36:56,880 --> 00:36:59,440 to discovering Cleopatra's tomb? 756 00:36:59,450 --> 00:37:01,580 I'm going deep underground into the bedrock 757 00:37:01,580 --> 00:37:05,580 to find out what Kathleen and her team have uncovered 758 00:37:05,590 --> 00:37:07,690 and why they feel they're closer than ever before 759 00:37:07,690 --> 00:37:09,520 to a major breakthrough. 760 00:37:09,520 --> 00:37:10,820 It's a matter of time. 761 00:37:15,900 --> 00:37:19,030 I'm in Egypt at the Temple of Taposiris 762 00:37:19,030 --> 00:37:21,270 where archeologist Kathleen Martinez 763 00:37:21,270 --> 00:37:25,070 may be on the brink of discovering Cleopatra's tomb. 764 00:37:25,070 --> 00:37:28,340 This vast temple complex is absolutely riddled 765 00:37:28,340 --> 00:37:30,680 with ancient burial chambers. 766 00:37:30,680 --> 00:37:35,410 Not only within the temple walls, but also outside. 767 00:37:35,420 --> 00:37:37,150 Wow, there you go. 768 00:37:37,150 --> 00:37:39,620 So there's tombs all over this place? Yes. 769 00:38:02,580 --> 00:38:04,580 Were these royals who were here? Yes. 770 00:38:04,580 --> 00:38:06,780 Ah, what tells you that? 771 00:38:12,790 --> 00:38:15,020 Mm-hmm. 772 00:38:17,320 --> 00:38:20,130 Mm-hmm. 773 00:38:29,140 --> 00:38:30,840 All right. 774 00:38:35,410 --> 00:38:37,080 With the right technology, 775 00:38:37,080 --> 00:38:39,410 we could zero in on her target -- 776 00:38:39,410 --> 00:38:42,210 Cleopatra's tomb. 777 00:38:42,220 --> 00:38:45,080 She's already finding success within the temple walls. 778 00:38:45,090 --> 00:38:48,090 For Kathleen to be able to know whether she needs 779 00:38:48,090 --> 00:38:50,490 to dig somewhere, she's using this Russian technology. 780 00:38:50,490 --> 00:38:53,360 It's a kind of ground-penetrating radar, 781 00:38:53,360 --> 00:38:55,890 and it shoots an electromagnetic pulse into the ground 782 00:38:55,900 --> 00:38:58,230 and picks it up in the back and they read, 783 00:38:58,230 --> 00:39:01,370 basically model out through data, what is down there. 784 00:39:01,370 --> 00:39:03,170 Shafts, tunnels, tombs. 785 00:39:03,170 --> 00:39:05,100 They'll be able to read whether it's worth digging 786 00:39:05,110 --> 00:39:07,470 in this spot. 787 00:39:09,380 --> 00:39:10,840 What will the scans reveal? 788 00:39:10,840 --> 00:39:15,110 Could the tomb of Queen Cleopatra really be found? 789 00:39:22,390 --> 00:39:25,660 I'm in Egypt searching for Queen Cleopatra's tomb. 790 00:39:29,500 --> 00:39:33,200 Here at Taposiris, Dr. Kathleen Martinez is using 791 00:39:33,200 --> 00:39:37,030 scanning technology to find Cleopatra. 792 00:39:37,040 --> 00:39:39,040 This is the big reveal. 793 00:39:39,040 --> 00:39:42,210 Yes. 794 00:39:42,210 --> 00:39:44,510 We were standing here looking down, yes? 795 00:39:44,510 --> 00:39:45,980 Yes, we were standing here. 796 00:39:45,980 --> 00:39:47,880 Wow, so what are you seeing here? 797 00:39:52,590 --> 00:39:56,690 Mm-hmm. 798 00:39:56,690 --> 00:39:57,860 Interesting. 799 00:39:57,860 --> 00:39:59,520 So tell me what you'll do with this data. 800 00:40:12,310 --> 00:40:16,370 Yeah. 801 00:40:16,380 --> 00:40:19,180 Right. 802 00:40:19,180 --> 00:40:20,780 Interesting. 803 00:40:26,320 --> 00:40:27,390 Mm-hmm. 804 00:40:31,860 --> 00:40:34,590 Genius. Can you take me underground here? 805 00:40:34,590 --> 00:40:35,760 Yes. 806 00:40:35,760 --> 00:40:39,230 So you have mapped through the entire site? 807 00:40:41,330 --> 00:40:43,070 Mm-hmm. 808 00:40:43,070 --> 00:40:47,540 Eventually the idea is to find the tomb of Cleopatra. 809 00:40:47,540 --> 00:40:49,610 Yes. 810 00:40:49,610 --> 00:40:51,440 Yeah, I mean, you're very confident. I am. 811 00:40:51,440 --> 00:40:53,480 I'm with you on this. 812 00:40:53,480 --> 00:40:54,950 And imagine the whole world will be able 813 00:40:54,950 --> 00:40:57,280 to take this journey. 814 00:40:57,280 --> 00:40:58,420 Incredible. 815 00:41:05,230 --> 00:41:08,960 For over 2,000 years, Cleopatra has endured as one 816 00:41:08,960 --> 00:41:10,130 of the most enigmatic 817 00:41:10,130 --> 00:41:12,300 and fascinating women of history. 818 00:41:12,300 --> 00:41:15,230 Though her beauty and tantalizing powers 819 00:41:15,240 --> 00:41:17,570 of seduction have dominated the narrative, 820 00:41:17,570 --> 00:41:19,970 we often forget that for 20 years, 821 00:41:19,970 --> 00:41:21,640 she ruled one of the great civilizations 822 00:41:21,640 --> 00:41:23,510 of the ancient world. 823 00:41:23,510 --> 00:41:25,180 She negotiated with foreign powers 824 00:41:25,180 --> 00:41:27,110 and presided over temples. 825 00:41:27,110 --> 00:41:30,110 She was a scientist, a philosopher, a poet, 826 00:41:30,120 --> 00:41:33,120 and a politician and a goddess. 827 00:41:33,120 --> 00:41:36,720 And for a brief, fleeting moment, she held the fate 828 00:41:36,720 --> 00:41:39,190 of the Western world in her hands. 829 00:41:39,190 --> 00:41:42,060 In the end, Cleopatra lost everything. 830 00:41:42,060 --> 00:41:43,930 But her epically dramatic life 831 00:41:43,930 --> 00:41:47,470 and theatrical death transformed her story into legend, 832 00:41:47,470 --> 00:41:51,470 a legend we still live with today. 832 00:41:52,305 --> 00:42:52,161 Do you want subtitles for any video? -=[ ai.OpenSubtitles.com ]=-