"Lost Treasures of Egypt" (2019–2020): Season 3, Episode 8 - Cleopatra, Egypt's Last Pharaoh - full transcript

KATHLEEN: Oof.

(dramatic music)

I'm not able to walk, but I can see.

There is an entrance.

NARRATOR: Just outside Alexandria,
deep beneath a temple,

archaeologists are searching
for the tomb of Cleopatra,

Egypt's last queen.

KATHLEEN: I have a hunch, and I think I...

I am about to solve this mystery
with this door.

Oh...

(coughing)



I can't breathe.

NARRATOR: Ancient Egypt.

Its unparalleled monuments tell the story

of a civilization
that spanned 3,000 years.

But its final chapter revolves
around one beautiful

and beguiling woman, Cleopatra.

This legendary queen was
Egypt's last ever pharaoh,

despite having a healthy son and heir.

Today, archaeologists across Egypt
are investigating

the mystery surrounding the end
of her reign.

Was Cleopatra a successful pharaoh?

What turmoil contributed to her downfall?

And where is her long-lost tomb?

On the outskirts of Alexandria,



at the temple of Taposiris Magna,

Dominican archaeologist
Kathleen Martinez is searching

for Cleopatra's burial chamber.

Its location is one
of the greatest mysteries

in the history of Ancient Egypt.

KATHLEEN: I believe when we discover
the tomb of Queen Cleopatra,

she will tell her story,

and it's going to be marvelous.

NARRATOR: Kathleen first heard
the story of Cleopatra

when she was just 15 years old.

After 20 years as a successful lawyer,

she quit to dedicate her life
to finding the lost queen.

KATHLEEN: She's my heroine.

I think she was an accomplished woman,

very advanced for her time.

She was a politician.

She was able to speak
all the languages of her time,

nine languages.

She was a queen. She was a goddess.

I believe she was a genius.

NARRATOR: While many believe
Cleopatra's tomb

to be in her capital, Alexandria,

Kathleen's investigations have led her

to the temple of Taposiris Magna.

She thinks Cleopatra used this temple
to conceal her tomb.

♪ ♪

KATHLEEN: Cleopatra was
the human representation

of goddess Isis,

and this temple was dedicated to Isis.

That's why I believe she's buried here.

NARRATOR: It's Kathleen's
twelfth season digging here,

and she's already discovered
coins bearing the image

of the legendary queen,
evidence the temple dates to her time.

KATHLEEN: Every year that I come to Egypt,

I'm putting a piece
of the puzzle together.

I know I'm getting closer and closer.

NARRATOR: Last year,
Kathleen used a network of geophones

to make an astonishing discovery.

Geophones record small vibrations
in the earth's crust

to detect subterranean cavities.

At Taposiris Magna,
they exposed a large empty space

below the temple.

Kathleen is eager to find out
if this void could be

Cleopatra's long-lost tomb.

She attempted to access it
via an ancient tunnel last season,

but heavy rains
made it impossible to enter.

Now, because of an
exceptionally hot summer,

the tunnel is dry.

Will it lead Kathleen
to the mysterious void

and Cleopatra?

KATHLEEN: I know.

I know there's something
very important down there.

NARRATOR: But even now,
when the tunnel is dry,

exploring it is a serious challenge.

The only way in is down
a dangerous rock-cut shaft.

To climb down the shaft,
Kathleen's workmen must

install a chain of ladders.

It's a time-consuming task,
but essential to get right.

With a 25-foot drop,
any mistakes will be fatal.

KATHLEEN: We have to do it,
but in a safe way.

Once the ladder falls, we're dead.

♪ ♪

NARRATOR: In Alexandria,

American Egyptologist Meredith Brand
is also on the trail of Cleopatra.

The catacomb of Kom el Shoqafa

lies 65-feet below the modern city.

No one knows exactly who was buried here,

but it's one of the only
surviving large tombs

of ancient Alexandria.

