Where the Lovers Lie is the story of Cleopatra and Mark Antony. The Roman historical narrative needs to change.

Being a writer is like exploring down the rabbit hole, getting lost in the sea of stories in my mind. It’s never ending. To add insult, readers, especially in sci-fi, are becoming barren, due to the short span of attention, where social media is in the lead. My efforts can feel futile.

Do you understand what I am saying?

I spent all of last night polishing a chapter, only to realize I was competing with 10-second videos of cats, and I just felt… tired. Tired to my bones of all this competition. Social Media is growing a new type of readers. I see it in my grandchildren. They aren’t even reading anymore. Quick short reels are now the attention span of our young. 

It scares me. 

You know the feeling of futility ? The thought of pouring our soul into something we fear will be lost or ignored.  It’s not just a modern problem for us writers. It is one of the oldest human stories. It reminds me of the historical story of empires built and unfortunately turning to dust, of brilliant legacies deliberately buried by their conquerors, of truths drowned by time and propaganda.

This next story is not only about truth, but the profound reality of our human actions. 

When I feel this way, my mind doesn’t just drift to far-off galaxies. It drifts to one of the most profound and misunderstood losses in human history. It drifts to her. Yes. You know who I am talking about. 

Cleopatra 

When I read about Cleopatra’s lost tomb, it’s not just history. I feel a personal anger. I feel like my own legacy is being buried by propaganda and silt, and finding her tomb is a way of fighting back for both of us.

The other day I watched National Geographic, “Cleopatra’s Final Secret” with Disney Plus. I know so many past versions of this story and I am glad to see, Cleopatra’s story is beginning to be shaped closer to the truth. 

Throughout my life, I have researched the heartbreaking story of the lost lovers of Cleopatra and Mark Antony. And all the time knowing my mom took the time to name me : Bari Marcus Anthony ; in the hopes it would spark the truth of my Italian identity. 

I am sure everyone here knows the basics.

As history points it out : Cleopatra VII was the last Pharaoh of Egypt—a brilliant, multilingual, and ruthless ruler from the Ptolemaic dynasty. Mark Antony was a powerful Roman general, Caesar’s right-hand man, who fell into a deep political and personal alliance with her. Together, they dreamed of a new Eastern empire, a vision that put them in direct conflict with Antony’s calculating rival in Rome, Octavian.

The dream died at the Battle of Actium. Pursued back to Alexandria, Antony took his own life, believing Cleopatra was already dead. Days later, she chose her own death over the humiliation of being paraded in Octavian’s triumph.

And with that, her empire was gone, absorbed by Rome. Her story was rewritten by her conquerors, twisting her from a powerful queen into a simple seductress. And her body, along with that of her great love, vanished from history.

That feeling of profound, overwhelming loss—of watching something magnificent vanish—is precisely why this story means the world to me. It’s about a loss and we need to find the answer. 

Here’s my answer to a lingering question : 

The story of Cleopatra’s lost empire, the rewriting of her story, and the final, enduring mystery she left behind

This is where my futility as a writer turns into a fire. My passion, science fiction, is about using technology to uncover great truths. And that is exactly what this story is about.

For millennia, the ultimate resting place of Cleopatra and Mark Antony has been sought in the wrong place—shrouded in the silt and secrets of Alexandria’s submerged royal quarter.

But what if this was a brilliant decoy? What if the tomb was never lost to the sea, but instead, perfectly hidden on dry land, protected by a final act of strategic genius?

The search for a grand, public mausoleum has failed. Now, the hunt is on for a secret hidden shaft deep beneath the temple of Taposiris Magna. 

This is where today’s technology can finally unmask the past’s greatest enigma.

Imagine Ground-Penetrating Radar and seismic sensors scanning the entire complex, piercing through solid bedrock to map the 4,300-foot tunnel system in perfect 3D. 

The old dream of draining Alexandria’s harbor is giving way to a new, more thrilling vision: a high-tech, minimally invasive expedition that follows the exact path of Cleopatra’s loyal priests. This could finally unlock the secrets of the iconic lovers’ tomb, not by raising it from the waves, but by revealing the hidden world she engineered right beneath our feet.

This is why I write. In an age of fleeting attention, some stories demand to be told. They demand that we dig deeper, look past the noise, and find the truth that lies buried.

My calling is to explore these rabbit holes, whether they lead to a distant galaxy or a hidden tomb. This is my ‘why’ to fight against futility, to believe that stories of this magnitude still matter.

If you feel that same call as a reader who seeks depth, or as a writer who creates it ? Then you understand. This is our shared quest. If this story, this search, resonates with you, leave a comment. 

Tell me: Do you believe the story of Cleopatra and Mark Antony needs to be answered ? 

Bari Marcus Anthony