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

1 00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:12,074 2 00:00:13,446 --> 00:00:15,682 WILDMAN: On August 12, 30 B.C., 3 00:00:15,749 --> 00:00:18,184 the last reigning ruler of Egypt, 4 00:00:18,251 --> 00:00:19,953 Cleopatra VII, 5 00:00:20,020 --> 00:00:23,289 committed suicide by snake bite. 6 00:00:23,356 --> 00:00:25,992 To this day, her tomb has never been found. 7 00:00:26,059 --> 00:00:28,428 Wow. 8 00:00:30,296 --> 00:00:33,366 There is no more powerful, nor controversial woman 9 00:00:33,433 --> 00:00:36,803 in history than Cleopatra. 10 00:00:36,870 --> 00:00:41,374 The stunning and mercurial leader of the Egyptian empire. 11 00:00:41,441 --> 00:00:44,611 For 2,000 years, her reputation of striking beauty, 12 00:00:44,678 --> 00:00:47,313 murderous ambition, and libertine lust 13 00:00:47,380 --> 00:00:49,749 has defined the reputation, 14 00:00:49,816 --> 00:00:53,219 her reputation as the last Pharaoh of ancient Egypt. 15 00:00:53,286 --> 00:00:55,288 But is this the real story? 16 00:00:55,355 --> 00:00:59,359 How much do we actually know about the real Cleopatra? 17 00:00:59,426 --> 00:01:02,162 What new clues are being discovered today? 18 00:01:02,228 --> 00:01:03,730 Now we send this to the lab. 19 00:01:03,797 --> 00:01:05,265 You're rewriting history. 20 00:01:05,331 --> 00:01:06,900 With cutting edge technology... 21 00:01:06,966 --> 00:01:09,235 There is a whole world beneath. 22 00:01:09,302 --> 00:01:10,704 It's incredible. 23 00:01:10,770 --> 00:01:14,107 ...just how close are we to discovering Cleopatra's tomb? 24 00:01:14,174 --> 00:01:16,676 So something is beneath here and you are refusing 25 00:01:16,743 --> 00:01:18,011 to give up until you find it. 26 00:01:18,078 --> 00:01:19,279 It's a matter of time. 27 00:01:19,346 --> 00:01:22,349 From the catacombs of ancient Alexandria... 28 00:01:22,415 --> 00:01:26,019 Down to find Cleopatra's tomb. 29 00:01:26,086 --> 00:01:28,888 ...to ancient ruins on the ocean floor. 30 00:01:28,955 --> 00:01:30,857 Wow. 31 00:01:30,924 --> 00:01:33,093 Who was Cleopatra? 32 00:01:33,159 --> 00:01:35,795 Here is a woman ruling at a time 33 00:01:35,862 --> 00:01:37,664 when it was all about men. 34 00:01:37,731 --> 00:01:40,967 WILDMAN: And where is her final resting place? 35 00:01:41,034 --> 00:01:43,770 It's a quest to discover her tomb. 36 00:01:43,837 --> 00:01:47,807 And reveal the true legacy of Egypt's most enigmatic queen. 37 00:01:47,874 --> 00:01:51,211 It's incredible to think that Cleopatra's tomb could be 38 00:01:51,277 --> 00:01:54,347 somewhere right beneath my feet. 39 00:01:54,414 --> 00:01:57,350 Wow! 40 00:01:57,417 --> 00:01:59,319 I'm Don Wildman. 41 00:01:59,386 --> 00:02:01,755 I've explored the world's greatest mysteries, 42 00:02:01,821 --> 00:02:04,724 examined rare artifacts and epic monuments. 43 00:02:04,791 --> 00:02:06,226 That is unbelievable. 44 00:02:06,292 --> 00:02:09,329 Now I'm digging deeper into some of the most perplexing 45 00:02:09,396 --> 00:02:12,065 and famous cases in history. 46 00:02:12,132 --> 00:02:14,434 My goal? To get closer to the truth. 47 00:02:14,501 --> 00:02:17,137 -Let's burn this place down. -Let's burn it down. 48 00:02:17,203 --> 00:02:19,906 On this special episode of 49 00:02:19,973 --> 00:02:23,977 "Mysteries at the Museum: Cleopatra." 50 00:02:40,660 --> 00:02:42,696 After more than 2,000 years, 51 00:02:42,762 --> 00:02:46,433 Cleopatra endures as one of the most fascinating 52 00:02:46,499 --> 00:02:49,269 and iconic female leaders in history. 53 00:02:49,336 --> 00:02:52,505 A Pharaoh queen, she ruled over one of the greatest kingdoms 54 00:02:52,572 --> 00:02:55,442 of the ancient world -- Egypt. 55 00:02:55,508 --> 00:02:57,711 Fearlessly taking on the Roman empire, 56 00:02:57,777 --> 00:03:01,681 she seduced both Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, 57 00:03:01,748 --> 00:03:05,251 two of the most powerful men in Western history. 58 00:03:05,318 --> 00:03:09,022 The name Cleopatra evokes a lasting image of a sexy 59 00:03:09,089 --> 00:03:10,457 and ambitious woman. 60 00:03:10,523 --> 00:03:12,826 A temptress who would stop at nothing to get 61 00:03:12,892 --> 00:03:14,194 what she wanted. 62 00:03:14,260 --> 00:03:16,062 From Shakespeare to Hollywood, 63 00:03:16,129 --> 00:03:19,632 Cleopatra is ingrained in our cultural consciousness 64 00:03:19,699 --> 00:03:25,205 as history's most famous femme fatale. 65 00:03:25,271 --> 00:03:28,041 But how accurate is all of this history? 66 00:03:28,108 --> 00:03:30,110 Many of the details of Cleopatra's life 67 00:03:30,176 --> 00:03:33,646 are either unknown or clouded by myth. 68 00:03:33,713 --> 00:03:36,583 So how do we begin to separate the notorious reputation 69 00:03:36,649 --> 00:03:40,153 from the woman who ruled as Egypt's last Pharaoh? 70 00:03:40,220 --> 00:03:43,156 Many believe the missing pieces could be revealed 71 00:03:43,223 --> 00:03:45,225 with the discovery of her tomb. 72 00:03:45,291 --> 00:03:49,262 After more than 2,000 years, it has yet to be found. 73 00:03:49,329 --> 00:03:52,599 So can we uncover her final resting place 74 00:03:52,665 --> 00:03:55,135 and fill in the missing pieces once and for all? 75 00:04:03,076 --> 00:04:06,513 To find out, I first need to separate fact from fiction 76 00:04:06,579 --> 00:04:09,816 and learn about the true details of her life. 77 00:04:09,883 --> 00:04:12,185 And to begin this journey, we need to travel back 78 00:04:12,252 --> 00:04:14,521 to 69 B.C., 79 00:04:14,587 --> 00:04:18,458 the year Cleopatra was born. 80 00:04:18,525 --> 00:04:20,493 Although she was born in Egypt 81 00:04:20,560 --> 00:04:22,395 and was Egypt's most famous queen, 82 00:04:22,462 --> 00:04:24,864 she was not, in fact, Egyptian. 83 00:04:24,931 --> 00:04:28,535 She was Greek. 84 00:04:28,601 --> 00:04:32,605 So how did Egypt end up with a Greek queen? 85 00:04:32,672 --> 00:04:34,808 After Alexander the Great, the Greek king, 86 00:04:34,874 --> 00:04:37,110 conquered Egypt in 320 B.C.E., 87 00:04:37,177 --> 00:04:40,013 he gifted the empire to his star general, 88 00:04:40,080 --> 00:04:42,949 Ptolemy I, who took the roll of Pharaoh, 89 00:04:43,016 --> 00:04:45,452 an Egyptian royal ruler. 90 00:04:45,518 --> 00:04:49,689 For the next 250 years, the Egyptian empire had 91 00:04:49,756 --> 00:04:51,691 Greek Pharaohs in power. 92 00:04:51,758 --> 00:04:55,228 In the year 69 B.C., Cleopatra was born 93 00:04:55,295 --> 00:04:58,732 into this royal family, also known as the Ptolemy line. 94 00:05:00,734 --> 00:05:05,472 So what was life really like for the Greek queen of Egypt? 95 00:05:05,538 --> 00:05:09,175 I've come to her birthplace, the city of Alexandria. 96 00:05:09,242 --> 00:05:11,945 Named after Alexander the Great, 97 00:05:12,012 --> 00:05:13,847 it's a port city on the Mediterranean Sea 98 00:05:13,913 --> 00:05:15,749 in northern Egypt. 99 00:05:15,815 --> 00:05:18,418 2,000 years ago, when Cleopatra was born, 100 00:05:18,485 --> 00:05:22,088 it was the largest port in the world and the capital 101 00:05:22,155 --> 00:05:23,823 of ancient Egypt. 102 00:05:23,890 --> 00:05:27,527 Still one of the most important civilizations of its time. 103 00:05:27,594 --> 00:05:30,563 In terms of population, knowledge, and culture, 104 00:05:30,630 --> 00:05:34,534 Alexandria even surpassed Rome in importance. 