Lively debate has even been devoted to whether she was attractive. When Martinez first arrived in Egypt, she came of her own initiative and not with the support of any institution. Her father, professor and legal scholar Fausto Martnez,[1] owned an extensive private library, which she drew on to research the subject which would become her great passion Egypt and the last days of Cleopatra. Experts have said that such a discovery would rewrite history and be a once-in-a-century event. From the Dominican Republic to Egypt: Kathleen Martnez, Archeologist She also set a precedent for powerful women, Martinez adds. The Egyptian authorities considered it an unimportant, unfinished temple. If that happens, it would represent the perfect capstone to the career of a true pioneer in her field. When she arrived at Taposiris Magna she understood, she explains, that it was the place she was looking for. 'Momfluencer' supposedly stressed out by COVID and knee-deep - MSN ", "Zahi Hawass reconoce que no se est cerca de hallar la tumba de Cleopatra", "Expondrn en Museo del Cairo los logros de la arqueloga Kathleen Martnez en la bsqueda de la tumba de Cleopatra", "Cancillera reconoce a arqueloga dominicana que busca la tumba de Cleopatra", "Egipto expone los secretos de la excavacin que busca a Cleopatra", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kathleen_Martnez&oldid=1141234691, Universidad Nacional Pedro Henrquez Urea alumni, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Cultural Personality of the Year Award (2011), Recognition of the Foreign Ministry of the Dominican Republic "for her substantial contributions to universal culture and for placing the Dominican Republic on the world map of the intellectual community" (December 2018), This page was last edited on 24 February 2023, at 01:30. 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"Every year revealed a piece of the puzzle that I am putting together.". Martinez first began searching for Cleopatra's lost tomb in 2005. Thoths Storm: New Evidence for Ancient Egyptians in Ireland? The whole idea that she could have been buried at Taposiris Magna is not really based on evidence.". Throughout her career as an archaeologist, Ms Martinez has unearthed several items that have kept her hopes alive of finding the tomb. Her mother is of Franco-English descent. As CNN translates, the message concerned an ancient tunnel, almost a mile long, discovered near Egypt's Mediterranean coastline. Tunnel discovered beneath Egyptian temple may lead to Cleopatra's tomb, archaeologist says, Kathleen Martinez, an archaeologist at the University of Santo Domingo, has been searching for the lost tomb of, Martinez and her team uncovered a 1,305-meter (4,281-foot) tunnel, located 13 meters (43 feet) underground, the Egyptian Ministry for Tourism and Antiquities recently. The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities shared the find in a statement last week and described the tunnel as a geometric miracle.. Dr Kathleen Martinez has spent decades trying to locate it, and she is convinced it lies 30 miles outside the city of Alexandria, in the ancient temple site of Taposiris Magna. Encontrar la tumba de Cleopatra sera el descubrimiento del siglo. Theyre not to be discounted and her theory could prove correct. According to the latest Youtube stat on 2023-04-17, Kathleen Martnez has a total video view count of 500 Thousand on the Youtube channel and Kathleen Martnez has 3.59 Thousand subscribers on the same Youtube channel. Dr. Kathleen Martinez (@drkathleenmartinez) on Instagram Our open community is dedicated to digging into the origins of our species on planet earth, and question wherever the discoveries might take us. K athleen Martinez, an archaeologist at the University of Santo Domingo, has been searching for the lost tomb of Cleopatra for nearly 20 years. She was a victim of propaganda by the Romans, aiming to distort her image," said Martinez. Kathleen Martinez videos and latest news articles; GlobalNews.ca your source for the latest news on Kathleen Martinez . The archaeological evidence includes two subterranean chambers within the temple's walls. She is continuing her attempt to locate the ancient queens long-lost tomb, and she thinks shes getting closer. Ten years later, she may be much closer than that. First published on November 10, 2022 / 5:42 PM. Martinez has a fascinating life story herself. I admire Cleopatra as a historical character. She skipped grades at school; grew skilled at piano, chess, swimming and martial arts; listened to the country's top intellectuals debating in her family home; graduated law school at 19 years old; and eventually built her own legal firm. She first became interested in archaeology and ancient Egypt at the age of 15, when she became deeply obsessed with the life and times of the legendary Cleopatra, the last pharaoh of Egypt and close friend of Mark