Archaeologists discover 4,300-foot-long tunnel beneath Egyptian temple

Archaeologists uncovered a hidden tunnel underneath Taposiris Magna, a temple dedicated to Osiris, the god of death.

Archaeologists discover 4,300-foot-long tunnel beneath Egyptian templeArchaeologists discover a 4,300-foot-long tunnel beneath a temple west of Alexandria. Credit: The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities

Dr. Kathleen Martinez, an archaeologist of the University of Santo Domingo, led a team that discovered the 6.5-foot-tall, 4,300-foot-long tunnel roughly 43 feet underground at the temple, which is located west of Alexandria. In her search for Queen Cleopatra’s tomb, she has made several previous discoveries.

According to Artnet, she also discovered two Ptolemaic-era alabaster busts, several ceramic vessels and pots, and coins with the names and images of Queen Cleopatra and Alexander the Great.

“This is the perfect place for the tomb of Cleopatra. If there’s a one percent chance that the last queen of Egypt could be buried there, it is my duty to search for her,” Dr. Martinez told Heritage Key.

Cleopatra, the Ptolemaic Egyptian queen who ruled from 51 to 30 BC, and her longtime lover, the Roman general Mark Antony, died by suicide in 30 BCE. Historians believe they are buried together, but have no idea where.

Because it was submerged underwater, it went undiscovered for a long time. Between 320 CE and 1303 CE, a series of at least 23 earthquakes struck the Egyptian coast, leading to the partial collapse of the temple and the tunnel. Sections of both were left underwater for a time.

The tunnel was described as a “geometric miracle” by archeologists. Highlighting the significance of the tunnel, Martinez said: “This is the first time that any archaeologist has found tunnels, pᴀssages underground and inside the enclosure walls of the temple.”

She added that if the tunnel results to the discovery of Cleopatra’s tomb, it would be “the most important discovery of the twenty-first century.”

Related Posts

Early modern text transcription revolutionized by ethical machine learning tools

Early modern text transcription revolutionized by ethical machine learning tools

Over recent years, digitization efforts have made sixteenth- and seventeenth-century printed books more widely available than ever before. Scholars are now able to search digital transcriptions for…

600-year-old amethyst jewel found in Polish castle moat reveals secrets of medieval nobility

600-year-old amethyst jewel found in Polish castle moat reveals secrets of medieval nobility

Archaeologists in Poland have uncovered a unique and elegantly crafted jewel from the moat of the medieval Castle Kolno, once situated along a ducal border. The silver…

Ancient DNA study reveals Ötzi the Iceman’s unique ancestry and the genetic legacy of his Alpine homeland

Ancient DNA study reveals Ötzi the Iceman’s unique ancestry and the genetic legacy of his Alpine homeland

A recent paleogenomic study has revealed incredible genetic continuity and subtle social interactions among prehistoric populations in the Eastern Italian Alps that once sheltered Ötzi the Iceman….

Lost Byzantine town of Tharais rediscovered in southern Jordan

Lost Byzantine town of Tharais rediscovered in southern Jordan

After decades of research and field surveys, archaeologists have finally discovered the ancient Byzantine town of Tharais in southern Jordan. This find promises to reveal new insights…

The mystery of Rennes-le-Château and the secrets of Abbé Saunière’s fortune

The mystery of Rennes-le-Château and the secrets of Abbé Saunière’s fortune

For over a hundred years, the small hilltop village of Rennes-le-Château in southern France has been the subject of fascination. Historians, treasure hunters, and conspiracy theorists alike…

Lost medieval tale The Song of Wade decoded by Cambridge scholars solving 130-year-old Chaucerian mystery

Lost medieval tale The Song of Wade decoded by Cambridge scholars solving 130-year-old Chaucerian mystery

A literary enigma that has puzzled scholars for more than a century might have finally been unraveled. Researchers at Cambridge University have reinterpreted a fragment of the…