105 00:05:34,601 --> 00:05:36,870 Walking around this sprawling metropolis, 106 00:05:36,936 --> 00:05:38,271 it's immediately evident we're not in 107 00:05:38,338 --> 00:05:40,306 Cleopatra's Alexandria anymore. 108 00:05:40,373 --> 00:05:41,908 I mean, there's no sign of that. 109 00:05:41,975 --> 00:05:45,345 There's no sign of the dazzling palatial architecture 110 00:05:45,412 --> 00:05:47,881 that made this place the crowned jewel 111 00:05:47,947 --> 00:05:49,115 of the Mediterranean. 112 00:05:49,182 --> 00:05:50,483 It's gone. 113 00:05:50,550 --> 00:05:53,586 But with any ancient city, you have to find a portal 114 00:05:53,653 --> 00:05:55,989 into the past, a way to look back in time. 115 00:05:56,056 --> 00:05:58,525 And here in Alexandria, you start underground 116 00:05:58,591 --> 00:06:02,228 to see the hidden layers that fill in the backdrop 117 00:06:02,295 --> 00:06:04,330 of the story of Egypt's most famous queen. 118 00:06:12,539 --> 00:06:13,573 Hello, Colin, how are you doing? 119 00:06:13,640 --> 00:06:14,607 Hi, Don, welcome to Alexandria. 120 00:06:14,674 --> 00:06:18,044 -How's it going? -Thank you very much. 121 00:06:18,111 --> 00:06:20,513 WILDMAN: Colin Clement is an historian and guide 122 00:06:20,580 --> 00:06:22,148 who knows where to find the layers of 123 00:06:22,215 --> 00:06:23,950 Alexandria's ancient past 124 00:06:24,017 --> 00:06:26,786 that tell the true story of Cleopatra. 125 00:06:26,853 --> 00:06:29,823 Layers that may help lead us closer to her tomb. 126 00:06:29,889 --> 00:06:32,359 There is no place that shows the city's blend 127 00:06:32,425 --> 00:06:35,895 of both Greek and Egyptian culture better than here, 128 00:06:35,962 --> 00:06:37,964 the catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa, 129 00:06:38,031 --> 00:06:39,733 considered one of the seven wonders 130 00:06:39,799 --> 00:06:41,201 of the Middle Ages. 131 00:06:45,105 --> 00:06:46,806 Wow, what is this place? 132 00:06:46,873 --> 00:06:52,545 Colin tells me the story of Cleopatra's Egypt can be found 133 00:06:52,612 --> 00:06:54,914 in these catacombs. 134 00:06:54,981 --> 00:06:58,318 Now this is the main tomb of this particular complex. 135 00:06:58,385 --> 00:07:00,687 Wow, it is spectacular. 136 00:07:00,754 --> 00:07:03,189 So I am seeing a lot of different elements, aren't I? 137 00:07:03,256 --> 00:07:05,258 Oh, absolutely. This is expressing Alexandria. 138 00:07:05,325 --> 00:07:07,927 Very much Alexandria about the time of Cleopatra. 139 00:07:07,994 --> 00:07:10,263 It's the sort of cultural milieu that she was born into, 140 00:07:10,330 --> 00:07:11,831 which was layered. -Okay. 141 00:07:11,898 --> 00:07:14,000 Because here, if we look, the entrance to this tomb, 142 00:07:14,067 --> 00:07:15,602 it's purely Egyptian in form. 143 00:07:15,669 --> 00:07:17,971 We have the cobra with the wings deployed. Mm-hmm. 144 00:07:18,038 --> 00:07:20,573 And then columns, the Papyriform columns, 145 00:07:20,640 --> 00:07:23,643 it's all speaks of Egypt. 146 00:07:23,710 --> 00:07:26,479 But if you take two steps in into the antechamber, 147 00:07:26,546 --> 00:07:28,948 you see suddenly we come back to Greece. Hmm. 148 00:07:29,015 --> 00:07:31,718 That medallion, that shield, is the head of Medusa. Wow. 149 00:07:31,785 --> 00:07:35,088 Who was the great, you know, protective emblem of tombs 150 00:07:35,155 --> 00:07:36,356 in the Greek world. 151 00:07:36,423 --> 00:07:38,792 -But then look at its head. -There's a crown. 152 00:07:38,858 --> 00:07:40,994 And that's the crown of upper and lower Egypt. Oh, fascinating. 153 00:07:41,061 --> 00:07:42,762 So we have Greek imagery, 154 00:07:42,829 --> 00:07:43,997 but with an Egyptian stamp on it. 155 00:07:44,064 --> 00:07:46,299 So we got these two things sitting next together, 156 00:07:46,366 --> 00:07:48,168 being shared in this one tomb complex. 157 00:07:48,234 --> 00:07:50,103 So this is a perfect cross-section of 158 00:07:50,170 --> 00:07:51,805 what was happening at the time of Cleopatra. 159 00:07:51,871 --> 00:07:54,074 -Greek and Egyptian. -Absolutely. 160 00:07:54,140 --> 00:07:56,743 We know Cleopatra was the first of that dynasty 161 00:07:56,810 --> 00:08:00,280 to learn the local language, to speak Egyptian. Huh. 162 00:08:00,347 --> 00:08:01,948 WILDMAN: By speaking the native tongue, 163 00:08:02,015 --> 00:08:05,085 Cleopatra had the support of the Egyptian people 164 00:08:05,151 --> 00:08:08,688 and she furthered this loyalty by exploiting the belief 165 00:08:08,755 --> 00:08:12,459 that all Pharaohs have a direct connection to the Gods. 166 00:08:12,525 --> 00:08:15,061 Cleopatra aligned herself with the most popular 167 00:08:15,128 --> 00:08:17,630 Egyptian goddess, Isis. 168 00:08:21,368 --> 00:08:24,137 So once she assumes power, what's her motivation here? 169 00:08:24,204 --> 00:08:26,439 What does she want to become? 170 00:08:26,506 --> 00:08:29,175 She wants to try to reestablish a certain 171 00:08:29,242 --> 00:08:30,643 independence for Egypt. 172 00:08:30,710 --> 00:08:35,315 Try to fend off the outside threat which is ultimately Rome. 173 00:08:39,285 --> 00:08:41,521 WILDMAN: But outside threats like Rome weren't 174 00:08:41,588 --> 00:08:44,024 Cleopatra's only problem. 175 00:08:44,090 --> 00:08:47,727 It turns out Cleopatra wasn't even the lone ruler of Egypt. 176 00:08:47,794 --> 00:08:50,864 She shared the throne with her younger brother, 177 00:08:50,930 --> 00:08:54,634 to whom she was married. 178 00:08:54,701 --> 00:08:56,836 So Cleopatra, 18 years old, assumes power with her brother. 179 00:08:56,903 --> 00:09:00,373 She's a co-regent, yeah? 180 00:09:00,440 --> 00:09:01,508 Right, yes, indeed. 181 00:09:01,574 --> 00:09:03,810 Which is not completely abnormal. Yeah. 182 00:09:03,877 --> 00:09:06,346 There's a history within Egypt of brother/sister marriage 183 00:09:06,413 --> 00:09:07,847 for the rulers. -Mm-hmm. 184 00:09:07,914 --> 00:09:08,982 But in this instance, there was -- 185 00:09:09,049 --> 00:09:10,016 there seemed to be some an imbalance, why? 186 00:09:10,083 --> 00:09:11,284 Because she's the older of the sibling. 187 00:09:11,351 --> 00:09:13,787 Okay, but she's been groomed for this. Clearly. 188 00:09:13,853 --> 00:09:16,256 I mean, she'd been groomed into, the, you know, 189 00:09:16,322 --> 00:09:18,958 the political machinations of the whole dynasty. 190 00:09:19,025 --> 00:09:23,196 She is 300 years a distillation of Ptolemaic rule, 191 00:09:23,263 --> 00:09:24,631 a great education. 192 00:09:24,698 --> 00:09:26,766 I mean, she's been brought up in a court. 193 00:09:26,833 --> 00:09:31,204 So she has to navigate a classic sibling rivalry 194 00:09:31,271 --> 00:09:33,306 but also the factions within a court? Absolutely. 195 00:09:33,373 --> 00:09:35,508 Eventually, she gets pushed out. 196 00:09:35,575 --> 00:09:39,179 The backers, whoever they were behind her younger brother, 197 00:09:39,245 --> 00:09:41,114 expel her from the capital. 198 00:09:41,181 --> 00:09:44,818 So Cleopatra is forced out of power and into exile. 199 00:09:44,884 --> 00:09:46,353 Where does she go? 200 00:09:46,419 --> 00:09:48,121 She goes to Sinai Peninsula, which is Egyptian territory. Mm-hmm. 201 00:09:48,188 --> 00:09:49,723 So exile, yes. 202 00:09:49,789 --> 00:09:50,857 Mm, she's not been kicked out of the country. 203 00:09:50,924 --> 00:09:52,726 She's not been murdered. 204 00:09:52,792 --> 00:09:55,161 She's been pushed away from the center of power. Hmm. 205 00:09:55,228 --> 00:09:56,429 And her brother takes over. 206 00:09:56,496 --> 00:09:57,597 And what happens there? 