MEREDITH: It's gorgeous.

We don't know what Cleopatra's tomb
would have looked like,

and we haven't found any other
royal tombs from her dynasty,

so this tomb here is
our best approximation.

NARRATOR: Meredith was just 17
when she first came to Egypt.

She's since spent more time
in ancient tombs

than back home in the U.S.

MEREDITH: Coming to places
like this is one of the reasons

why I became an Egyptologist.

NARRATOR: Meredith examines
the tomb's statues

and the carvings on the walls.

MEREDITH: This scene is fantastic.

You have a god, Anubis,
the Jackal-headed deity,

mummifying the deceased
and all the other gods

that you would expect to see
in an ancient Egyptian scene.

NARRATOR: The carving is of a scene
typical in ancient Egyptian burials,

but the tomb also has carvings
from a different culture.

MEREDITH: Down here on the sarcophagus,

the scene is fully Greek.

This garland and the head of these figures

are 100% Greek.

NARRATOR: The tomb is a strange mix
of Greek and Egyptian styles.

It's a clue to the true identity
of Cleopatra

and the Egypt she ruled.

In 332 B.C.,

Alexander the Great conquered Egypt

and founded the city of Alexandria.

He paved the way for a new dynasty
of Greek pharaohs,

called the Ptolemies,
who ruled from the new city.

300 years later, Cleopatra, aged just 21,

defeated her younger brother in battle
to become Queen of Egypt.

Despite her Greek heritage,

she embraced Egyptian traditions,

wearing the dress and crown
of the pharaohs of old

and becoming the first of her line
to learn the Egyptian language.

This tomb is testament to the mix

of the two ancient cultures
Cleopatra personified.

MEREDITH: This iconography
forms a unique image

that reflects the culture of Alexandria
at the time of Cleopatra,

a mixture of Greece and Egypt.

NARRATOR: Cleopatra ruled
from this multicultural capital

for 20 years.

But according to ancient sources,
in 30 B.C.,

she committed suicide
as the last ever pharaoh.

The clues to Cleopatra's many riddles,

the reason for her downfall and death,

and the location of her tomb

can be found in the ruins
of this hybrid Greek and Egyptian world.

In Philadelphia,

an ancient city that dates
from the reign of Cleopatra,

Egyptian archaeologist Basem Gehad
and his team have set up camp.

BASEM: So this is the site
of ancient Philadelphia.

It's very hot, windy like today, and sand.

It's not the best-case scenario
to live in.

NARRATOR: Every year,
Basem and his team spend weeks at a time

living in tents
in the middle of this barren desert.

Despite the basic conditions, for Basem,

it's a dream come true.

BASEM: I've dreamed since I was a child
to be an archaeologist and Egyptologist.

For this reason,
I have this kind of full energy

to stand for many, many, many days
and weeks in desert,

nonstop work and nonstop excavation.

NARRATOR: When Basem
excavated here last season,

the team found a complex of vaulted tombs.

Inside one of the tomb chambers,

set back from the main gallery,

they discovered thin strips
of painted wood,

reassembled to reveal
a beautiful painting.

The team also found
fragments of a human skull...

And some diamond-patterned linen.

Remarkable traces of a hidden necropolis
below the sand

and the people who lived here
around 2,000 years ago.

Basem hopes to find
an even bigger catacomb this year,

to investigate how the Greeks
and ancient Egyptians

coexisted in Cleopatra's Egypt.

BASEM (off screen): We have many
catacombs and tombs and graves

in this area that could give us
information about the Greeks

and Egyptians who were
living here together.

NARRATOR: But there is one big problem:

the site covers an area
larger than 800 football fields

with no records
of where the catacombs lie buried.

It's a tough call to decide
where to start digging.

BASEM: It's just like as if
you are searching for a needle

in this big desert.

NARRATOR: Basem finds
some banks of raised sand

that match features he's spotted
on satellite imagery of the site.

