Found: Riches From a QueenAdd to FavoritesWorld History Studies: 300-1500MagnifyMagnifyPhoto credit and all related images: AP Photo / Franck Goddio & Hilti Foundation / Christoph GerigkA diver inspects ruins from a temple and palace of Queen Cleopatra on the seabed of the harbor near Alexandria, Egypt.ALEXANDRIA, Egypt (Achieve3000, July 23, 2010). In the waters off Alexandria, Egypt, there is treasure. The Mediterranean Sea harbors the submerged ruins of a palace and temple complex from which the ancient Egyptian Queen Cleopatra ruled until 30 BCE. Divers have been scrutinizing these ruins since the 1990s. They are learning more about the end of the Egyptian kingdom by examining objects left behind by its last ruler.The palace differs from other archaeological sites because it is relatively unscathed by time and other factors. People have destroyed many of the other sites; statues and other structures in various locations are cut or smashed to pieces. Alexandria's Royal Quarters suffered a different fate—the ports, cape, and islands that were full of temples, palaces, and military outposts slid into the sea after major earthquakes occurred in the fourth and eighth centuries. After the second quake, the area was abandoned and its port remained unused. As a result, many of its treasures are completely intact, wrapped in sediment protecting them from the salt water."[The palace is] as it was when it sank," said Ashraf Abdel-Raouf of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities.French underwater archaeologist Franck Goddio and his team found the site in the 1990s. Using advanced electronic equipment, the team conducted surveys of the seabed that allowed them to deal with the harbor's extremely poor visibility and excavate the area.In the years since they first mapped the area, Goddio and his team have discovered everything from coins and everyday objects to colossal granite statues of Egypt's ancient rulers and sunken temples dedicated to Egyptian gods."It's a unique site in the world," said Goddio, who has spent two decades searching for shipwrecks and lost cities below the sea. Goddio's international team members are now painstakingly excavating the site. They are retrieving stunning artifacts from the last dynasty to rule over ancient Egypt before the Roman Empire conquered it in 30 BCE.Every time Goddio and his team dive into the murky water and find something new, they go back in time. Each find is part of the story of Cleopatra, Egypt's last pharaoh. On one dive, divers found a huge stone head believed to be of Caesarion, the son of Cleopatra. They also found two sphinxes, one of them probably representing Cleopatra's father, Ptolemy XII. On another dive, archaeologists explored the Timonium, a building commissioned by the Roman General Marc Antony, who had a romance with Cleopatra. Antony used the building as a retreat after his rival Octavian defeated him. Octavian later became the Roman Emperor Augustus.The finds from Cleopatra's palace are on display until January 2, 2011, at The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, in an exhibition titled "Cleopatra: The Search for the Last Queen of Egypt." After January, the exhibition will tour several other North American cities.The Associated Press contributed to this story.current page is 112TO-DONOTESVOCABULARYQUESTION 1QUESTION 1 OF 8 1 / 8The best alternate headline for this article would be __________.A.Archaeologists Find Artifacts at Cleopatra's Submerged PalaceB.Supreme Council of Antiquities Vows To Protect Sunken TreasureC.Alexandria's Royal Quarters Damaged by Severe EarthquakesD.Granite Statues and Temples Dedicated to Egyptian GodsSUBMITExtras