207 00:09:57,664 --> 00:09:59,132 Well, we don't really know. 208 00:09:59,199 --> 00:10:01,134 She's in some three years or so she's away from Alexandria. 209 00:10:01,201 --> 00:10:04,204 She's away from the wheels of power. 210 00:10:04,270 --> 00:10:05,872 But it's not so much what happened there, 211 00:10:05,939 --> 00:10:07,707 it's what happens outside of Egypt. 212 00:10:07,774 --> 00:10:10,710 What's happening just across the water in the Roman world 213 00:10:10,777 --> 00:10:12,612 that's gonna give her the opportunity to come back. 214 00:10:12,679 --> 00:10:14,114 Because Rome is rising. 215 00:10:14,180 --> 00:10:16,249 Oh, Rome has risen and it's just waiting to come in. 216 00:10:16,316 --> 00:10:19,619 -And take over Egypt. -Indeed. 217 00:10:19,686 --> 00:10:23,556 WILDMAN: Although Rome, who's power reached as far as Persia, 218 00:10:23,623 --> 00:10:25,291 had always been perceived as a threat 219 00:10:25,358 --> 00:10:28,728 to Egypt's independence, it would turn out to be the key 220 00:10:28,795 --> 00:10:31,064 to Cleopatra's escape from exile 221 00:10:31,131 --> 00:10:33,333 and to regaining her throne. 222 00:10:33,400 --> 00:10:36,369 At this point in Rome, there's civil war, right? 223 00:10:36,436 --> 00:10:37,837 There's civil war, indeed, yes. 224 00:10:37,904 --> 00:10:40,006 I mean, there's a major clash between the two great generals 225 00:10:40,073 --> 00:10:44,210 of the period -- Julius Caesar and Pompey. Yeah. 226 00:10:44,277 --> 00:10:46,479 Pompey and Caesar were both triumphant 227 00:10:46,546 --> 00:10:51,718 military men fighting for control of the Roman Republic. 228 00:10:51,785 --> 00:10:53,053 So a civil war between Julius Caesar 229 00:10:53,119 --> 00:10:55,288 and Pompey results in what? -Mm-hmm. 230 00:10:55,355 --> 00:10:57,190 Well, there's a massive battle in what is now 231 00:10:57,257 --> 00:10:58,825 central Greece at Farsala. 232 00:10:58,892 --> 00:11:00,160 -Pompey is defeated -- -Yeah. 233 00:11:00,226 --> 00:11:01,294 ...and he flees down south 234 00:11:01,361 --> 00:11:04,497 across the Mediterranean to Alexandria. 235 00:11:04,564 --> 00:11:05,832 What happens to Pompey here? 236 00:11:05,899 --> 00:11:07,434 Well, the Egyptians see him coming. 237 00:11:07,500 --> 00:11:10,036 They know that he has been defeated by Caesar, 238 00:11:10,103 --> 00:11:12,372 so they presumed Caesar is in pursuit. Yeah. 239 00:11:12,439 --> 00:11:14,841 So almost before Pompey can get off the boat, 240 00:11:14,908 --> 00:11:15,909 they assassinate him. 241 00:11:15,975 --> 00:11:18,044 In tribute to Caesar? 242 00:11:18,111 --> 00:11:20,814 Yes, they can see that Pompey is perhaps yesterday's man. 243 00:11:20,880 --> 00:11:22,315 Caesar is today's man. 244 00:11:22,382 --> 00:11:24,951 And they wanna be on side with the rising power. 245 00:11:25,018 --> 00:11:27,954 WILDMAN: Days after Pompey's murder, 246 00:11:28,021 --> 00:11:30,423 dressed in the imperial red, 247 00:11:30,490 --> 00:11:33,193 Julius Caesar arrived in Alexandria. 248 00:11:33,259 --> 00:11:34,994 The local Egyptian soldiers, 249 00:11:35,061 --> 00:11:37,430 as commanded by Cleopatra's brother, 250 00:11:37,497 --> 00:11:39,866 presented him with the head of Pompey, 251 00:11:39,933 --> 00:11:42,068 his defeated rival. 252 00:11:42,135 --> 00:11:45,005 Caesar was not happy to find that someone 253 00:11:45,071 --> 00:11:48,208 of Pompey's grandeur had been just slaughtered like that. Okay. 254 00:11:48,274 --> 00:11:51,344 Now, for Cleopatra, who's been out of favor 255 00:11:51,411 --> 00:11:54,614 and out of power, she sees that her sibling has made 256 00:11:54,681 --> 00:11:56,049 a false move. 257 00:11:56,116 --> 00:11:58,585 This is the beginning of Cleopatra's return from exile. 258 00:11:58,651 --> 00:12:03,089 -Her comeback, yes. -Yeah. 259 00:12:03,156 --> 00:12:06,059 WILDMAN: Julius Caesar decided to stay in Alexandria. 260 00:12:06,126 --> 00:12:10,830 His army eventually killing Cleopatra's brother. 261 00:12:10,897 --> 00:12:14,401 With her brother now dead, Cleopatra saw an opportunity 262 00:12:14,467 --> 00:12:17,103 to regain her throne. 263 00:12:17,170 --> 00:12:19,839 So, she devised a master plan. 264 00:12:19,906 --> 00:12:21,374 But would it work? 265 00:12:21,441 --> 00:12:22,642 This is the crypt. 266 00:12:22,709 --> 00:12:24,544 This is where they would hide all their treasure. 267 00:12:24,611 --> 00:12:26,680 WILDMAN: What's the truth behind the events 268 00:12:26,746 --> 00:12:28,381 that led to her suicide? 269 00:12:28,448 --> 00:12:30,316 That's Caesarion. That's her son. 270 00:12:30,383 --> 00:12:31,885 That's her secret weapon. 271 00:12:31,951 --> 00:12:36,356 WILDMAN: Can we find the real answers hidden in her tomb? 272 00:12:36,423 --> 00:12:37,891 Wow! 273 00:12:43,963 --> 00:12:47,701 WILDMAN: I'm on a quest to discover Cleopatra's tomb 274 00:12:47,767 --> 00:12:49,169 and reveal, once and for all, 275 00:12:49,235 --> 00:12:52,839 the true legacy of Egypt's last pharaoh. 276 00:12:52,906 --> 00:12:54,407 But until we make that discovery, 277 00:12:54,474 --> 00:12:56,142 we're left to fill in the pieces of 278 00:12:56,209 --> 00:12:58,178 this complicated puzzle. 279 00:12:58,244 --> 00:13:01,614 What we know is that Cleopatra was forced into exile 280 00:13:01,681 --> 00:13:03,049 by her brother. 281 00:13:03,116 --> 00:13:04,884 She then waited patiently for her opportunity 282 00:13:04,951 --> 00:13:06,319 to regain the throne. 283 00:13:06,386 --> 00:13:09,556 And when Julius Caesar arrived in Alexandria, 284 00:13:09,622 --> 00:13:14,494 she prepared to make her move and devised a master plan. 285 00:13:14,561 --> 00:13:17,797 It's the stuff of legend. 286 00:13:17,864 --> 00:13:19,632 Here's how the story goes. 287 00:13:19,699 --> 00:13:23,636 Now, under the cloak of darkness, Cleopatra approaches, 288 00:13:23,703 --> 00:13:25,705 right here in these waters, Alexandria Harbor, 289 00:13:25,772 --> 00:13:27,707 in the company of her most trusted advisor 290 00:13:27,774 --> 00:13:31,444 in a tiny little wooden boat in complete secrecy. 291 00:13:31,511 --> 00:13:34,014 She has that advisor 292 00:13:34,080 --> 00:13:36,249 wrap her in a carpet 293 00:13:36,316 --> 00:13:38,952 and hoisted onto his shoulder and he walks right 294 00:13:39,019 --> 00:13:40,720 to Caesar's quarters. 295 00:13:40,787 --> 00:13:44,391 He is then presenting this carpet as a gift to Caesar. 296 00:13:44,457 --> 00:13:47,027 And he unrolls the carpet in the quarters, 297 00:13:47,093 --> 00:13:50,797 and who should roll out with it but Cleopatra. 298 00:13:50,864 --> 00:13:53,266 Now at this point, Caesar is the most powerful man 299 00:13:53,333 --> 00:13:54,434 in the world looking down 300 00:13:54,501 --> 00:13:57,904 at a 21-year-old stunning young queen. 301 00:13:57,971 --> 00:14:01,808 And the history of the world is changed forever. 302 00:14:01,875 --> 00:14:05,145 Cleopatra's plan had been executed to perfection. 303 00:14:05,211 --> 00:14:09,916 She was the queen of Egypt once again. 304 00:14:09,983 --> 00:14:12,052 She and Caesar embarked on a very public 305 00:14:12,118 --> 00:14:14,287 and flagrant relationship. 306 00:14:14,354 --> 00:14:17,657 Together, they took a four-month trip on the Nile 307 00:14:17,724 --> 00:14:21,027 where Cleopatra introduced Caesar to the great pyramids. 