Together, they could be
evidence of a large tomb

hidden beneath the desert floor.

The team mark out a trench
and start digging.

They move tons of sand
under the hot desert sun,

and by noon, Basem's hunch pays off.

BASEM: So we just found this staircase,

stairs that was rock cut in the rock,

in the mother rock,
and it leads to the entrance.

We are thinking that it is a catacomb.

NARRATOR: What treasures lie
beyond the stairway?

What could they reveal
about Cleopatra's world

and the downfall of ancient Egypt?

BASEM: If we were super lucky,

we will have, like, an intact catacomb.

Maybe we could find the mummies.

NARRATOR: The team works all afternoon
to clear sand from the entrance.

Finally, there's enough room
for Basem to take a look

inside the tomb.

BASEM: I can see a lot of remains
of mummy and skeletons.

NARRATOR: Basem crawls
through the narrow opening in the rock.

BASEM: It's a unique example
that we have here.

Animal offerings everywhere.

NARRATOR: Inside lies
a huge catacomb complex

with 11 burial niches.

In front of one,
Basem discovers an intact amphora

left above the sand.

(mysterious music)

BASEM: This kind of jars, wine jars,

were used on the turn
of the Ptolemaic to the Romans,

which is the date of the Cleopatra reign.

NARRATOR: It is evidence
the catacomb is Greek

and dates to Cleopatra's time.

Now, the team must excavate
the entire complex.

Apart from a few pieces
of pottery above the sand,

it is almost entirely buried.

BASEM: We are very, very happy
and extremely excited

to see what could be below the sand.

NARRATOR: They begin to clear
the first burial niche.

BASEM: It's really tough work
working in this condition.

The humidity is absolutely high.

It's really hot summer, and then dust

and the remains of organic materials,
and it's really hard.

NARRATOR: The team carefully removes
several cubic feet of sand

from the grave pit.

BASEM: This is the most exciting part
because you never know.

When you remove just two meters,
you could find a wonderful thing.

The most interesting gift of the season

could be a few steps
from your digging place.

♪ ♪

We have one skull
and two left bones for two left legs.

Two different persons.

NARRATOR:
Basem and forensic anthropologist

Abdullah Abdo Abdullah inspect the skull.

ABDULLAH: It's round, not sharp.

For a male.

BASEM: Yeah.

NARRATOR: From the bone structure,

Abdullah can tell it is an adult male.

ABDULLAH: I want to see his age.

NARRATOR: The formation
of the skull reveals

the man was about 50 years old
when he died.

BASEM: The sutures,
which is the intersecting point

of the different part of the skull,
starts to disappear.

For us, it's an indication
for a real old man.

NARRATOR: He was likely the patriarch
of an extended Greek family,

prospering in the reign of Cleopatra
2,000 years ago.

What more can this catacomb reveal

about Cleopatra's world?

After excavating down 3 feet,

Basem calls a halt.

BASEM: It seems that it is
very difficult to maneuver

inside this locali.

As you see, this court is full of sand

and debris and materials.

It hinders us
from going farther from work.

NARRATOR: The huge piles of sand
in the catacomb's main room

make it impossible to reach down
to the deeper levels of the burial niches.

The team must clear the sand
from the entire room

before they can explore the niches fully.

But with their excavation permit ending
in just a few days,

they have to work fast.

♪ ♪

At Taposiris Magna,

while her team build ladders
down to the tunnel

and the mysterious void
beneath the Temple,

Kathleen checks in with her crew
at the other end of the site.

She's tirelessly looking for clues
to Cleopatra's tomb

across the entire temple complex.

KATHLEEN: Cleopatra could be anywhere.

I will explore every inch
of this archaeological site,

and I'm sure I will find her.

NARRATOR: To the east of the temple,

next to an ancient lighthouse,

Kathleen has already discovered
a huge necropolis

from Cleopatra's time.

