Art Museum Journal

Cleopatra Exhibition Describes Search for Queen of Egypt
Review by STAN PARCHIN
July 6, 2010

 
The intensive hunt for antiquity's most mythologized monarch is the subject of Cleopatra: The Search for the Last Queen of Egypt. Some 142 artifacts, exhibited stateside for the first time, reflect life in the land of the pharaohs during Ptolemaic rule. The recent finds, mostly from Dr. Zahi Hawass' on-land excavations and Franck Goddio's underwater investigations, are showcased here to their greatest advantage. Premiering at the Franklin Institute (June 5, 2010-January 2, 2011), the ticketed show is scheduled to appear at four other North American destinations.
 
The impressive installation's sculptures, coinage, jewelry, religious objects and items of everyday use were retrieved from the sands of Cleopatra's temple complex at the site of Taposiris Magna and the Bay of Aboukir. They're enticingly interpreted by eminent Egyptologist David P. Silverman, the Eckley B. Coxe, Jr. Professor and Curator at the University of Pennsylvania. A recorded tour (included with the admission fee) and hi-definition multimedia presentations immerse the visitor in the exciting discovery process.
 
Ptolemaic Egypt's Sunken Cities
Ptolemy I (ca. 367-283 B.C. ), a Macedonian Greek general under Alexander the Great (356-323 B.C.), began his dynasty's rule of ancient Egypt in 305 B.C. Situated in the northwestern Nile River Delta, Alexandria quickly became a predominant cultural and commercial center. This vast port city, along with nearby Canopus and Heracleion (known respectively for their decadence and strategic military importance) succumbed to earthquakes and tsunamis (tidal waves) nearly 2,000 years ago. These natural disasters submerged the three locations into the Mediterranean Sea, providing fertile ground for modern-day scholars' explorations.
 
Cleopatra VII
The illustrious Cleopatra VII (69-30 B.C.), Egypt's last great pharaoh, was an accomplished author who reportedly spoke at least seven languages. At 18 years of age, she inherited an opulent kingdom whose independence she struggled to maintain despite decades of extravagance and the threat of foreign invasion. Embroiled in political intrigues, Cleopatra often shared her throne with her brothers and son in an effort to consolidate her power. For the same reason, she also allied Egypt with Rome. The partnership resulted in her affair with Julius Caesar (100-44 B.C.) and the birth of Caesarion. Upon the Roman ruler's assassination by conspiring senators, Cleopatra returned to her homeland with Ptolemy XIV (her co-regent) and her child.
 
A few years later, Roman leader Mark Antony (83-30 B.C.) arrived in Egypt to levy taxes for his armies' campaign against Octavius (63-14 B.C.), Caesar's adopted heir and Rome's first emperor. His union with Cleopatra produced three children. After their forces' devastating defeat by Octavius at the Battle of Actium (31 B.C.), Mark Antony took his own life. Cleopatra's subsequent suicide helped give rise to the story that the two lovers were buried together in a tomb that remains to be found.
 
The Search for Cleopatra
The exhibition is divided into eight well-organized galleries. It starts with a four-minute movie that describes the dual investigations of Hawass and Goddio. After the brief film, guests are immediately greeted by the Statue of a Ptolemaic Queen (305-30 B.C.), perhaps a representation of Cleopatra.
 
In the room devoted to Alexandrian ruins is a walkway. Its path ingeniously reveals 5th-century B.C. amphorae (ceramic vessels) and other artifacts from Cleopatra's age, each recovered by Goddio and his team. The next two galleries highlight the cities of Canopus and Heracleion. Statuary, gold coins and jewelry illustrate Canopus' religious role and reputation for indulgence. These are followed by two 16-foot-tall Colossi of a Ptolemaic King and Queen (305-30 B.C.) from Heracleion, where Cleopatra and her predecessors were traditionally invested with imperial power. Objects that demonstrate the site's military might are also on view. Daily life in Ptolemaic Egypt is explained through works from Alexandria, including a Statue of the High Priest of Isis (305-30 B.C.), the goddess of wisdom with whom Cleopatra and her royal female forebears identified.
 
The show climaxes with an examination of Cleopatra's alleged beauty, Dr. Hawass' search at Taposiris Magna for the queen's final resting place and the ruler's enduring legend in Western art and cinema. The last topic begs to be addressed in a future large-scale show of Egyptian, European and American art, costumes, textiles and photography.
 
Sources
Goddio, Franck. Egypt's Sunken Treasures (2nd ed.) (exh. cat.). Munich: Prestel, 2008.
 
Hawass, Zahi and Franck Goddio. Cleopatra: The Search for the Last Queen of Egypt (exh. cat.). Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society, 2010.
 
Jones, Prudence. Cleopatra: The Last Pharaoh. New York: American University in Cairo Press, 2006.
 
Shaw, Ian. The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000, 395-421.

Walker, Susan and Peter Higgs (eds.), et al. Cleopatra of Egypt: From History to Myth (exh. cat.).London: British Museum, 2001.