308 00:14:21,094 --> 00:14:23,730 The couple were adored wherever they went. 309 00:14:23,797 --> 00:14:26,700 But if their fiery romance could bind them politically 310 00:14:26,766 --> 00:14:29,636 as well, then Cleopatra could accomplish more 311 00:14:29,703 --> 00:14:32,272 than just returning Egypt to its former glory. 312 00:14:32,339 --> 00:14:36,109 She would be the most powerful woman in the world. 313 00:14:36,176 --> 00:14:39,112 And that's exactly what happened when she became pregnant 314 00:14:39,179 --> 00:14:41,514 with Caesar's child. 315 00:14:41,581 --> 00:14:45,018 In 46 B.C., Cleopatra gave birth to a boy 316 00:14:45,085 --> 00:14:49,356 and called him Caesarion, also known as Little Caesar. 317 00:14:53,493 --> 00:14:56,496 With her ties to Caesar cemented by blood, 318 00:14:56,563 --> 00:14:59,499 Cleopatra and her new family split their time 319 00:14:59,566 --> 00:15:01,935 between Alexandria and Rome. 320 00:15:02,002 --> 00:15:04,971 The legendary seductress had rendered the Roman Empire 321 00:15:05,038 --> 00:15:07,040 a powerless threat to Egypt. 322 00:15:07,107 --> 00:15:11,678 But this newfound security wouldn't last. 323 00:15:11,745 --> 00:15:14,047 Caesar had grown into a dictator. 324 00:15:14,114 --> 00:15:16,583 Fearing the emperor's unchecked power, 325 00:15:16,649 --> 00:15:21,521 the Roman senate staged a coupe, and on March 15, 44 B.C., 326 00:15:21,588 --> 00:15:25,392 Caesar was assassinated in Rome by his own government. 327 00:15:25,458 --> 00:15:28,928 So who would lead Caesar's empire and what would that mean 328 00:15:28,995 --> 00:15:32,665 for the fate of Cleopatra and her son Caesarion? 329 00:15:32,732 --> 00:15:34,601 Being a Pharaoh meant that Cleopatra had 330 00:15:34,668 --> 00:15:36,903 a direct connection to the gods. 331 00:15:36,970 --> 00:15:38,805 She was a living goddess. 332 00:15:38,872 --> 00:15:40,507 She considered herself to be the incarnation 333 00:15:40,573 --> 00:15:43,777 of the most popular Egyptian goddess, Isis. 334 00:15:43,843 --> 00:15:47,013 Performing religious rituals, building new temples, 335 00:15:47,080 --> 00:15:50,350 embellishing old ones, she took special care 336 00:15:50,417 --> 00:15:53,687 to maintain the loyalty and good will of the people. 337 00:15:55,455 --> 00:15:58,992 I've traveled to the Temple of Hathor in Dendera, 338 00:15:59,059 --> 00:16:02,128 one of the best preserved temple complexes in Egypt. 339 00:16:02,195 --> 00:16:03,697 Wow. 340 00:16:03,763 --> 00:16:06,466 Oh, my goodness, look at this. 341 00:16:06,533 --> 00:16:10,804 And one of Cleopatra's most exquisite accomplishments. 342 00:16:10,870 --> 00:16:12,405 Man. 343 00:16:12,472 --> 00:16:15,175 The present Temple of Hathor was largely built 344 00:16:15,241 --> 00:16:19,546 by Cleopatra and her father, and the wealth it held could be 345 00:16:19,612 --> 00:16:22,015 the key to Cleopatra's survival, 346 00:16:22,082 --> 00:16:24,484 even after Caesar's assassination. 347 00:16:24,551 --> 00:16:28,154 -Dr. Ikram, how are you? -Hey, Don. Nice to see you. 348 00:16:28,221 --> 00:16:31,991 Glad you made it. I know. Amazing, isn't it? Breathtaking interior. 349 00:16:32,058 --> 00:16:34,961 WILDMAN: Famed Egyptologist Dr. Selima Ikram, 350 00:16:35,028 --> 00:16:36,229 is a professor at 351 00:16:36,296 --> 00:16:39,199 the American University in Cairo. 352 00:16:39,265 --> 00:16:41,568 This was built by? 353 00:16:41,634 --> 00:16:44,270 It was Cleopatra's father who started it. Okay. 354 00:16:44,337 --> 00:16:47,507 But then he died and so Cleopatra finished it off 355 00:16:47,574 --> 00:16:50,977 and she's also responsible for all the splendid decoration. 356 00:16:51,044 --> 00:16:54,647 By building the temple, decorating it, she was showing 357 00:16:54,714 --> 00:16:56,750 the people that she cared. 358 00:16:56,816 --> 00:16:58,918 WILDMAN: Without Caesar's protection, 359 00:16:58,985 --> 00:17:01,955 how will Cleopatra protect her empire? 360 00:17:06,226 --> 00:17:07,927 -Caesar is dead. -Yeah. 361 00:17:07,994 --> 00:17:10,864 This has huge implications, obviously, for Egypt, right? 362 00:17:10,930 --> 00:17:13,833 Yeah, it's a complete disaster because without him, 363 00:17:13,900 --> 00:17:16,269 she is open to being preyed upon by Rome. 364 00:17:16,336 --> 00:17:17,704 Right, exactly. 365 00:17:17,771 --> 00:17:19,572 When Caesar dies, there's a huge power vacuum, 366 00:17:19,639 --> 00:17:22,275 and it's going to be filled by two people. 367 00:17:22,342 --> 00:17:24,711 One, Octavian. 368 00:17:24,778 --> 00:17:27,647 And the other, Mark Antony. 369 00:17:27,714 --> 00:17:30,016 But they're really different people who are supposed 370 00:17:30,083 --> 00:17:32,886 to be ruling Rome together, and neither one of them 371 00:17:32,952 --> 00:17:34,421 really wants to share. 372 00:17:34,487 --> 00:17:36,389 And where does Cleopatra fit into this? 373 00:17:36,456 --> 00:17:38,925 Ah, she has to come up with another strategy. 374 00:17:38,992 --> 00:17:41,027 Just pull this up. 375 00:17:41,094 --> 00:17:42,195 Oh, okay. 376 00:17:42,262 --> 00:17:44,998 And...there we go. 377 00:17:45,065 --> 00:17:47,100 -Like so, huh? -Mm-hmm. 378 00:17:47,167 --> 00:17:48,234 That's great. 379 00:17:48,301 --> 00:17:50,203 -Down you go. -Okay. 380 00:17:53,673 --> 00:17:55,108 Oh, this is great. 381 00:17:55,175 --> 00:17:56,509 This is the crypt. 382 00:17:56,576 --> 00:17:59,546 It's one of the great secrets of Dendera. Oh, I see. 383 00:17:59,612 --> 00:18:02,282 This is where they would hide all their treasure. Oh, okay. 384 00:18:07,721 --> 00:18:11,458 With Caesar dead, Cleopatra makes elaborate preparations 385 00:18:11,524 --> 00:18:15,195 and she sails off to Tarsus, which is in Asia Minor Turkey, 386 00:18:15,261 --> 00:18:19,499 and set her sights on Mark Antony. 387 00:18:19,566 --> 00:18:22,168 And of course, at this point, he's been doing battle 388 00:18:22,235 --> 00:18:23,670 and not doing too well. -Mm-hmm. 389 00:18:23,737 --> 00:18:26,606 So he needs money. Gold, wealth. 390 00:18:26,673 --> 00:18:28,274 And Cleopatra has all of that. 391 00:18:28,341 --> 00:18:31,311 And she sails up the river in this barge 392 00:18:31,378 --> 00:18:32,779 that she's prepared. 393 00:18:32,846 --> 00:18:36,516 Huge boat, gilded oars, people dressed very elaborately, 394 00:18:36,583 --> 00:18:39,419 little boys dressed as cupid, and she comes 395 00:18:39,486 --> 00:18:41,821 in Diaphanous clothing, clad as a goddess. 396 00:18:41,888 --> 00:18:44,624 She's Isis. 397 00:18:44,691 --> 00:18:47,427 And here, for example, you see this broad collar, 398 00:18:47,494 --> 00:18:50,930 which was originally gold and incredibly heavy. Okay. 399 00:18:50,997 --> 00:18:52,499 -She would've been wearing it. -Yeah. 400 00:18:52,565 --> 00:18:54,300 So this is something that Mark Antony would've seen 401 00:18:54,367 --> 00:18:56,336 as very real value. 402 00:18:56,403 --> 00:18:58,605 And so, this is how it all starts. 403 00:18:58,672 --> 00:18:59,906 -This is high-stakes stuff. -Absolutely. 404 00:18:59,973 --> 00:19:03,209 This is her whole life she's putting into this. 405 00:19:03,276 --> 00:19:04,444 Not just her life. 406 00:19:04,511 --> 00:19:06,413 Much more important, it's her empire. 407 00:19:09,516 --> 00:19:11,184 WILDMAN: What started out as a political move 408 00:19:11,251 --> 00:19:15,255 by Cleopatra quickly turned into a heated relationship 409 00:19:15,321 --> 00:19:19,993 and Mark Antony decided to go back to Egypt with her. 410 00:19:20,060 --> 00:19:21,628 -Passion did take over. -Okay. 411 00:19:21,695 --> 00:19:23,129 Foolishly. 