Archaeologists make 'significant' discovery in Egypt that may reveal Cleopatra's true face

Archaeologists were dumbfounded when they unearthed a small white marble statue under the suspected temple of Egyptian queen Cleopatra VII.

The statue shows a female wearing a royal crown, which Kathleen Martinez, the archaeologist lead behind the Egyptian-Dominican team, says she believes to depict Cleopatra.

The discovery was made during an excavation in the Tapuziris Magna temple in the region of western Alexandria, where they found artefacts including 350 coins with many showing an image of Cleopatra, a pottery set, oil lamps, limestone pots for food and cosmetic preservation, and several other bronze statues.

There was also an amulet engraved with "Ra’s justice has risen," along with a bronze ring dedicated to the goddess Hathor.

The discoveries helped archaeologists date the temple to the Late Baltic Age and estimate the construction back to the 1st century BC.

Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities

Others, however, were not convinced the statue was of the Egyptian queen.

In an email to Live Science, former Egyptian minister of antiquities Zahi Hawass who was not involved in this discovery but has excavated at the same site previously, said: "I looked at the bust carefully. It is not Cleopatra at all. It is Roman."

He added that pharaohs were portrayed with Egyptian art styles, not Roman.

A translated statement from the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities concluded: "Preliminary excavations under the waters of the Mediterranean in this region where the remains of the Tapuzerus Magna temple, were discovered by human structures, and large quantities of pottery pieces, which emphasizes the historical and cultural significance of the site."

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