Secrets of the Dead: Cleopatra's Lost Tomb

This show has two things going for it. First, it is about Cleopatra, one of the most famous ancient Egyptians and much maligned by history. Secondly, it tells the great story of an amateur enthusiast who proved the experts wrong.The amateur is Kathleen Martinez, a criminal lawyer from the Dominican Republic. She determined to take up the search for Cleopatra's tomb. Most experts thought the last queen's tomb was in Alexandria, lost to history when a tidal wave destroyed her island temple. But Kathleen figured that Cleopatra would have planned her funeral in advance. As a queen who considered herself the earthly embodiment of Isis, her burial would have been a big deal.Kathleen visited the giant ruin of Taposires Magna, 25 miles west of Alexandria. Archeologists had excavated it more than once, and found almost nothing. The walls didn't even have inscriptions, leading the experts to declare that Taposires Magna was an unfinished temple, never used. Martinez proved them wrong.She hasn't found a tomb that can be declared that of Cleopatra, yet, but she has uncovered extraordinary finds. In this show, we hear from Martinez, as well as Dr. Christopher Naunton (director Egyptian Exploration Society), Dr. Joyce Tyldesley (Egyptologist, University of Manchester), Walaa Temraz (manuscript curator, Alexandria Library, Dr. Dorothy Thompson (papyrologist, University of Cambridge), Dr. Darius Arya (archaeologist, American Institute for Roman Culture), Dr. Andrew Meadows (ancient historian, University of Oxford), Dr. Salima Ikram (Egyptologist, American University in Cairo) and Dr. Mohamed Gamal (geophysicist, Cairo University).Along the way, I learned other interesting trivia, such as that "Cleopatra's ancestors only put their faces on high-value silver coins used by the rich. But Cleopatra wanted her face seen and adored by all her subjects." So she had her face on bronze coins, and a stash of them were found at Taposires Magna."Cleopatra's Lost Tomb" is part of the "Secrets of the Dead" PBS series. It originally aired in early 2016. Without breaks, it runs a bit less than 60 minutes. The DVD presents the show in widescreen and stereo. There are options to watch the show with English subtitles or DVI Descriptive Video. There are no bonus features on the DVD disc.I much enjoy the "Secrets of the Dead" series, though each episode occasionally suffers from over-narration. If you are interested in Eqyptology, I recommend another in the series,  Secrets of the Dead: Ultimate Tut I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Kathleen Martinez's continuing excavations!Happy Reader

Although my personal belief is that Cleopatra's tomb was lost in the tsunami and earthquakes which destroyed the soma, the royal mausoleum of Alexandria proper, this is a very interesting hypothesis that Cleopatra may have been entombed outside the city. Although not mentioned in this documentary, at least one ancient source claimed she was preserved in honey. This is a documentary worth watching more than once; it is very thought-provoking, though it may be a wild goose chase for a tomb which no longer exists. One of the most interesting points is this references Arabic scholarship of Cleopatra, independent of hostile Roman sources. The fact is that most sources on Cleopatra were hostile, written by her enemies. Whether Gautier in the 19th century, portraying Cleopatra as a murderous seductress, or HBO's Rome, following Gautier, there are legends of Cleopatra which are false, reflecting the Roman narrative. This documentary cuts through the legends and presents a more historically accurate story of Cleopatra.

The production was great. Excellent!

Not what I was expecting but interesting and informative

Just like other reviews said, it got a great start but just didn’t go far or deep enough!

DVD had important additional scenes that were not shown on the TV broadcast.

Fascinating. Highly recommended.

A very good case is made for the site of Cleopatra's tomb. It may well be in this temple complex. Further excavations in the next couple years will likely answer the question one way or the other. Intriguing.