412 00:19:23,196 --> 00:19:24,564 WILDMAN: For the second time, 413 00:19:24,631 --> 00:19:26,933 Cleopatra had successfully seduced 414 00:19:27,000 --> 00:19:29,769 the leader of Rome. 415 00:19:29,836 --> 00:19:32,005 They really are wonderfully well suited, 416 00:19:32,072 --> 00:19:33,440 having a great time. 417 00:19:33,506 --> 00:19:36,743 Except the longer Mark Antony stays with Cleopatra, 418 00:19:36,810 --> 00:19:38,912 the more complicated things become in Rome. 419 00:19:38,978 --> 00:19:40,313 In what way? 420 00:19:40,380 --> 00:19:42,582 Well, he's losing his popularity because he's hanging out 421 00:19:42,649 --> 00:19:44,050 with this Eastern woman. 422 00:19:44,117 --> 00:19:47,620 So he decides that he is going to strategically go back 423 00:19:47,687 --> 00:19:52,158 to Rome and marry his coregent Octavian's sister. Oh, okay. 424 00:19:52,225 --> 00:19:53,727 Octavia. 425 00:19:53,793 --> 00:19:56,096 A classic political maneuver among royalty. Absolutely. 426 00:19:56,162 --> 00:19:58,131 And so he goes back, does this. 427 00:19:58,198 --> 00:20:01,034 Octavia is this wonderful, perfect sort of person, 428 00:20:01,101 --> 00:20:02,936 and so the Romans feel very happy again. 429 00:20:03,003 --> 00:20:05,305 And of course, Cleopatra is not quite so happy. Right. 430 00:20:05,372 --> 00:20:08,975 But she does understand that this is a political ploy. 431 00:20:09,042 --> 00:20:12,645 WILDMAN: Despite his marriage to his rival Octavian's sister, 432 00:20:12,712 --> 00:20:16,082 Antony continued his love affair with Cleopatra 433 00:20:16,149 --> 00:20:17,684 and he married her, too. 434 00:20:17,751 --> 00:20:20,320 They had three children together. 435 00:20:20,387 --> 00:20:23,757 This put further strain on Antony's relations with Rome. 436 00:20:23,823 --> 00:20:27,460 And fearing Octavian might order Mark Antony killed 437 00:20:27,527 --> 00:20:28,828 for marrying her. 438 00:20:28,895 --> 00:20:30,363 That's incredible. 439 00:20:30,430 --> 00:20:32,465 Cleopatra devised a backup plan. 440 00:20:32,532 --> 00:20:35,335 So this entire picture is leading up to the star 441 00:20:35,402 --> 00:20:37,971 of the show, Cleopatra right there. Yeah. 442 00:20:38,038 --> 00:20:40,073 -And next to her? -That's Caesarion. 443 00:20:40,140 --> 00:20:42,676 That's her son. That's her secret weapon. 444 00:20:42,742 --> 00:20:46,446 WILDMAN: Caesarion, the first-born son of Cleopatra 445 00:20:46,513 --> 00:20:49,182 and Julius Caesar, a possible heir to the throne 446 00:20:49,249 --> 00:20:51,484 of both Egypt and Rome. 447 00:20:54,254 --> 00:20:56,589 For Cleopatra, she's making a huge public statement 448 00:20:56,656 --> 00:20:59,259 about this is my son. -Mm-hmm. 449 00:20:59,325 --> 00:21:02,996 And he is going to, in fact, take over the country. 450 00:21:03,063 --> 00:21:05,598 And this is marking him as the heir apparent, 451 00:21:05,665 --> 00:21:08,501 so it really is a public acclimation of them 452 00:21:08,568 --> 00:21:10,537 as a ruling couple. -Okay. 453 00:21:10,603 --> 00:21:12,505 This is also something that she can say, 454 00:21:12,572 --> 00:21:16,476 "I have a king to rule with me," so should things go 455 00:21:16,543 --> 00:21:20,714 pear-shaped with Mark Antony, she has someone. 456 00:21:20,780 --> 00:21:23,216 WILDMAN: And things did go pear-shaped. 457 00:21:23,283 --> 00:21:25,819 After several years of tension, Octavian declared war 458 00:21:25,885 --> 00:21:28,755 against Cleopatra and Mark Antony. 459 00:21:28,822 --> 00:21:31,524 And defeated Antony's forces in Alexandria. 460 00:21:31,591 --> 00:21:36,129 But Antony didn't die. 461 00:21:36,196 --> 00:21:39,899 Octavian, aware of his leverage, sends word to Cleopatra 462 00:21:39,966 --> 00:21:43,203 that if she kills Mark Antony, he may spare her life 463 00:21:43,269 --> 00:21:45,505 and be open to political negotiation 464 00:21:45,572 --> 00:21:48,842 of who will rule Egypt. 465 00:21:48,908 --> 00:21:51,344 Cleopatra realizes she's not powerful enough 466 00:21:51,411 --> 00:21:53,880 to expel Mark Antony from Egypt. 467 00:21:53,947 --> 00:21:56,483 And she has not the stomach to assassinate him. 468 00:21:56,549 --> 00:21:59,619 But is she willing to lose her empire for love? 469 00:21:59,686 --> 00:22:02,322 So she conceives of a chilling plot. 470 00:22:02,389 --> 00:22:05,458 She has a message sent to Mark Antony that says 471 00:22:05,525 --> 00:22:06,860 she has killed herself. 472 00:22:06,926 --> 00:22:08,395 Her hope? 473 00:22:08,461 --> 00:22:09,863 That upon hearing the news of her death, 474 00:22:09,929 --> 00:22:12,165 Antony would take his own life. 475 00:22:12,232 --> 00:22:14,367 And that is exactly what happened. 476 00:22:14,434 --> 00:22:16,102 Upon hearing the news of his great love, 477 00:22:16,169 --> 00:22:17,971 Mark Antony falls on his sword. 478 00:22:18,038 --> 00:22:21,141 But this romantic act of suicide does not 479 00:22:21,207 --> 00:22:22,709 immediately kill him. 480 00:22:22,776 --> 00:22:26,212 So he has himself carried to the place 481 00:22:26,279 --> 00:22:28,581 where Cleopatra's body's supposed to be. 482 00:22:28,648 --> 00:22:31,084 There, upon finding her still alive, 483 00:22:31,151 --> 00:22:33,953 he tells her to make her peace with Octavian. 484 00:22:34,020 --> 00:22:38,925 And then, and only then, does Mark Antony die. 485 00:22:41,528 --> 00:22:44,864 When Octavian finally reached Cleopatra, 486 00:22:44,931 --> 00:22:46,633 she tried to seduce him. 487 00:22:46,700 --> 00:22:48,702 But he resister her charms. 488 00:22:48,768 --> 00:22:52,038 He also resisted her son Caesarion as a possible heir 489 00:22:52,105 --> 00:22:53,873 to the throne. 490 00:22:53,940 --> 00:22:56,042 She was out of options. 491 00:22:56,109 --> 00:23:00,480 As lore famously tells it, she has a poison snake smuggled 492 00:23:00,547 --> 00:23:02,849 to her in a basket of figs. 493 00:23:02,916 --> 00:23:06,453 And then, fearless as ever, she had that snake bite her 494 00:23:06,519 --> 00:23:09,122 repeatedly upon the chest until she succumbed 495 00:23:09,189 --> 00:23:12,559 to its deadly poison. 496 00:23:12,625 --> 00:23:16,196 And in a last act of love and devotion, she arranged 497 00:23:16,262 --> 00:23:19,833 to have her body buried next to Mark Antony. 498 00:23:19,899 --> 00:23:23,636 Cleopatra, the last of the Ptolemaic dynasty, 499 00:23:23,703 --> 00:23:27,507 the last queen of Egypt, the last Pharaoh, 500 00:23:27,574 --> 00:23:29,476 was dead at 39. 501 00:23:35,048 --> 00:23:38,051 Cleopatra's legacy is one of history's most powerful 502 00:23:38,118 --> 00:23:41,621 and independent female leaders is unquestionable. 503 00:23:41,688 --> 00:23:43,857 Yet the role she's most remembered for is 504 00:23:43,923 --> 00:23:45,425 that of a seductress. 505 00:23:45,492 --> 00:23:48,495 A woman who used her gender and sensuality 506 00:23:48,561 --> 00:23:51,798 to manipulate the most powerful men in the ancient world. 507 00:23:51,865 --> 00:23:54,334 But what is the Cleopatra we presume to know 508 00:23:54,401 --> 00:23:55,735 was much different? 509 00:23:55,802 --> 00:23:59,973 What if she was more complex and compelling queen, after all? 510 00:24:00,040 --> 00:24:04,778 Who was the real Cleopatra? 