Exhibition: Cleopatra at the Franklin Institute

Delco News Network (Christina Perryman)

After Egypt fell to Rome in 30 B.C. and Cleopatra famously took her own life following the suicide of Mark Antony, the new Roman rulers did their best to wipe Cleopatra and her legacy from Egyptian history. Historians believe the Romans attempted to destroy all artifacts, including statues, documents, etc., and tried to rewrite history by spreading malicious rumors about the former queen, potentially causing a general misunderstanding of Cleopatra and her time governing Egypt.

Dr. Zahi Hawass, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities and Egypt’s pre-eminent archaeologist, and French underwater archeologist Franck Goddio, director of European Institute for Underwater Archaeology (IEASM) are attempting to correct the misconception and learn as much as possible about Cleopatra, her life and legacy. While Dr. Hawass searches Egyptian land for Cleopatra’s and Mark Antony’s lost tomb, Goddio leads an extremely ambitious underwater expedition, looking for clues to Cleopatra’s every day life. Since beginning his search in 1992, Goddio has uncovered Cleopatra’s royal palace as well as two ancient cities, Canopus and Heracleion, buried beneath the sea for almost 2,000 years after a series of tidal waves and earthquakes.