Cleopatra's Palace : In Search of a Legend

by Laura Foreman, Franck Goddio (Foreword)

Discovery Books presents" Cleopatra's Palace: In Search of a Legend" - a dramatic look at Cleopatra's world based on ancient accounts and modern scholarship. Laura Foreman brings Cleopatra's legendary tale to life, from the founding of Alexandria by Alexander the Great, to Cleopatra's ascent to the Egyptian throne amid treachery and betrayal, to her passionate alliances with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony and her doomed battle against Octavian. But the legend doesn't end there. "Cleopatra's Palace" also presents the astounding recent findings of world-renowned underwater explorer Franck Goddio, who, with his team of underwater archaeologists, has succeeded in mapping the Royal Quarter of Ancient Alexandria, long submerged beneath the Mediterranean by cataclysmic earthquakes early in the millennium. In a narrative illustrated by exclusive underwater images, the expedition's successes are presented, including the discovery of such artifacts as jewelry, statues, sphinxes, rare pottery, and an ancient shipwreck, as well as architectural remains that were found on the site of this magnificent drama.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Egypt, Archaeology, Egyptology

224 pages, Hardcover

First published February 16, 1999

About the author

Laura Foreman (June 11, 1943 – June 4, 2020) was an American journalist and author, and the first female political writer at The Philadelphia Inquirer. She was the first reporter who lost their job due to an affair, also effectively ending her journalism career.
Noting the harsh punishment in the case, critics saw a double standard, with different consequences for men and women. Her former colleague Lee Winfrey cited her attractiveness and success as a cause of resentment from male colleagues.

After the investigation, Foreman changed paths, and began work as a writer and editor at Time-Life Books. At the height of the position, she managed 20 people and freelanced for Discovery Publishing, authoring many books on subjects of True Crime, history, archaeology, biography, and more.

Reviews

[Kendall Mayo]

Great read! I love this part of history so much!

[elliana]

excellent read! lots of great info

[Andres]

This is a Discovery Channel coffee table book, full of great pictures and an entertaining if not entirely reliable text.

As an introduction to Cleopatra you can’t do too badly reading this book, but know going into it that the story told here isn’t particularly concerned about exploring the truth behind the legend. If it’s a choice between the dramatic and the probabilistic, the text goes for the most dramatic. It’s a forgivable move, though, when you have all those great pictures and illustrations to surround the tabloid version of Cleo’s life.

The icing on the cake, and the point, really, for this book existing are the haunting underwater pictures of the Alexandrian harbor where remnants of Cleopatra’s world are being found piece by piece. The pictures of statues eerily waiting in the murky water, statues that haven’t been seen by anyone for at least 1500 years, will send chills up your spine. The accompanying text explains how the underwater excavations work, with plenty of pictures to illustrate how items are located, tagged, recovered, copied (by silicon molds), etc. The book goes a long way towards debunking the idea that all of ancient Alexandria is now underneath the harbor.

Great book for the pictures, mostly okay for the text. And seeing as how this book came out when the excavations had just started and is already 13 years old, a natural follow-up would be Cleopatra: The Search for the Last Queen of Egypt. That book is essentially a catalog of the items found in the harbor (and other locations) that have made it into a currently touring museum exhibit focusing on Cleopatra.

[Anne]

Coffee table perfection!

[Russell Hall]

Discovery of Ancient Alexandria is chronicled in this well created volume. Covering Alexandria before and since the tragic queen walked its beaches.

[Whitney]

Most of the book was intresting although I didnt care for the ending.

[Serena]

My Rating System:
* couldn't finish, ** wouldn't recommend, *** would recommend, **** would read again, ***** have read again.