511 00:24:04,844 --> 00:24:07,614 To find out, I'm searching for her lost tomb. 512 00:24:07,681 --> 00:24:10,483 So we enter the tomb over here. 513 00:24:10,550 --> 00:24:12,686 Cleopatra's tomb might be somewhere right 514 00:24:12,752 --> 00:24:17,023 beneath my feet. 515 00:24:21,761 --> 00:24:23,763 WILDMAN: I'm on a quest to uncover 516 00:24:23,830 --> 00:24:26,266 the lost tomb of Cleopatra, 517 00:24:26,332 --> 00:24:28,401 Egypt's most enigmatic queen. 518 00:24:32,072 --> 00:24:35,208 As legend goes, after Cleopatra took her own life, 519 00:24:35,275 --> 00:24:38,511 she was buried in a tomb with Mark Antony. 520 00:24:38,578 --> 00:24:42,949 A tomb that has never been found. 521 00:24:43,016 --> 00:24:45,885 With her death, the Kingdom of Egypt was annexed 522 00:24:45,952 --> 00:24:47,354 by the Roman Empire, 523 00:24:47,420 --> 00:24:52,058 and the Ptolemaic Pharaoh dynasty came to an end. 524 00:24:52,125 --> 00:24:54,127 In the two millennia since her death, 525 00:24:54,194 --> 00:24:57,597 Cleopatra's life and legacy has been largely defined 526 00:24:57,664 --> 00:25:00,100 by what her Roman enemies wrote about her. 527 00:25:00,166 --> 00:25:01,501 That she was a dangerous seductress 528 00:25:01,568 --> 00:25:03,103 who used her sexuality 529 00:25:03,169 --> 00:25:06,473 and ambition to reach for power that was beyond 530 00:25:06,539 --> 00:25:09,943 what was proper for a woman. 531 00:25:10,010 --> 00:25:12,679 But we sometimes forget that this was a real woman 532 00:25:12,746 --> 00:25:14,614 who ruled one of the greatest civilizations 533 00:25:14,681 --> 00:25:16,149 of the ancient world 534 00:25:16,216 --> 00:25:18,685 and who died trying to save her kingdom 535 00:25:18,752 --> 00:25:20,620 from Roman conquest. 536 00:25:20,687 --> 00:25:23,056 So, beyond the myth, beyond the propaganda, 537 00:25:23,123 --> 00:25:26,493 who was the woman behind the formidable 538 00:25:26,559 --> 00:25:28,361 and fabled queen of Egypt? 539 00:25:28,428 --> 00:25:30,430 And how do we tease out the truth 540 00:25:30,497 --> 00:25:32,832 from her licentious reputation? 541 00:25:36,836 --> 00:25:38,705 My search for the truth has brought me 542 00:25:38,772 --> 00:25:41,975 to the Library of Alexandria. 543 00:25:42,042 --> 00:25:45,645 Wow. 544 00:25:45,712 --> 00:25:48,014 This library was a great seed of knowledge 545 00:25:48,081 --> 00:25:50,950 in the ancient world during the reign of Cleopatra. 546 00:25:51,017 --> 00:25:53,353 But it was completely destroyed by a fire. 547 00:25:53,420 --> 00:25:57,123 It was reborn in 2002 to reclaim the mantle 548 00:25:57,190 --> 00:25:59,693 of its ancient glory. 549 00:25:59,759 --> 00:26:02,328 This extraordinary architectural wonder is home 550 00:26:02,395 --> 00:26:06,266 to a vast complex where arts, history, philosophy, 551 00:26:06,332 --> 00:26:10,070 and science all come together. 552 00:26:10,136 --> 00:26:12,238 -Dr. Basir? -Hi, how are you? 553 00:26:12,305 --> 00:26:13,673 -Nice to meet you. -Nice meeting you. 554 00:26:13,740 --> 00:26:16,776 WILDMAN: Dr. Hussein Basir is the director of 555 00:26:16,843 --> 00:26:20,780 the Antiquity Museum at the Alexandria Library. 556 00:26:20,847 --> 00:26:24,184 Dr. Basir has offered to show me ancient text 557 00:26:24,250 --> 00:26:29,823 that may hold the secrets to the real Cleopatra. 558 00:26:29,889 --> 00:26:33,026 So, Dr. Basir, my version of Cleopatra, 559 00:26:33,093 --> 00:26:37,530 a seductress, a harlot, a manipulator of men. 560 00:26:37,597 --> 00:26:39,833 That's what I was raised with. That's the Western version. 561 00:26:39,899 --> 00:26:42,435 It was kind of a negative Cleopatra. Yes. 562 00:26:42,502 --> 00:26:45,238 Mm. 563 00:26:47,374 --> 00:26:50,443 Dr. Basir tells me that this Western view is 564 00:26:50,510 --> 00:26:53,780 actually influenced by Octavian who had vowed 565 00:26:53,847 --> 00:26:57,484 to destroy Cleopatra's reputation. 566 00:26:57,550 --> 00:26:59,452 And with her finally out of the picture, 567 00:26:59,519 --> 00:27:01,521 that's exactly what happened. 568 00:27:01,588 --> 00:27:05,325 The story of Cleopatra is retold by the Romans. Yes. 569 00:27:05,392 --> 00:27:07,427 And we end up with that version. Yes. 570 00:27:07,494 --> 00:27:09,696 Until now. 571 00:27:09,763 --> 00:27:12,799 In recent years, scholars across the world have begun 572 00:27:12,866 --> 00:27:15,735 to question the accepted history of Cleopatra. 573 00:27:15,802 --> 00:27:19,239 Thanks largely to medieval Islamic Egyptian texts 574 00:27:19,305 --> 00:27:21,508 that tell of a much different story. 575 00:27:21,574 --> 00:27:24,144 So this is whole different version of Cleopatra. Yes. 576 00:27:24,210 --> 00:27:25,545 Tell me what it says. 577 00:27:35,155 --> 00:27:37,323 Interesting. 578 00:27:37,390 --> 00:27:38,958 Wow, okay. 579 00:27:39,025 --> 00:27:41,795 To the ancient Greeks, a sage was a philosopher. 580 00:27:41,861 --> 00:27:45,098 The bearer of great wisdom. 581 00:27:45,165 --> 00:27:46,733 -So a sage, a philosopher. -Yes. 582 00:27:46,800 --> 00:27:50,537 This woman is smart. She's worldly, sophisticated. Yes. 583 00:27:54,274 --> 00:27:55,809 Interesting. 584 00:27:59,079 --> 00:28:02,716 Wow! 585 00:28:02,782 --> 00:28:06,853 So, Cleopatra was linked to the medical profession. 586 00:28:06,920 --> 00:28:10,256 She was an established author and a savant. 587 00:28:10,323 --> 00:28:12,325 And in addition to being the first Greek pharaoh 588 00:28:12,392 --> 00:28:15,161 to actually speak Egyptian, she was fluent 589 00:28:15,228 --> 00:28:17,797 in nine other languages. 590 00:28:17,864 --> 00:28:20,834 But perhaps the most interesting thing about these texts is 591 00:28:20,900 --> 00:28:22,702 what's not included. 592 00:28:22,769 --> 00:28:25,238 There's no mention of Cleopatra's assorted 593 00:28:25,305 --> 00:28:28,575 love affairs and scandals. 594 00:28:28,641 --> 00:28:30,143 You see? That's different. 595 00:28:30,210 --> 00:28:31,745 Yeah, but we've been sold a story, haven't we? 596 00:28:31,811 --> 00:28:34,147 This is a misogynistic, chauvinistic view of history, 597 00:28:34,214 --> 00:28:37,283 isn't it? -Yes, yes, yes. 598 00:28:37,350 --> 00:28:38,718 What seems clear is that 599 00:28:38,785 --> 00:28:41,755 Cleopatra has been hugely misrepresented. 600 00:28:41,821 --> 00:28:44,090 But scholars are beginning to revise this image. 601 00:28:44,157 --> 00:28:45,859 We're beginning to think differently 602 00:28:45,925 --> 00:28:47,761 about this iconic queen. 603 00:28:52,332 --> 00:28:54,868 One of the most enduring myths that has dominated 604 00:28:54,934 --> 00:28:58,004 our idea of Cleopatra through the ages is the one 605 00:28:58,071 --> 00:29:00,707 that surrounds her beauty. 606 00:29:00,774 --> 00:29:03,276 In the West, from the early Greeks and Romans 607 00:29:03,343 --> 00:29:05,945 through Shakespeare and ultimately emblazoned 608 00:29:06,012 --> 00:29:08,915 into our cultural consciousness by Hollywood, 609 00:29:08,982 --> 00:29:11,584 Cleopatra is represented as the quintessential, 610 00:29:11,651 --> 00:29:13,853 sultry femme fatale. 611 00:29:13,920 --> 00:29:16,456 When I think of Cleopatra, I immediately think 612 00:29:16,523 --> 00:29:18,625 of Elizabeth Taylor's iconic performance 613 00:29:18,692 --> 00:29:20,060 opposite Richard Burton. 614 00:29:20,126 --> 00:29:22,562 A beautiful and bewitching seductress. 615 00:29:22,629 --> 00:29:25,098 But does any visual evidence exist today 616 00:29:25,165 --> 00:29:28,201 that tells us how Cleopatra actually looked? 617 00:29:28,268 --> 00:29:30,970 I'm here at the Grand Egyptian Museum. 