Last year, in a catacomb here,

her team made an extraordinary discovery.

While digging, the remains of a man
emerged from the earth.

In his mouth, they found a golden tongue,

cast from pure 22-carat gold.

The tongue may have been
meant to allow the deceased

to speak with the gods,

and it's only one
of four mummies like this

the team have found in the necropolis,

a sign this is a burial site of the elite.

KATHLEEN: We want to understand
who are those who were buried here,

and what can we learn from this,

related to my search?

NARRATOR: And Kathleen has
a new lead in this necropolis:

an intact tomb.

KATHLEEN: You can't express
the excitement waiting to see.

It's been hidden,
it's been hidden for so long,

and then we're here.

NARRATOR: First, the team needs to remove

the heavy limestone blocks
that seal the burial.

KATHLEEN: Put it in the same position.
No, here.

The same position. We put it here.

NARRATOR: Suddenly, one of the workers
spots something in the sand.

KATHLEEN: What is that?

JUAN: It's metal, no? It's bronze.

NARRATOR: Kathleen
and fellow archaeologist Juan Padilla

inspect the find more closely.

KATHLEEN: It seems
it has some indentation.

JUAN: Yes, and some decorations. Yes.

KATHLEEN: This is a part of a clothing.

It is a fibula.

NARRATOR: A fibula is a small brooch

people used to fasten their robes
in ancient times.

It was common around the time
Cleopatra's rule ended,

evidence this tomb could date
to the very last chapter of her reign.

Can this tomb reveal new information
about Cleopatra's last days

and her hidden burial chamber?

KATHLEEN: It's a very good sign.
And this is on the top.

So we have to see after we open
what is inside the tomb.

NARRATOR: For over an hour,
in searing temperatures,

the team haul tons of sand
out of the tomb.

JUAN: Oh, wow!

♪ ♪

NARRATOR: Below the first
set of limestone blocks,

they unearth part of a skeleton.

But it's unlike anything
they've seen before.

KATHLEEN: Oh, my God!

NARRATOR: Kathleen and Juan
examine the skeleton

as it emerges from its tomb.

KATHLEEN: We believe he's a man

because the structure of the bones
are thick.

It looks like a heavy or a strong man.

NARRATOR: The man's lower leg bones
stick out from below the blocks.

They are barely visible
and covered in millennia of dirt,

but Kathleen and Juan can tell
this is no ordinary skeleton.

JUAN: We can see perfectly
how the human remains of

the skeleton are very well preserved.

Here, we can see perfectly
the tibia, the ankle,

but we don't have here in this area

any sign of the feet.

It's totally clear.

NARRATOR: The man's skeleton
is well preserved,

but his feet have been cut off
clean at the ankle.

KATHLEEN: Oh, my God! They cut his feet!

NARRATOR: Why did someone
mutilate this man's body?

KATHLEEN: The first thought
is a kind of punishment.

NARRATOR: It's possible
this man had both his feet

chopped off when he was alive.

What had he done to warrant
such a cruel punishment?

KATHLEEN: We need to find out.

I'm really anxious
to remove all the stones

and see who he was.

This is not normal!

NARRATOR: The team remove the final blocks

and clear the sand to expose
the upper part of the skeleton.

JUAN: We can see something, Kathleen.

KATHLEEN: Oh!

JUAN: I think that is part of the skull.

KATHLEEN: Wow. Oh!

I'm so happy.

NARRATOR:
Kathleen investigates the skeleton

as it emerges from under the sand.

KATHLEEN: You see under his chin,

you will find signs of mummification.

As well the eye and in the front,
the forehead.

His feet has been cut,

but at the same time,
which is really strange,

is that he has been mummified.

NARRATOR: Mummification was an act
of respect for the deceased,

designed to keep the body intact,
ready for the afterlife,

the ultimate reward
for a virtuous life lived.

