The search for the last Queen of Egypt takes a small break

Her legendary beauty has made her possibly the most-writtenabout woman of the ancient world. The last person to rule Egypt as a pharaoh (after she died, Egypt became a Roman province), Cleopatra is known for her seduction techniques, perfumed baths, deadly asps and magnificent abode at Alexandria. This famous palace—alongwith the Pharaos of Alexandria lighthouse (one of the seven classic wonders of the world)—has been lost to the sea and sand for nearly 2,000 years.

This world is surfacing this June in an exhibition at The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. Organised by National Geographic and Arts and Exhibitions International, with cooperation from the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities and the European Institute for Underwater Archaeology, the exhibition will feature more than 250 artefacts and also expose visitors to the present-day search for Cleopatra's belongings, which extends from the sands of Egypt to the depths of the Bay of Aboukir near Alexandria.