The world of Cleopatra, which has been lost to the sea and sand for nearly 2,000 years, surfaces in a new exhibition, “Cleopatra: The Search for the Last Queen of Egypt”. It made its world premiere in June 2010 at The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. Organized by National Geographic and Arts and Exhibitions International, with cooperation from the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities and the European Institute for Underwater Archaeology (IEASM), the exhibition features more than 250 artifacts. It takes visitors inside the present-day search for Cleopatra, which extends from the sands of Egypt to the depths of the Bay of Aboukir near Alexandria.

The exhibition showcases the work of two archaeologists—Secretary General of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, Zahi Hawass at the site of Taposiris Magna, and Franck Goddio, a French underwater archaeologist whose underwater excavations off the coast of Alexandria have yielded incredible finds since the early 1990s. Stunning artifacts, video and animations, dramatic lighting and music bring visitors in touch with the science and the legends in the ongoing search for the lost world of Cleopatra.

This exhibition is accompanied by the book Cleopatra: The Search for the Last Queen of Egypt (National Geographic Books, 2010).

Tour Schedule

The Franklin Institute
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
June 2010—January 2011

Cincinnati Museum Center
Cincinnati, Ohio
February 18—September 5, 2011

Milwaukee Public Museum
Milwaukee, WI
October 14—April 29, 2012