Yet Kathleen believes this man was
mutilated as a punishment.

KATHLEEN: Maybe he belongs
to a powerful family

or he had an important position,

but at the end, he got punished.

NARRATOR: This perplexing burial
could be a sign of trouble

in the time of Cleopatra,

even a clue to her downfall.

It's all the more reason

Kathleen must continue her search
for Cleopatra's tomb.

KATHLEEN: Every time we move forward,
we excavate this site,

we find more and more
archaeological evidence

that makes us understand
that we are close.

NARRATOR: At the necropolis
of ancient Philadelphia,

Basem and his team have
painstakingly removed

several tons of sand from a catacomb
dating to the time of Cleopatra.

BASEM: So what we have progressed
until now in this catacomb

is cleaning the main court

and one of the grave cuts, the locali.

NARRATOR: Discoveries in the grave cuts

might reveal more evidence
of trouble in her reign.

BASEM: So based on the status
of the catacomb,

it seems that the tomb raiders
were here before

and most of the grave cuts were disturbed.

NARRATOR: Tomb raiders looted
this tomb in ancient times,

taking its gold and precious artifacts.

BASEM: Their only goal was to find
wonderful objects.

So they left some of the things.

It seems for them not interesting,
but for us, it's really interesting.

NARRATOR: Basem inspects the items
the robbers left behind.

BASEM: We can see offerings
from the family of the deceased.

This is a flask made from glass.

It's maybe used for perfumes.

So it seems that offerings were
just laid out in front of the locali,

which fits very well with the beliefs of

the ancient Egyptians.

NARRATOR: The ancient Egyptians believed

the deceased needed these offerings
for the afterlife.

Finding them in a Greek tomb
could be evidence

the Greeks here embraced
Egyptian belief and custom,

just like Cleopatra
in her capital, Alexandria.

BASEM: We will keep looking here
inside this catacomb.

And we will search,

we continue our search
all over this necropolis.

NARRATOR: With only a few days
of his dig season left,

Basem decides to focus his efforts

on the area just outside the tomb complex.

It's not long until his decision pays off.

BASEM (in Arabic):
You want me to come to you?

Let's go and see this group over here.

What's going on?

(speaking Arabic)

NARRATOR: Barely visible in the sand,

a thin strip of wood
with faint traces of paint.

BASEM (in English): Oh, wow!

(mysterious music)

BASEM: It's a breathtaking moment for me.

NARRATOR: In the sands of the necropolis,

Basem has made an incredible discovery.

BASEM: So what we are looking at here

is one fragment of a mummy portrait

that is painted with the wax,
the encaustic technique.

NARRATOR: Greek artists from Alexandria
travelled south through Egypt,

along the Nile.

People commissioned their portraits
from the artists,

who painted with hot beeswax onto wood.

The lifelike portraits
were unlike anything

in Egyptian art.

People hung their colorful portraits
in their homes.

When they died,
the portrait was put on their face

before they were mummified,
in the hope their spirit

would remember what they looked like
in the afterlife.

BASEM: It's really a masterpiece.

NARRATOR: Despite the layers of dust,

Basem can clearly make out
the face of the woman it depicts.

BASEM: We can realize
all the detail, the hairs, eyes,

nose, lips, and even the necklace,

the green necklace from emerald,
and the tunic,

the Greek tunic
which is painted in purple.

NARRATOR: It's a beautiful portrait
of a Greek woman

who lived and died here at Philadelphia
around the time of Cleopatra,

some 2,000 years ago.

Basem thinks tomb robbers
must have broken the fragile painting

when they tried to remove it
from the grave.

BASEM: When it's broken
into small fragments or slides,

for them, it's useless.

They could not sell it to the market,

so most probably,
they left it at the site.

For us, it's a treasure.

I can't see any kind of object

that could be more beautiful
than this face.

NARRATOR: It's a great discovery,
everything Basem has hoped for.

