CLEOPATRA: The Search for the Last Queen of Egypt

Written by the inimitable Zahi Hawass in collaboration with underwater archaeologist Franck Goddio, this richly illustrated book chronicles the life of Cleopatra and the centuries-long quest to learn more about the queen and her tumultuous era, the last pharaonic period of Egyptian history. A legendary temptress, Cleopatra has captivated the world for 2,000 years and here is her story, illustrated with stunning artefacts in book form for the first time ever. Gods and sphinxes, sacred objects of worship, priceless jewellery, and the simple relics of everyday life all saved from the desert or the sea, they bring back the humanity, culture and beliefs of the people who made them, and who served the empire ruled and lost by Queen Cleopatra. In a deep green sea, flanked by sphinxes on either side, a priest stands as if about to process through the murky water in a superb double page colour photograph. On coins we see the head of Ptolemy I, with diadem and aegis around his neck. Measuring nearly 5m tall and found in separate pieces in Heracleion's underwater ruins, a magnificent Ptolemaic king wears a double crown signifying the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the Pharoah. Made of red granite, there is a fantastic photograph of the researchers hoisting the immense statue out of the water. Basins, strainers, braziers, amphora, columns engraved with Greek descriptions, ancient documents and the gleaming golden jewellery collection are among the hundreds of colour photographs in this heavyweight softback of 256pp. 20.3 x 25cm.