Antony and Julius Caesar, as has been immortalized repeatedly in Hollywood movie s since the beginning of the film industry. Archaeologists have traditionally searched for evidence close to the centre of Alexandria, where she was born and ruled, with many believing all evidence may have been destroyed by a powerful earthquake that struck the coast of Greece in 365AD. "The most interesting discovery is the complex of tunnels leading to the Mediterranean Sea and sunken structures," she added. The next step for Martinez and her team is underwater excavations. She also emphasized that between 320 and 1303 AD, the Egyptian Mediterranean coast was shaken by at least 23 earthquakes, which caused a portion of the Temple of Taposiris Magna to sink and collapse. This was at odds with another hypothesis, developed by French explorer Franck Goddio and the European Institute of Underwater Archaeology, seeking the tomb in a palace of Alexandria which had been buried underwater by an earthquake, whose excavations were resumed in 1992. "Suppose the mausoleum is not lost under the Mediterranean Sea. Exploring these underwater structures will be the next stage of her search for the Egyptian queen's lost tomb -- a journey that began in 2005. "No other place, structure or temple combines so many conditions as the temple of Taposiris Magna," she said. 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"The excavation revealed a huge religious center with three sanctuaries, a sacred lake, more than 1,500 objects, busts, statues, golden pieces, a huge collection of coins portraying Alexander the Great, Queen Cleopatra and the Ptolemies," Martinez told CNN. READ MORE:Egypt: Cave complex' beneath Great Pyramid exposed in hunt for 'lost underworld'. Now, Martinez said, she is at "the beginning of a new journey" -- underwater excavations. Maria Sakkari offers a good display to defeat Paula Badosa 6-4 6-4 and join Irina Begu in Spain capital's last 8, Elections 2023 Where will expatriates vote (polling stations and cities), Greek Australian man dies on Motorcycle accident in Melbourne, Elections 2023 - "New Democracy is with May Day while Tsipras is with April Fools," says Mitsotakis, CLEOPATRA: The Quest to Reconstruct Her Look (VIDEO), Despina Vandi poses in a gold maxi dress: "All we need is love". Terms of Use Martinez's success in obtaining these antiquities on display in Egypt and the US. One of the more remarkable finds was a female mummy that was enclosed in a full body death mask . As well documented history attests, she was the descendant of a Macedonian Greek general who was a contemporary of Alexander the Great. She believes the royal's final resting place was in Taposiris Magna, a sprawling temple of about seven square kilometres located some 50km west of the Mediterranean city of Alexandria. What is stunning is the shape of the chamber, it is unique. While Martinez says it's "too early to know where these tunnels lead," she's optimistic. See the five biggest finds in the hunt for Egypt's Cleopatra here. [2], Martinez returned to the Dominican Republic, met with the Dominican Republic Minister of Foreign Affairs, was appointed as the first Minister of Culture to Egypt, and was issued a diplomatic passport.[7][8]. Dr. Kathleen Martinez explained that among the most important of these mummies are two mummies that preserved the remains of scrolls and parts of the cartonnage, the first with remains of gilding and bearing gilded decorations showing the god Osiris, the god of the after life, while the other mummy wears a crown, decorated with horns, and the Top image: The mummy with the golden tongue and other recent finds from the Taposiris Magna site. She noted: What I have been doing is to excavate in places where I have better chances. She said: If we can discover the tomb of Cleopatra or any one of her Ptolemaic predecessors, Taposiris Magna could be the Greek version of the Valley of the Kings.. In that case, like most Hellenistic city Alexandria, it might be the most prominent archaeological finding in decades," the, . She also holds master's degrees in finance and archaeology.[2]. "She was a sage, a philosopher, who elevated the ranks of the scholars and enjoyed their company," El Daly says in the documentary. After ruling out some temples, she located one on the outskirts of Alexandria that met all her criteria to be the one that sheltered the tomb: the temple of Taposiris Magna (the great house of Osiris). Taposiris Magna, a semi-destroyed temple located on the edge of Lake Mariout in Borg El Arab, about 50 kilometers west of Alexandria, was the site Martnez selected. Tunnel discovered under Egyptian temple may lead to Cleopatra's tomb Cleopatra's fascinating mythology has captured the imagination of everyone from Shakespeare to Hollywood, as well as generations of historians and, now, lawyer-turned-archaeologist Kathleen Martinez. She has been portrayed at