BASEM (off screen):
The aim of the mission,

we can say that it's accomplished.

This single piece makes
our work here worth it,

because it's--in itself, it's unique.

NARRATOR: It's possible
that Cleopatra, too,

would have been buried
with a life-like portrait of herself.

BASEM: We know very well
that ancient Egyptians

were very keen in keeping
the picture of the deceased.

It seems that the tradition continued
during the Ptolemaic period.

They kept the same tradition,
but they did it their own way,

using a new tradition of paintings.

And then they put this

wonderful, amazing, awesome portraits
on the face,

and then they wrapped
the whole mummy in an Egyptian style.

NARRATOR: Basem's discovery suggests
that even outside Alexandria,

the Greeks of her reign
followed Cleopatra's example

and embraced Egyptian customs.

And Cleopatra's respect for the old ways

won her favor with the Egyptians,

allowing her to rule over a prosperous,

multicultural empire.

BASEM (off screen): Both nations lived

very harmoniously together,

in a very mixed community,

mixed culture.

NARRATOR: The Greeks and Egyptians
lived together in harmony.

So what was causing trouble
in the time of Cleopatra?

What led to her downfall?

♪ ♪

In Alexandria,

Meredith has come
to the Bibliotheca Alexandrina,

the city's modern library, to investigate.

MEREDITH: This is the modern
library of Alexandria.

It's somewhere near
where the ancient library would have been,

and the ancient library
of Alexandria was renowned

through the entire Mediterranean world
as the biggest center of knowledge.

It had the most amount
of books ever collected.

NARRATOR: But it's not an ancient book
that grabs Meredith's attention.

It's an unusual granite bust.

MEREDITH: This statue is remarkable.

It's got this Greek style haircut,

like a fringe that comes down,
and it's wispy and curly.

So to me, this is--
this is a very Greek face.

And then on top of it is a traditional
ancient Egyptian headdress

for kings called the Nemes headdress.

NARRATOR: The Nemes is
a folded piece of striped cloth

covering the head and shoulders.

Worn with a crown,
it identifies the wearer

as a pharaoh.

MEREDITH: So, this is the headdress
of an Egyptian king

with the face of a Greek man.

This is most probably Caesarion,

the son of Cleopatra

and a direct product
of her relationship with Rome.

NARRATOR: Caesarion was the son
of Cleopatra and Julius Caesar,

the great dictator of Rome.

The two began an affair
when Cleopatra was fighting

a bitter civil war with her brother,

against their dying father's wish
for them to rule together.

When Caesar and his army
came to Alexandria,

Cleopatra seized her chance
to win a powerful ally

and Egypt's crown.

As her brother's army patrolled the city,

Cleopatra smuggled herself
into Caesar's chambers,

rolled in a rug, to meet him face to face.

Entranced, Caesar helped Cleopatra
win her throne

and the two had a son, Caesarion.

But a few years later,

Roman senators,
fearing Caesar's grip on power,

assassinated him,

and his three closest allies
took control of Rome.

Cleopatra met with one of them,
Mark Antony,

making her entrance on a golden boat.

They formed a new alliance
and the two fell in love.

MEREDITH: Cleopatra has been painted
as some wanton seductress,

but in actuality,
all of her moves were strategic.

She was a smart woman
who understood geo-politics

and understood Egypt
and the Mediterranean world.

She made alliances
based on who was in power

and who could help her secure the throne.

NARRATOR: Egypt was stable.

Cleopatra was firmly in control,

backed by a strong alliance
with Mark Antony and Rome.

But just ten years later,
everything came tumbling down.

What went wrong?

NARRATOR: Meredith investigates
a giant marble bust

just next to the statue
of Cleopatra's son Caesarion.

MEREDITH: This statue is fantastic.

It's totally not Egyptian.

Everything about this screams Rome

from the white marble to the hairstyle,

the delicate portraiture in the face,
the nose, everything.

