Crossroads Roundup: (Potential) Face of Cleopatra, St. Nick's Tomb, and Good News for Books
The latest news in art, archaeology, culture, and more.
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And now, the news!
The coolest woman on Earth, and Cleopatra:
In 2022, the Dominican archaeologist Dr. Kathleen Martinez made the discovery of a lifetime.
After twenty years of relentlessly searching for the burial place of Cleopatra—which she suspects to be hiding under the temple complex of Taposiris Magna—Martinez and her team found a massive tunnel beneath the temple stretching over 4,300 feet (roughly 1,310 meters). Sitting 43 feet (13 meters) underground with a height of over six feet (1.8 meters), the tunnel was called a “geometric miracle” by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
For Dr. Martinez, Egypt is a lifelong love. Her father was a prominent lawyer in the Dominican Republic, and she was encouraged to follow in his footsteps. She did indeed become a criminal defense attorney, but her true passion for archaeology remained, motivating her to go back to school. Ignoring her family’s protests, she pursued her dream and her theory that Cleopatra was buried not in a traditional tomb, but within a temple complex. As relayed in the University of Pennsylvania’s Knowledge at Wharton journal:
“I studied how she died,” Martinez said. “In that time, death was a critical moment and very meaningful. She used a cobra to kill herself. A snake was smuggled to her in a basket, hidden underneath figs. I have visited many jails in the Dominican Republic. It would have been difficult to smuggle something in, especially a snake. Why not have a small vial of poison brought in? There are three goddesses in the form of a snake, and Egyptians used a cobra to protect the pharaohs. Her death was a message to her followers. She wanted to die as a goddess.
“It came to me: Cleopatra’s tomb has never been found because she wasn’t buried in a tomb. She and Marc Antony were buried in a temple to Isis and Osiris. [Cleopatra believed that she was the living incarnation of the goddess, and that Marc Antony was Osiris.] There has to be a temple. But which one?”
Armed with this hunch, she convinced the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities to grant her a permit to excavate. She didn’t have institutional backing, so instead of the year-long permits typically granted, the ministry only gave her two months. Her theory paid off: she and her team found several previously-unknown burial chambers at the site, a bust of Cleopatra, and 40 coins bearing the image of the last Egyptian queen and her lover, Marc Antony. Thanks to this evidence, the Egyptian government granted Martinez permission to continue her excavation projects at the site, which would eventually lead to the tunnel’s discovery, as well as earlier finds that confirmed the site had been used for the veneration of the goddess Isis.
A portion of the tunnel is now under the Mediterranean, due to earthquakes throughout the Middle Ages that caused part of the coastal area to collapse. Martinez believes that Cleopatra’s final resting place could be underwater as a result; in partnership with the Egyptian government, she is now conducting undersea excavations of the area. Scholars are divided on whether or not her theory will turn out to be true, but I am rooting for her. If anyone is going to find Cleopatra, it’s this woman.
The most recent update from the search came this week. Excavations within the Temple of Osiris’s southern wall enclosure revealed a whole host of artifacts, including a statue head of a woman wearing a royal crown—possibly an image of Cleopatra. (See above photo.) Other finds include a limestone bust that depicts an unknown king wearing a nemes headdress, an amulet with the inscription “Ra’s justice has risen,” and numerous coins, ceramics, figurines, etc.
Is the statue head actually Cleopatra? Has this revealed her true face? Unsurprisingly, researchers disagree, with some believing it could be another Ptolemaic princess. In any case, I will continue to update you all should any exciting developments emerge from the excavations at Taposiris Magna. Something tells me there’s more to come.
“How does Flora Yukhnovich give Rococo anew in her contemporary vision?”
In each Roundup, I share a piece from a fellow Substack writer. I really enjoyed
’s December 8th piece on Flora Yukhnovich and the artist’s reimagining of Rococo for contemporary art. I first came across Yukhnovich’s art when listening to a 2022 episode of Freakonomics called “Don’t Worry, Be Tacky,” which explores the value of pursuing joy and fun in the face of establishment-snobbery. (The episode also profiles economist Steve Levitt and the American Basketball Association.) Ever since, I’ve been fascinated by Yukhnovich’s ability to plant an irreverent, unabashedly feminine stake in the ground, in an industry that can otherwise be a boys’ club.
Giselle’s essay discusses Yukhnovich’s work and sources of inspiration in the context of her recent exhibition at The Wallace Collection in London:
Flora Yukhnovich is a British contemporary artist known for her vibrant, large-scale paintings which reinterpret and engage with historical styles, particularly the Rococo period. Born in 1990, Yukhnovich's work blends a dynamic, almost abstract approach to colour and form with inspiration drawn from 18th-century Rococo. Inspired by French Rococo — a style epitomised by masters such as Jean-Antoine Watteau (1684–1721), François Boucher (1703–1770), and Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1732–1806) — Yukhnovich creates remarkable large-scale paintings that fluidly navigate the realms of representation and abstraction. Her work evokes the sensuous, playful aesthetic of Rococo while infusing it with a contemporary sensibility that feels fresh and expressive.
I highly recommend checking out the full essay, as well as the rest of Giselle’s writing on art, cinema, and culture in Giselle Daydreams.
And if you’re interested in learning more about Rococo, you can watch a recent Crossroads video on the subject here.
Just in time for Christmas…
In other news regarding famous tombs, archaeologists believe they may have found the tomb of Saint Nicholas of Myra, the patron saint of children whose story would inspire the Dutch Sinterklaas (who would eventually become Santa Claus). Excavations at the Church of St. Nicholas in the Turkish city of Demre revealed a limestone sarcophagus. Associate Professor Ebru Fatma Findik from Hatay Mustafa Kemal University told HeritageDaily that the team has not determined the exact age of the sarcophagus:
Our biggest hope is to find an inscription on the sarcophagus. This would help clarify the burial contents and allow us to determine the exact period it dates from. While the lid of the sarcophagus has been uncovered, only a small section of the burial chamber has been exposed, and further excavation is expected to reveal more details in the coming months.
And finally, bookstores make a big comeback:
The comeback we’ve all been waiting for! This short video from the Today show profiles the unexpected resurgence not just of Barnes & Noble, but of small, independent bookstores across the United States. Beyond commerce, bookstores increasingly serve as third spaces for communities by hosting book clubs, readings with authors, and special events.
Some of my favorite local Tennessee bookstores include Parnassus Books (owned by bestselling author Ann Patchett) and The Bookshop in Nashville, and Winder Binder in Chattanooga. Feel free to shoutout your favorite indie bookshops from your city/town in the comments!
I've had a lifelong love affair with Ancient Egypt, so hearing about Dr. Kathleen Martinez's incredible discovery is so exciting. The idea that Cleopatra and Marc Antony might have been buried in a temple to Isis and Osiris rather than a traditional tomb feels so fitting for their story and Cleopatra's connection to divine symbolism. What an amazing testament to following a hunch with such dedication!
Thanks for alerting me to the work of Dr. Martinez. Fascinating!