Crime Scene Ephesus Cleopatra and Rome

Cleopatra’s sister Arsinoe was murdered and buried in Ephesus, one of the most magnificent cities of the ancient world. But on whose orders was she killed – and what was the impact of the political upheaval of the first century before and after Christ?

Approximately a century ago, Austrian archaeologists discovered an octagonal tomb in Ephesus that contained a skeleton. We still don’t know the identity of the individual interred in the ‘Octagon’. This spectacular find lies at the heart of an exhibition that embeds archaeology, history, and the latest scientific knowledge within an exciting cultural and historical panorama.

The exhibition of the Kunsthistorisches Museum at the Neue Hofburg vividly presents the ‘global players’ of the period: Cleopatra, her allies (and lovers) Caesar and Mark Antony, and her rival Augustus.