The representations of Cleopatra that survive to this day are highly valued. In ancient Egypt, coins bore her effigy, and the legend surrounding her makes each related discovery an event. This is what happens with the treasure of Cleopatra’s coins.
Who found it? This is an archaeological mission of Dominican and Egyptian researchers. They discovered a treasure trove of objects in the temple complex of Taposiris Magna. This is west of the Egyptian city of Alexandria. This was reported by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
Cleopatra in marble
Cleopatra’s hoard of coins was not alone. The finds include figurines, coins and ceramic pieces. All these objects shed light on the history of the place during the period of the Ptolemaic dynasty, the statement indicates. The mission was led by archaeologist Kathleen Martínez. She discovered the foundation deposits under the south wall of the temple’s outer precinct.
Among the most significant discoveries is a small white marble statuette. It represents a woman with a royal crown. Also notable is a limestone bust of a king with a nemes headdress.
Martínez maintained that the female statue could represent Queen Cleopatra VII, although other archaeologists suggested it could represent a princess, due to differences in facial features, the statement said.
Beetle
The team also unearthed 337 coins. Many of them contain the effigy of Cleopatra VII. There were also various pieces of pottery, oil lamps and limestone vessels. They were used to store food and cosmetics, bronze figurines and an amulet in the shape of a scarab.
These finds were together with pottery fragments from the late Ptolemaic period. They indicate that the walls of the temple were built in the 1st century BC. Martínez also announced the discovery of the remains of a Greek temple from the 4th century BC. Apparently, this was destroyed between the 2nd century BC and the beginning of our era.