times as a sinister seductress, a "sex kitten" and a "fast woman," as the documentary shows. She began studying this enigmatic queen on her own, eventually giving up a plan for a master's degree in finance and planning instead for an M.A. She had arrived at a theory as to where Cleopatra lay buried: in a temple to the gods Isis and Osiris, probably with her lover and political ally, the Roman Mark Antony. Adventist Adventurer Claimed to Have Found Ark of the Covenant Beneath Crucifixion Site, Homo Naledi: A Mysterious Extinct Human Species (Video), The Incredible Odyssey of Mankind: Ape to Human in a Million Years (Video). Valley of Kings refers to a site in southern Egypt where the tombs of many pharaohs, including King Tut, are located. "If the mausoleum of Cleopatra has not already vanished beneath the waves of the Mediterranean along with most of the Hellenistic city of Alexandria, and is one day found, it would be an almost unprecedented archaeological discovery," said Jane Draycott, a lecturer in classics at the University of Glasgow, on The Conversation this week. Excavations at Taposiris Magna are headed by Dr Kathleen Martnez, who, after working there for over 14 years, is more convinced than. This Is the Stranger-than-Fiction Story of the Dominican Archaeologist Who May Find Cleopatra's Tomb. Were theonlyPop Archaeology site combining scientific research with out-of-the-box perspectives. / CBS News. "My perseverance cannot be confused with obsession. Cleopatra's tomb Kathleen Martinez update - Vim Buzz An incredible find, at the temple of Taposiris Magna, displays Cleopatra's face, providing compelling evidence of her actual appearance. But there is no disputing the enormity of Martinezs accomplishments in the nearly two decades she has spent exploring the Taposiris Magna site. The. A form of punishment or possibly disease? Beltane is an ancient Gaelic festival celebrating the beginning of summer and the renewal of life. Eight weeks later, with the permit about to expire, her team had drawn a blank. Dr Kathleen Martinez has spent years trying to find Cleopatra's tomb and she is convinced it lies 30 miles outside of the city in the ancient temple site of Taposiris Magna. (Video), When Faith and Power Clash: How Christianity Divided the Roman Empire (Video), Medieval Maverick: Roger Bacon's Quest for Knowledge and Truth, The Life and Times of Mansa Musa: The Richest Man in History, Fathoming the Ruins of Yanmen Shan Mountain and the Biggest Cut Rocks in the World, Sacred Treasure Hunt: In Pursuit of the Elusive Ark of the Covenant (Video). "She knew medicine, laws; she was a philosopher, a poet," Martnez explains. She added: "She was an educated woman, probably the first one who studied formally at the Museum in Alexandria, the center of culture in her time.". A strong On the final day of the dig, in a last desperate throw of the dice, Kathleen spread her team over the whole site. Along the side of Yanmen Shan mountain, located twenty kilometers to the east of Nanjing, China, the legendary Yangshan quarry can be found. The discoveries made during that time have made her more and more certain that she is close to the long-lost tomb of Cleopatra VII and her lover Mark Antony . This is the story of one remarkable woman searching for another, separated by thousands of years. Dr. Martnezherself (above) has a fascinating story. Dr. Martnez's interest in Cleopatra was consuming. And if Martinez finds her, the journey will have only just begun. The architectural design of the newly discovered tunnel resembles the magnificentTunnel of Eupalinoson the Greek Island of Samos, which is considered one of the most important engineering achievements of the Classical world. For one thing, she was originally a lawyer. [13], In 2016, this was supplemented by a GPR surveyor using more powerful radar to detect new chambers and follow the extent of the tunnels already discovered, potentially speeding up excavation work. Kathleen Martnez herself financed the first expedition and many others. Kathleen Martnez was born in Santo Domingo in 1966. 2K views, 27 likes, 7 loves, 18 comments, 0 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Dbstvstlucia: DBS MORNING SHOW & OBITUARIES 25TH APRIL 2023 APRIL 2023 No. Dr Martinez detailed her stunning breakthrough in the documentary. How the research on Cleopatra's tomb began Cleopatrawho ruledPtolemaic Egypt from 51 to 30 B.C.E.and her longtime lover, the Roman generalMark Antony, died by suicide in 30 B.C.E. The series went on to speculate over the chambers potential use and how it was vital to continuing the search for the lost queen. Now she believes she's made a pivotal. Searching for Cleopatra, a documentary from The Nature of Things, explores her political genius, scholarly accomplishments and history-making alliances with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. The tunnel is an exact replica of