VIENNA.- Ephesus, one of the most important cities of the ancient world, serves as the murder scene of Cleopatra’s sister Arsinoë IV in 41 BCE. Who ordered her assassination? And what role did the political upheavals of the time play in her death? These questions are explored in the culture-historical exhibition Crime Scene Ephesus. Cleopatra and Rome.

More than 100 objects tell the story of the most powerful figures of the time: the last queen of Egypt, her allies, and lovers – Caesar and Marc Antony, as well as her adversary Augustus – and of the ancient metropolises of Rome, Alexandria, and Ephesus as centres of power, art, knowledge, and political intrigue.

A mysterious tomb, a royal assassination

The exhibition takes us to the magnificent city of Ephesus, the setting for a 2,000-year-old crime story and the site of a monumental funerary structure: the so-called Octagon. Today parts of this mysterious tomb are housed at the Kunsthistorisches Museum (Ephesos Museum).

According to ancient sources, Arsinoë was murdered in Ephesus on the orders of her sister and rival, Cleopatra VII, in 41 BCE. The attack was far more than the result of a personal conflict between siblings. It symbolizes the struggle for control of Egypt, one of the richest countries in the world at the time, and for the survival of the Ptolemies – the dynasty founded by a general of Alexander the Great.

“Our only way to encounter the ancient world is in fragments through archaeological finds and historical accounts. We seek to decipher the visual language of past cultures, to understand their conscious and unconscious messages, and to provide visitors with insights into this fascinating era in an engaging and vivid manner,” says Georg Plattner, Director of the KHM’s Collection of Greek and Roman Antiquities on behalf of the team of curators.

Power and intrigue among global players

In the late first century BCE, the eastern Mediterranean was defined by profound political upheaval. Against the backdrop of the most important cities in the ancient world, we discover a story of a power struggle for supremacy in the Mediterranean region.

Cleopatra ascended the throne at the age of eighteen together with her ten-year-old co-regent and brother Ptolemy XIII. She turned out to be a brilliant strategist, trying to protect Egypt from the rising Roman Empire by forging alliances with the Roman rulers. With the support of Julius Caesar, Cleopatra defeated her sister and rival Arsinoë in the Alexandrian War (48–47 BCE). Caesar was the father of her son and her hope for founding her own dynasty. When he was assassinated 44 BCE, she allied herself with Marc Antony.

In 31 BCE, Cleopatra and her ally and lover were defeated by their opponent Octavian at the Battle of Actium. Both subsequently committed suicide, marking the end of Ptolemaic rule over Egypt and the transition to the Roman Empire under Augustus – a turning point in world history.

The exhibition revisits this turbulent period and poses questions still valid today: Where do political power and cultural identity come from? How do images shape rulership and history? And what happens when different cultures, religions, and traditions come into contact?

The Mediterranean region takes centre stage as an already highly interconnected cultural area in antiquity. Introducing the most important cities of the rulers at the time, the exhibition examines the expression of power in art, architecture, religion, and literature. We learn how closely the countries of the ancient world were connected and how profoundly their cultures influenced one another.

“Our cultural heritage is not bound by today’s borders. People, cities, and cultures were already closely connected in antiquity, exchanging and shaping each other’s knowledge, ideas, and artistic traditions. Ancient cultures remind us that cultural diversity and exchange across borders are by no means modern accomplishments but have always been part of our shared history. It is one of the major tasks of European museum to make this shared heritage visible and to preserve it for future generations”, says Jonathan Fine, Director General of the KHM Museumsverband.

Exhibition highlights

Crime Scene Ephesus invites visitors to explore a wide variety of exceptional objects: around 100 sculptures, archaeological finds, mummy portraits, manuscripts, and magnificent cameos, ranking among the world’s most significant works of art in this field. In addition to the world-class collections of the Kunsthistorisches Museum, the objects comprise loans from, amongst others, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the British Museum in London, the Cleveland Museum of Art in Ohio, the Louvre in Paris, and the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin.

The exhibition highlights include the Gemma Augustea, a masterpiece of ancient stone carving of outstanding quality. It impressively demonstrates how art, religion, and political propaganda were intertwined under Augustus.

The portrait head of Cleopatra from Berlin is one of the few confirmed portraits of the famous queen. The Hellenistic royal headdress indicates her origins in the Macedonian Ptolemaic dynasty. The portrait head of Caesar in basanite is one of the most striking and lifelike portraits of the Roman ruler.

Reflecting the Greek culture held in high regard by the Romans, the bronze portrait head of Augustus from ancient Meroë in the north of present-day Sudan is yet another highlight of the exhibition.

More than 100 years of Austrian research in Ephesus

The Austrian Archaeological Institute has been conducting research in Ephesus since 1895. Over one hundred years ago, archaeologists discovered an octagonal funerary structure reminiscent of the Lighthouse of Alexandria, which may have been intended for a member of the Ptolemaic dynasty around Cleopatra.

The so-called “Octagon” and a skeleton preserved within remain a mystery to this day. We still do not know who was buried there. An audio drama, narrated by Lynsey Thurgar and Bronwynn Mertz-Penzinger, amongst others, guides visitors through the exhibition and attempts to shed light on the “Crime Scene Ephesus”.

EXHIBITION TOUR

Crime scene Ephesus: the Octagon and the murder of Arsinoë IV

The first gallery in the exhibition takes visitors to Ephesus. Here we learn more about the city’s role in the power dynamics between Egypt and Rome, and how closely it was connected to the political figures of the time. The focus is on the mysterious Octagon, a monumental funerary structure, and the story of Arsinoë IV, Cleopatra’s sister and rival. According to ancient sources, she was murdered in Ephesus on the queen’s own orders in 41 BCE.

Hotspot Alexandria: cultural and trade centre of the Ptolemies

The second gallery introduces us to Alexandria, the political, economic and cultural centre of the Mediterranean in the late Hellenistic period. The multicultural metropolis of the Ptolemies was famous for its magnificent works of art and luxury goods, the famous lighthouse – one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World – and the largest library in the world. Alexandria was a trade, science, and research hub, and serves as an excellent example of how well the ancient world was already connected.

Looking back and forth: Cleopatra’s ancestors, the Ptolemaic dynasty

The third gallery is dedicated to the reign of the Ptolemies, Cleopatra’s ancestors. The founding of Alexandria not only connected the Mediterranean region with Egypt but also forged a new identity for the royal house. The Macedonian-Greek kings ruled Egypt for around 300 years, blending Greek and Egyptian traditions to present themselves as legitimate rulers. Gallery 3 also highlights the increasing political and economic challenges of Cleopatra’s reign – and how Rome became a superior adversary.

Cleopatra’s allies, lovers, and adversaries: Caesar, Marc Antony, and Octavian
Gallery 4 directs the limelight on Cleopatra VII and her political struggle to preserve both her throne rule and her alliances with Julius Caesar and Marc Antony. The defeat at the Battle of Actium, the suicides of Cleopatra and Marc Antony, and the incorporation of Egypt into the Roman Empire heralded a new era: Rome becomes the new centre of the ancient world under Emperor Augustus.

All things Egyptian: A new trend in ancient Rome

The fifth gallery reveals the influence of Egypt on Roman society and culture after it became part of the Roman Empire. While Augustus exploited the conquest of Egypt for his political staging, Egyptian cults, iconography, and art enjoyed great popularity in Rome. Ranging from obelisks and statues of gods to Hadrian’s villa in Tivoli, the exhibition illustrates the fascinating development of “all things Egyptian” from a form of religious expression to a coveted cultural trend and decorative feature in the Roman Empire.