This is a Roman statue.

This statue is Octavian.

NARRATOR: Octavian was
Julius Caesar's adopted son.

After Caesar's death,
Octavian moved quickly

to take power in Rome.

Mark Antony,
and his alliance with Cleopatra,

stood in his way.

MEREDITH: They formed
a huge super-block of power

that Octavian thought was
a direct threat to his rule.

NARRATOR: And Octavian had
a score to settle with Mark Antony.

MEREDITH: Mark Antony was
married to Octavian's sister

while he was having an alliance
and a relationship with Cleopatra.

So this upset him on a political level
and a personal level.

NARRATOR: In 32 B.C., Octavian,
backed by the Roman Senate,

declared war on Cleopatra.

Cleopatra's alliance
with Mark Antony had put her,

and Egypt, in the line of fire.

MEREDITH: Cleopatra's relationship
with Mark Antony

seemed like a brilliant strategy,

yet it led her into trouble.

NARRATOR: At Taposiris Magna,

the brutally mutilated
but beautifully mummified man

may be a victim
of Cleopatra's war with Rome.

KATHLEEN: This time was chaotic.

The first century, it was Cleopatra,
Mark Antony, against Octavian,

and maybe he was on the wrong side,

and this is why he got punished.

It's a great discovery.

NARRATOR: Cleopatra would also be
a victim of this war.

Now, Kathleen is hunting
for her lost tomb.

She believes it is in a large cavity

she has discovered
beneath the temple here.

Her team has finally set up
a safe ladder system

at the top of the dark
and narrow entrance shaft.

Now Kathleen can finally enter.

It's 25 feet deep.

A fall from this height could kill her.

KATHLEEN: For some reason
that I don't understand,

I'm not afraid.

I'm ready to go down.

(dramatic music)

♪ ♪

(overlapping chatter)

Oh, my gosh. Oh.

(breathing heavily)

The second stairs, it's really unstable.

(overlapping chatter)

It's moving. Oh, God.

NARRATOR: After a perilous descent,

Kathleen can explore the tunnel.

♪ ♪

KATHLEEN: This is marvelous!

We can see clearly

there are some traces

of painting of ancient time.

We can see plaster here.

It was covered.

The construction of this tunnel

has been made by chisel, by hand.

Hundreds of meters.

NARRATOR: The tunnel is
hundreds of feet long

and cuts through solid bedrock.

Carving it by hand would have taken years.

KATHLEEN: But why?

Why they will build this tunnel?

Why they will do such a big effort?

NARRATOR: Could the huge
amount of time invested to dig

and decorate this tunnel
be evidence that it leads

to Cleopatra's long-lost tomb?

Kathleen ventures deeper.

(Kathleen coughing)

KATHLEEN: I can't breathe.

The air is...

is rotten.

I can't breathe any more here.

KATHLEEN: Oh! Wow.

NARRATOR: In Alexandria,

Meredith investigates what led
to Cleopatra's mysterious death.

In the heart of her capital
are the ancient ruins

of Kom El Dikka.

MEREDITH (off screen):
Oh, this is an incredible site.

It's completely preserved.

This is stunning.

Looking around,
there is no ancient Egypt here.

There is this amphitheater, a public bath,

broad streets.

Everything about this space is Roman.

NARRATOR: At Kom el Dikka,
there is no trace

of Cleopatra's mix
of Egyptian and Greek culture.

MEREDITH: It's evidence
of a complete Roman takeover.

NARRATOR: Julius Caesar's
adopted son, Octavian,

was threatened by Cleopatra
and Mark Antony's alliance.

A year after declaring war,
he made his move.

(dramatic music)

Octavian amassed a vast navy
and attacked Cleopatra

and Mark Antony's combined forces.

The fleets clashed
off the coast of Greece.

Octavian's navy won the day,

and Mark Antony and Cleopatra each fled.