Eupalinos Tunnel in Greece, which is considered as one of the most important engineering achievements of antiquity, Martinez tellsLive Sciences Owen Jarus. Read on to find out more. DBS MORNING SHOW & OBITUARIES 25TH APRIL 2023 APRIL 2023 - Facebook Katie Sorenson, a social media "mom influencer," convicted - CBS News "The ancient Egyptians speak to us through their tombs," she says. Cleopatra was not black. On her initial visit to Egypt, Martinez managed to secure an appointment to see the Egyptian Minister of Antiquities, the celebrated Egyptologist Dr. Zahi Hawass . SECRETS OF THE DEAD: Cleopatra's Lost Tomb | KPBS Public Media Archaeologists have long searched for Cleopatra, Taposiris Magna is 30 miles outside the city of Alexandria, Egypt: Legend of Cleopatra's beauty 'confirmed' with 'important find', Egypt: Cave complex' beneath Great Pyramid expose, Two chambers were found at the bottom of the shaft, The chambers may have been used for rituals, Egypt breakthrough: Great Pyramid's missing blocks pinpointed, Game-changing Great Sphinx find challenges Egypt theories, Egypt: Cave complex' beneath Great Pyramid exposed in hunt for 'lost underworld', End of the world: How archaeologist discovered 'real Maayan doomsday', Mayan DISCOVERY: How find in ancient city reveals creation story', Egypt: How greatest archaeological find of all time' stunned expert. An intact tomb would enable a wealth of scientific research. Where could such a temple be, though, that hadn't already been discovered? Dr. Martnez's interest in Cleopatra was consuming. It was the first time that Egypt had granted a license to excavate to a country in Latin America. One archeologist said she may have achieved just that. Searching for Cleopatra is not just about searching for a tomb it's also about uncovering the truth. Yet not a single Ptolemaic pharaoh's tomb has been found. They split up, and Dr. Martnez threw herself into her new field. And while some people may seem content with the story as it stands, our view is that there existcountless mysteries, scientific anomalies and surprising artifacts thathave yet to be discovered and explained. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Kathleen Martinez | News, Videos & Articles She was highly educated and sophisticated, says Okasha El Daly, honorary senior research associate at University College London. Photo: KTVU Fox. Researchers have been digging near the Taposiris Magna Temple in hopes of finding Cleopatras long-lost tomb. Plague, one of the deadliest diseases in human history, has a haunting legacy of mass sickness and destruction. "She outsmarted the many historians and archaeologists who have looked for her for centuries. the five biggest finds in the hunt for Egypt's Cleopatra here. Audience Relations, CBC P.O. "I imagined going down inside narrow tunnels to her hidden tomb to find two [sarcophagi]: Cleopatra's and Mark Antony's.". Meet the lawyer-turned-archaeologist leading the search for Cleopatra's In that case, like most Hellenistic city Alexandria, it might be the most prominent archaeological finding in decades," the Economic Times concurred this week. Returning home to the Dominican Republic, Martinez convinced officials at the University of Santo Domingo to sponsor further archaeological work at Taposiris Magna. ( Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities ). "If the mausoleum of Cleopatra has not already vanished beneath the waves of the Mediterranean along with most of the Hellenistic city of Alexandria, and is one day found, it would be an almost unprecedented archaeological discovery," said Jane Draycott, a lecturer in classics at the University of Glasgow. In her day, Cleopatra was considered to be the human incarnation of the goddess Isis, and her husband, Mark Antony, the god Orisis, Isis' husband. November 2022. We simply have no idea at this point. In 2005, Martinez and her team became the first archaeologists from Latin America to gain permission to carry out excavations on Egyptian soil. Copyright Greek city times 2023 All Rights Reserved. Sometime around 1990, Dr.Martnez reread Shakespeare's "Antony and Cleopatra" and realized that the "rare Egyptian" was more than the sexy, hotheaded femme fatale of legend. Cleopatra may have buried her husband in the temple to fulfill the myth, Martinez told CNN. It is known that Cleopatra and Mark Antony felt an affinity to these figures from Egyptian mythology, and Martinez was certain that if she just found the right temple, she would find the mummies of Cleopatra and her consort somewhere inside. Martinez imagines her first words if she actually found the lost ruler. Earlier this year (May 2010), I found an interesting article about Dominican archeologist Kathleen Martnez's discovery (with a Dominican-Egyptian team) of a large statue dated 300 BC, representing King Ptolemy IV, during excavations in the zone in which the team was searching