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.