618 00:29:31,037 --> 00:29:33,673 It's known as the largest archeology museum in the world, 619 00:29:33,740 --> 00:29:35,408 still under construction. 620 00:29:35,475 --> 00:29:37,610 And I've been given special access into the lab 621 00:29:37,677 --> 00:29:40,180 where the only artifacts that exist 622 00:29:40,246 --> 00:29:41,581 about Cleopatra are stored. 623 00:29:46,886 --> 00:29:49,689 Ancient coins discovered at a recent archeological dig 624 00:29:49,756 --> 00:29:53,059 are decorated with Cleopatra's profile. 625 00:29:53,126 --> 00:29:55,395 This new evidence calls into question 626 00:29:55,462 --> 00:29:58,264 our notions of the beautiful queen. 627 00:29:58,331 --> 00:30:00,066 Here, take a look at this. 628 00:30:00,133 --> 00:30:02,202 That's amazing. 629 00:30:02,268 --> 00:30:05,972 Now, the tiny images here on these coins belie 630 00:30:06,039 --> 00:30:08,308 their importance, the huge importance of these. 631 00:30:08,375 --> 00:30:11,845 These are one of the few existing visual depictions 632 00:30:11,911 --> 00:30:16,282 of Cleopatra, of her face, that still exist from that time. 633 00:30:16,349 --> 00:30:19,319 But you look closer at her and that is not 634 00:30:19,386 --> 00:30:21,121 the Cleopatra I know, you know, 635 00:30:21,187 --> 00:30:24,190 from popular, you know, mythology. 636 00:30:24,257 --> 00:30:26,259 This is a different looking woman. 637 00:30:26,326 --> 00:30:28,395 Not necessarily the ravishing portrait 638 00:30:28,461 --> 00:30:30,897 that I would've expected. 639 00:30:30,964 --> 00:30:33,767 If we've gotten this wrong, her physicality, 640 00:30:33,833 --> 00:30:36,569 what else about Cleopatra have we gotten wrong? 641 00:30:39,673 --> 00:30:41,841 But perhaps the biggest mystery of all is 642 00:30:41,908 --> 00:30:43,777 what happened to her body afterwards. 643 00:30:43,843 --> 00:30:46,780 Archeologists around the world continue to search 644 00:30:46,846 --> 00:30:49,582 and theorize about the location of her tomb. 645 00:30:49,649 --> 00:30:52,052 But the burning question still remains. 646 00:30:52,118 --> 00:30:55,121 Where was Cleopatra finally laid to rest? 647 00:31:03,830 --> 00:31:06,599 I'm in Egypt uncovering the truth 648 00:31:06,666 --> 00:31:10,770 behind its last ruling pharaoh -- Cleopatra. 649 00:31:10,837 --> 00:31:13,740 But with all the swirling mysteries behind her reign 650 00:31:13,807 --> 00:31:17,143 and eventual suicide, one stands above all, 651 00:31:17,210 --> 00:31:18,878 where is her tomb? 652 00:31:21,314 --> 00:31:23,516 Connecting Cleopatra's physical legacy 653 00:31:23,583 --> 00:31:26,486 to modern day Alexandria has proven to be one 654 00:31:26,553 --> 00:31:28,955 of the biggest challenges for archeologists 655 00:31:29,022 --> 00:31:30,623 and historians alike. 656 00:31:30,690 --> 00:31:32,625 By the 14th century, 657 00:31:32,692 --> 00:31:34,828 any trace of Ptolemaic Alexandria 658 00:31:34,894 --> 00:31:36,463 was basically gone. 659 00:31:36,529 --> 00:31:38,865 What hadn't been lost to the ravages of war 660 00:31:38,932 --> 00:31:42,435 and time was destroyed by natural catastrophe. 661 00:31:42,502 --> 00:31:45,405 A series of devastating earthquakes and the tsunamis 662 00:31:45,472 --> 00:31:48,141 to follow had basically destroyed Cleopatra's court 663 00:31:48,208 --> 00:31:51,945 and palace and it was submerged into the sea. 664 00:31:52,012 --> 00:31:55,448 And for more than 1,500 years, that's where it remained. 665 00:31:55,515 --> 00:31:57,050 Lost to the sands of time. 666 00:31:57,117 --> 00:31:58,518 How you doing? 667 00:31:58,585 --> 00:32:01,154 But in the '90s, remarkable underwater archeological 668 00:32:01,221 --> 00:32:04,090 discoveries started being made right out here, 669 00:32:04,157 --> 00:32:08,828 in Alexandria's eastern harbor. 670 00:32:08,895 --> 00:32:11,197 Many archeologists and historians believe 671 00:32:11,264 --> 00:32:13,767 that when her palace collapsed into the harbor, 672 00:32:13,833 --> 00:32:17,671 Cleopatra's royal tomb went down with it. 673 00:32:17,737 --> 00:32:19,739 Down to find Cleopatra's tomb. 674 00:32:28,415 --> 00:32:31,618 It's just extraordinary to see and touch the remains... 675 00:32:31,685 --> 00:32:32,852 Wow. 676 00:32:32,919 --> 00:32:36,289 ...of Cleopatra's palace after thousands of years. 677 00:32:38,825 --> 00:32:41,761 It's also clear trying to find her royal tomb hidden 678 00:32:41,828 --> 00:32:46,866 somewhere on the ocean floor would be nearly impossible. 679 00:32:46,933 --> 00:32:51,371 If it was there at all. 680 00:32:51,438 --> 00:32:54,841 It turns out a controversy is brewing among archeologists 681 00:32:54,908 --> 00:32:58,078 about other possible locations for the final resting place 682 00:32:58,144 --> 00:33:00,447 of Egypt's last pharaoh, 683 00:33:00,513 --> 00:33:04,751 where the truth about her legacy could be discovered. 684 00:33:04,818 --> 00:33:07,354 I'm about 45 minutes outside of Alexandria 685 00:33:07,420 --> 00:33:10,757 at a site known as Taposiris Magna. 686 00:33:10,824 --> 00:33:13,593 This is one of the publicized digs in Egypt. 687 00:33:13,660 --> 00:33:15,128 Currently underway 688 00:33:15,195 --> 00:33:17,931 and possibly at a very exciting juncture. 689 00:33:17,997 --> 00:33:19,733 I'm meeting a maverick archeologist 690 00:33:19,799 --> 00:33:20,967 who's making headlines 691 00:33:21,034 --> 00:33:23,870 in her quest to find Cleopatra's tomb. 692 00:33:23,937 --> 00:33:26,973 Is it possible the tomb is about to be discovered? 693 00:33:31,611 --> 00:33:34,581 Dr. Martinez? How you doing? Yes, hello, Don. 694 00:33:34,647 --> 00:33:38,385 Hi, Kathleen, nice to meet you. 695 00:33:38,451 --> 00:33:42,255 With nearly 15 years of research and excavation behind her, 696 00:33:42,322 --> 00:33:45,325 Dr. Kathleen Martinez feels she's on the brink 697 00:33:45,392 --> 00:33:47,894 of discovering Cleopatra's tomb. 698 00:33:47,961 --> 00:33:49,262 And I'm here to find out why. 699 00:33:54,334 --> 00:33:57,237 Uh-huh. 700 00:33:57,303 --> 00:33:59,739 Uh-huh. 701 00:34:02,609 --> 00:34:06,212 Isis, the protective goddess that Cleopatra represented 702 00:34:06,279 --> 00:34:08,048 to Egyptian people. 703 00:34:08,114 --> 00:34:10,216 The same goddess she's depicted as 704 00:34:10,283 --> 00:34:13,053 on the temple wall Dendera. 705 00:34:13,119 --> 00:34:14,254 So it was important to find a place 706 00:34:14,320 --> 00:34:17,724 where Isis was represented, worshiped, 707 00:34:17,791 --> 00:34:20,160 because that might be also where Cleopatra is worshiped. 708 00:34:25,565 --> 00:34:26,866 That's incredible. 709 00:34:32,472 --> 00:34:35,508 Ah. 710 00:34:35,575 --> 00:34:36,943 200 coins. 711 00:34:37,010 --> 00:34:38,411 With Cleopatra. 712 00:34:38,478 --> 00:34:39,612 And these would be coins that would be right in here 713 00:34:39,679 --> 00:34:40,880 'cause this was the offering. 714 00:34:40,947 --> 00:34:42,415 It's the place you'd make your offerings. Yes. 715 00:34:42,482 --> 00:34:45,318 Okay. So I saw these coins in the Grand Museum that had -- Yes. 716 00:34:45,385 --> 00:34:47,387 ...these were the coins? -Yes, these are the coins. 717 00:34:47,454 --> 00:34:49,222 I get it. 718 00:34:49,289 --> 00:34:52,058 So these coins were part of the first clues discovered 719 00:34:52,125 --> 00:34:54,994 by Kathleen that pointed to this temple as 720 00:34:55,061 --> 00:34:58,465 a possible burial spot of Cleopatra. 721 00:34:58,531 --> 00:35:01,634 But since then, she's made another discovery 722 00:35:01,701 --> 00:35:04,004 that's even more convincing. 