Saturday, January 2, 2010

Cleopatra Rises Again

Dec. 18, 2009 Chicago Tribune "Pylon from Cleopatra's reign resurfaces." Katarina Kratovac.

A nine ton temple pylon was hoisted from the Mediterranean Sea off Alexandria, Egypt, Dec. 17th. It had been part of Cleopatra's palace and had been submerged for centuries.

This is especially of interest to me because this past June I was on a cruise ship in that harbor. Who knows, perhaps we were directly above that temple.

It once stood at the entrance of a temple of Isis and is to be the centerpiece of a planned museum showcasing the remains of ancient Alexandria which is believed to have tumbled into the sea by 4th century earthquakes.

The pylon is 7.4 feet tall and was a part of a sprawling palace from the Ptolemaic dynasty and where Queen Cleopatra wooed Roman General Marc Antony before they both committed suicide after they were defeated by Julius Caesar in 30 BC.

The Deadly Asp. --Cooter

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