for the tombs of Cleopatra and the Roman general Marc Anthony. Sorensen . [14], In January 2019, controversy arose over the possibility that the discovery of the tombs was imminent, attributed to remarks by Zahi Hawass at a conference at the University of Palermo. Many archaeologists and Egyptologists are highly skeptical of Martinezs theory, including Dr. Hawass. If the tunnels lead to Cleopatra, "it will be the most important discovery of the century," she said. She points out that our current calendar traces its roots back to the Egyptian leader, although typically only credited to Caesar and a 16th century Pope. She's unearthed exciting artifacts linked to Cleopatra at Taposiris Magna, an ancient temple outside of Alexandria, Egypt. During these excavations, they also uncovered 200 royal coins depicting the queens face and the remains of two high-status Egyptians, giving weight to their theory. It had holes [in the wall] to go down, they didnt use ladders in ancient times. Archaeologists in Egypt have discovered an underground tunnel at Taposiris Magna, a temple dedicated toOsiris, the god of death. Martinez says the ancient ruler was misunderstood, and most of what we knew about her came from the Romans, who considered her a rival. One of the mummies mentioned was found wearing a detailed crown adorned with a cobra and a pair of horns. [17], The most significant piece is the so-called "great stele", with a decree from Pharaoh Ptolemy V revealing the date of the temple's construction to be between 221 and 203 BCE, and demonstrating, according to Martnez, the importance of said religious construction dedicated to the goddess Isis.[18]. The shaft descended five metres below the ground to two hidden chambers. "Geometric miracle": Archaeologists discover vast tunnel - CBS News A female mummy that was enclosed in a full body death mask. But how is it possible that the most famous woman of the ancient world remains missing today? With unimaginable wealth and power, Cleopatra was the greatest woman of an era and one of the most iconic figures of the ancient world. She said: We started cleaning the area, then suddenly a small hole opened and we started removing the sand. The team, led by archaeologist Kathleen Martinez, discovered the heads of two Ptolemaic-era statues made of alabaster close to the temple, one of which was likely a representation of the sphinx. She managed to contact Zahi Hawass, the archaeologist and director of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, and visit some temples. They split up, and Dr. Martnez threw herself into her new field. A joint Egyptian-Dominican mission has announced the discovery of 16 burials in rock-cut tombs, or burial shafts, at the Temple of Taposiris Magna, west of Alexandria, Egypt. Privacy Statement "Suppose the mausoleum is not lost under the Mediterranean Sea. "Cleopatra made great contributions to human knowledge and opened us to the world we have now," she says. The parallel was stunning. Additionally, several well-preserved statues were also discovered, and these are believed to represent some of the important individuals buried in the Taposiris Magna temple. This is entirely speculative, however, since there are no written records that can identify the individual or prove that he might have had anything to say that an ancient Egyptian god would want to hear. Related Article: Ancient Luxor Garbage Dump Yield Offerings Inside Temple Dedicated to Hathor; Artifacts Found Related to Ancient Egyptian Love, Fertility An intact tomb would enable a wealth of scientific research. The exhibition highlighted the first contribution of Latin America to the science of Egyptology. During recent explorations at an ancient Egyptian temple near Alexandria, archaeologists found something startling and unique. Kathleen Martinez, an archaeologist with the University of Santo Domingo, located the 6.5-foot-tall, 4,300-foot-long tunnel roughly 43 feet underground at the temple, which is situated west of the ancient city of Alexandria. Her mom, a healthcare executive, was always a role model. It was an astonishing find, a subterranean level that previous digs had overlooked. [5] After advancing in her research, she discovered the difference between oriental texts and ones written by the Romans. An Inspirational Courtesans Tale, Was Anne of Cleves Too Ugly for King Henry VIII? Ancient Origins 2013 - 2023Disclaimer- Terms of Publication - Privacy Policy & Cookies - Advertising Policy -Submissions - We Give Back - Contact us. Trending And Reel. Excavations have revealed that the temple was indeed dedicated to Isis, along with tunnels that lie under the sea. She added: "She was an educated woman, probably the first one who studied formally at the Museum in Alexandria, the center of culture in her time.". But they were almost assuredly buried sometime during the era of Greek rule, which lasted from 305 BC to 30 BC.