723 00:35:08,641 --> 00:35:11,411 Uh-huh. 724 00:35:11,478 --> 00:35:13,913 Really? 725 00:35:15,682 --> 00:35:17,584 Okay. 726 00:35:19,319 --> 00:35:20,987 Wow. 727 00:35:21,054 --> 00:35:22,255 -Amazing. -Isn't it incredible? 728 00:35:22,322 --> 00:35:23,423 It's huge! 729 00:35:26,526 --> 00:35:27,961 What did you find down here? 730 00:35:32,198 --> 00:35:34,634 Yeah. 731 00:35:34,701 --> 00:35:37,771 And the significance of a priest is what? 732 00:35:37,837 --> 00:35:39,839 Yeah. 733 00:35:39,906 --> 00:35:42,042 The presence of the priest buried here 734 00:35:42,108 --> 00:35:44,878 means that they were the guardians of a royal temple? Yes. 735 00:35:44,944 --> 00:35:47,414 Okay, so there was a Pharaoh beyond those priests? Yes. 736 00:35:47,480 --> 00:35:49,416 Or presumably there might be. 737 00:35:49,482 --> 00:35:50,750 Where does this shaft go? 738 00:35:50,817 --> 00:35:54,020 The shaft, it's turning to the same angle 739 00:35:54,087 --> 00:35:56,423 of the Isis chapel. 740 00:35:56,489 --> 00:36:00,260 And so that would be the person who embodies Isis. Yes. 741 00:36:00,326 --> 00:36:02,896 -Meaning Cleopatra. -Yes. 742 00:36:02,962 --> 00:36:04,164 -I salute you. 743 00:36:04,230 --> 00:36:06,433 I mean, this is an amazing accomplishment. 744 00:36:11,037 --> 00:36:14,074 Dr. Martinez has discovered a maze of shafts 745 00:36:14,140 --> 00:36:17,110 and tunnels throughout this temple complex 746 00:36:17,177 --> 00:36:19,379 that tempts the imagination. 747 00:36:26,753 --> 00:36:28,455 Wow. 748 00:36:32,726 --> 00:36:36,196 It's incredible to think that Cleopatra's tomb could be 749 00:36:36,262 --> 00:36:39,299 somewhere right beneath my feet. 750 00:36:39,366 --> 00:36:43,903 Finding her tomb and turning her legend real would be 751 00:36:43,970 --> 00:36:47,474 the greatest discovery in Egypt since Howard Carter opened 752 00:36:47,540 --> 00:36:50,243 Tutankhamun tomb in 1922. 753 00:36:50,310 --> 00:36:52,212 There's no telling how much we could learn 754 00:36:52,278 --> 00:36:55,682 about Cleopatra's life and how she ruled. 755 00:36:55,749 --> 00:36:58,251 So how close is Dr. Martinez 756 00:36:58,318 --> 00:37:00,687 to discovering Cleopatra's tomb? 757 00:37:00,754 --> 00:37:02,956 I'm going deep underground into the bedrock 758 00:37:03,023 --> 00:37:06,960 to find out what Kathleen and her team have uncovered 759 00:37:07,027 --> 00:37:09,095 and why they feel they're closer than ever before 760 00:37:09,162 --> 00:37:10,930 to a major breakthrough. 761 00:37:10,997 --> 00:37:12,298 It's a matter of time. 762 00:37:17,604 --> 00:37:20,740 WILDMAN: I'm in Egypt at the Temple of Taposiris 763 00:37:20,807 --> 00:37:22,976 where archeologist Kathleen Martinez 764 00:37:23,043 --> 00:37:26,746 may be on the brink of discovering Cleopatra's tomb. 765 00:37:26,813 --> 00:37:30,016 This vast temple complex is absolutely riddled 766 00:37:30,083 --> 00:37:32,352 with ancient burial chambers. 767 00:37:32,419 --> 00:37:37,090 Not only within the temple walls, but also outside. 768 00:37:37,157 --> 00:37:38,792 Wow, there you go. 769 00:37:38,858 --> 00:37:41,394 So there's tombs all over this place? Yes. 770 00:38:04,250 --> 00:38:06,186 Were these royals who were here? Yes. 771 00:38:06,252 --> 00:38:08,555 Ah, what tells you that? 772 00:38:14,561 --> 00:38:16,796 Mm-hmm. 773 00:38:19,032 --> 00:38:21,901 Mm-hmm. 774 00:38:30,877 --> 00:38:32,612 All right. 775 00:38:37,083 --> 00:38:38,785 WILDMAN: With the right technology, 776 00:38:38,852 --> 00:38:41,087 we could zero in on her target -- 777 00:38:41,154 --> 00:38:43,823 Cleopatra's tomb. 778 00:38:43,890 --> 00:38:46,760 She's already finding success within the temple walls. 779 00:38:46,826 --> 00:38:49,763 For Kathleen to be able to know whether she needs 780 00:38:49,829 --> 00:38:52,198 to dig somewhere, she's using this Russian technology. 781 00:38:52,265 --> 00:38:55,068 It's a kind of ground-penetrating radar, 782 00:38:55,135 --> 00:38:57,504 and it shoots an electromagnetic pulse into the ground 783 00:38:57,570 --> 00:38:59,939 and picks it up in the back and they read, 784 00:39:00,006 --> 00:39:03,043 basically model out through data, what is down there. 785 00:39:03,109 --> 00:39:04,811 Shafts, tunnels, tombs. 786 00:39:04,878 --> 00:39:06,813 They'll be able to read whether it's worth digging 787 00:39:06,880 --> 00:39:09,182 in this spot. 788 00:39:11,117 --> 00:39:12,552 What will the scans reveal? 789 00:39:12,619 --> 00:39:16,756 Could the tomb of Queen Cleopatra really be found? 790 00:39:24,431 --> 00:39:27,734 WILDMAN: I'm in Egypt searching for Queen Cleopatra's tomb. 791 00:39:31,571 --> 00:39:35,208 Here at Taposiris, Dr. Kathleen Martinez is using 792 00:39:35,275 --> 00:39:39,045 scanning technology to find Cleopatra. 793 00:39:39,112 --> 00:39:41,114 This is the big reveal. 794 00:39:41,181 --> 00:39:44,250 Yes. 795 00:39:44,317 --> 00:39:46,553 We were standing here looking down, yes? 796 00:39:46,619 --> 00:39:48,054 Yes, we were standing here. 797 00:39:48,121 --> 00:39:50,023 Wow, so what are you seeing here? 798 00:39:54,728 --> 00:39:58,732 Mm-hmm. 799 00:39:58,798 --> 00:39:59,933 Interesting. 800 00:40:00,000 --> 00:40:01,668 So tell me what you'll do with this data. 801 00:40:14,347 --> 00:40:18,351 Yeah. 802 00:40:18,418 --> 00:40:21,221 Right. 803 00:40:21,287 --> 00:40:22,922 Interesting. 804 00:40:28,361 --> 00:40:29,529 Mm-hmm. 805 00:40:33,967 --> 00:40:36,636 Genius. Can you take me underground here? 806 00:40:36,703 --> 00:40:37,837 Yes. 807 00:40:37,904 --> 00:40:41,374 So you have mapped through the entire site? 808 00:40:43,443 --> 00:40:45,145 Mm-hmm. 809 00:40:45,211 --> 00:40:49,582 Eventually the idea is to find the tomb of Cleopatra. 810 00:40:49,649 --> 00:40:51,651 Yes. 811 00:40:51,718 --> 00:40:53,520 Yeah, I mean, you're very confident. I am. 812 00:40:53,586 --> 00:40:55,488 I'm with you on this. 813 00:40:55,555 --> 00:40:56,923 And imagine the whole world will be able 814 00:40:56,990 --> 00:40:59,359 to take this journey. 815 00:40:59,426 --> 00:41:00,493 Incredible. 816 00:41:07,334 --> 00:41:10,937 For over 2,000 years, Cleopatra has endured as one 817 00:41:11,004 --> 00:41:12,172 of the most enigmatic 818 00:41:12,238 --> 00:41:14,374 and fascinating women of history. 819 00:41:14,441 --> 00:41:17,210 Though her beauty and tantalizing powers 820 00:41:17,277 --> 00:41:19,579 of seduction have dominated the narrative, 821 00:41:19,646 --> 00:41:22,048 we often forget that for 20 years, 822 00:41:22,115 --> 00:41:23,616 she ruled one of the great civilizations 823 00:41:23,683 --> 00:41:25,485 of the ancient world. 824 00:41:25,552 --> 00:41:27,253 She negotiated with foreign powers 825 00:41:27,320 --> 00:41:29,155 and presided over temples. 826 00:41:29,222 --> 00:41:32,192 She was a scientist, a philosopher, a poet, 827 00:41:32,258 --> 00:41:35,161 and a politician and a goddess. 828 00:41:35,228 --> 00:41:38,698 And for a brief, fleeting moment, she held the fate 829 00:41:38,765 --> 00:41:41,201 of the Western world in her hands. 830 00:41:41,267 --> 00:41:44,070 In the end, Cleopatra lost everything. 831 00:41:44,137 --> 00:41:45,939 But her epically dramatic life 832 00:41:46,006 --> 00:41:49,542 and theatrical death transformed her story into legend, 833 00:41:49,609 --> 00:41:53,546 a legend we still live with today. 833 00:41:54,305 --> 00:42:54,483 Watch Online Movies and Series for FREE www.osdb.link/lm