A statue depicting the true appearance of Cleopatra has been discovered (6 photos)
As part of a joint archaeological expedition of Egypt and the Dominican Republic, led by Dr. Kathleen Martinez, artifacts and ceremonial objects from the late Ptolemaic era were found. One of the most significant finds is a white marble sculpture of a woman with a royal crown. According to the expert, this is the face of Cleopatra VII. 
Martinez spent almost 20 years searching for the tomb and has no doubt that the statue conveys the authentic appearance of the queen, who reigned from 51 to 30 BC.
However, other experts note that some facial features differ from known images of the queen. The statue could depict a princess from the Ptolemaic dynasty. 
The team also found a 1.5-meter statue of the pharaoh, 337 coins, many of which had images of Queen Cleopatra VII, as well as ritual pottery, oil lamps, limestone vessels, bronze figurines, a scarab amulet with the inscription "The justice of Ra has prevailed" and many others artifacts. 
The finds were made under the southern wall of the Temple of Taposiris Magna, west of Alexandria.
The temple is connected to a complex system of tunnels that stretch from Lake Mariout to the Mediterranean Sea. It is believed that Cleopatra found peace here in a secret tomb, where she was buried with her lover Mark Antony after they committed suicide. 
Cleopatra was the last queen of Egypt, she was crowned at the age of 18. During her reign, Rome conquered Egypt. Not wanting to become a prisoner of the emperor Octavian Augustus, 39-year-old Cleopatra committed suicide. 