According to legend,
Mark Antony later heard rumors

Cleopatra was dead,

so he fell on his sword
to join her in the afterlife.

But Cleopatra was alive.

She rushed to his side,
and he died in her arms.

MEREDITH: Mark Antony's death
was the first step in Octavian

becoming the sole ruler
and dictator of Rome.

But that wasn't enough for Octavian.

He was ambitious.

He wanted to expand the empire,

and he had his eyes set
on the wealth of Egypt.

NARRATOR: Only Cleopatra stood in his way.

MEREDITH: Cleopatra was a smart ruler.

She was capable,
and despite all the challenges,

she kept Egypt safe and prosperous
for a long time.

But she had backed the wrong guy.

Her empire was in tatters,

her lover was dead,
and Rome was breathing down her neck.

Cleopatra, she had run out of options.

NARRATOR: Legends say
Cleopatra took her own life

using the venomous bite of a cobra.

Octavian had invaded Egypt

and now searched
for her son and heir, Caesarion,

but he had fled to the east coast.

The young king returned to Alexandria
to beg for mercy.

But Octavian ordered his death.

The age of the pharaohs was over.

MEREDITH: The death of Mark Antony,
Cleopatra, and her son

gave full uncontested control of Egypt
to Octavian.

NARRATOR: Octavian became
Rome's first emperor

and took the title Augustus.

Egypt became a province
of his huge empire.

MEREDITH: The Egypt
that had survived for 3,000 years

was no more.

NARRATOR: And Cleopatra's body, and tomb,

have never been found.

(mysterious music)

♪ ♪

At Taposiris Magna,

Kathleen is about 100 feet into the tunnel

when she suddenly spots something
behind the debris

and washed-in rubbish.

KATHLEEN: Oh!

I am not able to walk, but I can see--

I can see over there,
there is an entrance!

Oh.

Just trying to see as much as possible.

If we're lucky, we can see
what is beyond the rubbish.

It continues.

You can see clear the tunnel continues.

This is it.

NARRATOR: The entrance
is a tantalizing clue.

Could it lead to an underground tomb?

Perhaps even the lost tomb of Cleopatra?

KATHLEEN: I have a hunch, and I think...

I'm about to solve this mystery

with this door.

Yes.

Oh...

(coughing)

I can't breathe.

NARRATOR: After 30 minutes in the tunnel,

Kathleen is forced to return
to the surface for fresh air.

KATHLEEN: I'm so tired

and my boots are slippery.

(speaking Arabic)

NARRATOR: A huge mound of rubble
blocks the mystery entrance

inside the tunnel.

Kathleen won't be able to clear it
before her permits run out

in a few days' time,

but the tunnel and the void beyond it
is more promising than she had hoped.

KATHLEEN: After all these years,

you can't imagine the excitement
to go down and really explore.

The tomb of Cleopatra might be down there.

I'm really very proud
of the work we're doing here.

So let's--we applaud

for all my team and all this effort.

NARRATOR: After years of searching,
Kathleen could be closer than ever

to discovering the lost tomb of Cleopatra.

KATHLEEN: These tunnels are leading us

to probably one of the major discoveries
of this century.

It looks intact.

NARRATOR: Every season,
archaeologists unearth

new clues about Egypt's last pharaoh.

Their evidence shows
Cleopatra skillfully ruled

over a hybrid Greek-Egyptian society.

She forged clever alliances
to secure her throne

and keep Egypt safe.

But she got caught up
in Octavian's plans for domination.

As he engulfed Egypt in a violent war,

Cleopatra might have had no other escape
but to commit suicide

and hide her tomb from his wrath.

KATHLEEN: She outsmarted the Romans.

She outsmarted
the most powerful army on Earth,

and I believe they brought her here

and she disappeared at Taposiris Magna.

NARRATOR:
But while Cleopatra was defeated,

her memory lives on
and captures the imagination

to this day.