She ruled Egypt for two decades, forged alliances with the most powerful men in the Roman world, and has captivated historians, artists, and storytellers for two thousand years.
Today, Cleopatra — the last queen of Egypt — is at the heart of a major new immersive experience opening in London, bringing her world to life through a combination of original artifacts and virtual reality technology.
Covering 3,000 square meters spread across nine interactive galleries, "Cleopatra: The Experience" makes its UK debut after already attracting more than 200,000 visitors since its launch in Madrid, and is expected to be presented in six other countries after its London run.
A mirror framed with asps reflects Cleopatra's image back to visitors — one of many installations designed to blur the line between the present and the ancient world.
The experience unfolds through projection rooms, holographic presentations and interactive installations, developed in collaboration with history curators and Egyptologists, and endorsed by British Egyptologist Dr Chris Naunton.
Curator Nacho Ares oversaw the development of the experience, and he makes it clear that technology serves history rather than replacing it.
“In this exhibition, we offer two ways to appreciate the figure of Cleopatra. The first relies on new technologies, the virtual reality metaverse: you can walk around with VR glasses. It’s incredible, because you can visit Cleopatra’s palace in Alexandria. We offer a journey into Antiquity with VR glasses to visit Cleopatra’s tomb. It’s one of the most incredible mysteries of her life.”
The city of Alexandria — Cleopatra's capital and one of the great metropolises of the ancient world — is at the heart of the experience.
Founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BC, it was the seat of the Ptolemaic dynasty which Cleopatra would eventually inherit, and the city whose destiny would be linked to hers.
And alongside the technology, Ares is keen to point out, there are objects from ancient Egypt.
"We also have genuine artifacts, original pieces that connect the present to the past."
The collection — presented in collaboration with the Felix Cervera Archaeological Gallery of Barcelona — includes more than 22 original artifacts dating from the Hellenistic and Late Egyptian periods.
Among them, an anonymous cartonnage dating from the 1st and 2nd centuries AD, and a bronze figurine of the goddess Isis — with whom Cleopatra strongly identified.
A projection retracing Cleopatra's life, from childhood to adulthood, is shown in the next room.
Visitors then enter the virtual reality metaverse — VR glasses transporting them to Cleopatra's palace in Alexandria.
The renderings place visitors alongside the queen as she gazes upon the Bay of Alexandria, the lighthouse — one of the seven wonders of the ancient world — visible in the distance, before entering the Temple of Alexandria itself.
A question written on one of the walls of the exhibition catches the attention of visitors: "She was the first woman to lead and determine the course of an empire — but who was she?"
This is a question that the exhibition takes very seriously. Dr. Chris Naunton is frank about the complexity of the historical sources.
"Roman propaganda is a major and important source of information for the story of Cleopatra, there is no doubt about that. It gives us a very dramatic, almost scene-by-scene account, which is of course a perfect source of inspiration for Shakespeare and Hollywood," he explains.
“We have archaeological evidence and written sources from the period, Egyptian inscriptions, Egyptian texts, but also Greek texts, which complement these sources. There is therefore no doubt that she was a real historical figure. We can say when she reigned, we can say a great deal about her family origins, about how she ascended the throne. We know the historical and political context of her time.”
The representation of Cleopatra in the arts, as presented in the exhibition, explores 2,000 years of depictions — from Roman busts to Shakespeare and Hollywood.
Information about his tomb reminds visitors that, despite centuries of searching, his burial place has never been found. A second virtual reality sequence takes visitors on an underwater journey—passing by submerged sphinxes and the ruins of a sunken city—in search of what might lie beneath the sea.
Naunton explains that the proximity of water to the location where the tomb was likely situated could mean that it was washed away centuries ago:
"It is probable, and again this is what Roman sources indicate, that the tomb of Cleopatra, as well as that of Alexander the Great, and probably also those of the other Ptolemies, were located close enough to have been destroyed, if not by war, then at least by a natural event such as a tsunami."
The most spectacular element of the experience — a huge, eight-meter-high, 360-degree projection room in which visitors witness various scenes, including Cleopatra rising from her deathbed, a coiled asp nearby, before reliving the Battle of Actium — the naval confrontation with Rome that sealed her fate.
This is the most striking image in the exhibition: a woman who chose how to die rather than submit to Roman humiliation.
Outside, on the quays of the Royal Docks, the Thames sparkles beside the entrance to the exhibition and the wind howls.
The maritime grandeur of the docks extends beyond the banners — ancient Egypt, improbably but fascinatingly, has made its appearance in East London.
"Cleopatra: The Experience" opens on March 26 at Immerse LDN, on the docks of Excel London.
