Two mummies discovered in Egypt could help solve the mystery of Cleopatra’s tomb.

The mummies of two high-status ancient Egyptians uncovered in a temple on the Nile Delta may bring researchers one step closer to discovering Cleopatra’s bones.

According to the Guardian, the corpses, which had lain undisturbed for 2,000 years, are in bad condition because water has gotten into the tomb.

However, they were previously covered in gold leaf, a luxury reserved for only the highest members of society’s elite, implying that they may have interacted with Cleopatra.

The male and female mummies could have been priests who aided in the reign of the renowned Egyptian queen and her lover, Mark Anthony.

At the location, 200 coins with Cleopatra’s name and visage were discovered, which would have been pressed according to Cleopatra’s exact directions. The location of Mark Antony and Cleopatra VII’s long-lost tomb from 30 BC is unclear, however, it is likely to be near the Egyptian city of Alexandria.

However, this research team believes that excavations at the ancient city of Taposiris Magna, which is marked by a temple that still survives today, may soon reveal the ancient couple’s last burial place. Despite the fact that researchers have been excavating the site since 2005, only a small portion of the huge area has been excavated.

The two mummies were discovered within a sealed tomb at Taposiris Magna, where excavations are currently underway to cover Cleopatra’s grave.

The temple is located near Alexandria, ancient Egypt’s capital and the site of Cleopatra’s suicide in 30 BC.

The mummies were discovered in the first intact tomb to be uncovered at Taposiris Magna, which will be the focus of a Channel 5 documentary airing this week.

‘Although now buried with dust from 2,000 years underground, these mummies would have been stunning at the time,’ said Dr Glenn Godenho, a senior lecturer in Egyptology at Liverpool University.

‘Being wrapped in a gold leaf indicates they were important members of society.’

One of the mummies was discovered sporting a scarab tattooed on a gold leaf, representing rebirth. However, the 200 coins depicting Cleopatra directly link the pharaoh ruler to Taposiris Magna, created in the third century BC.

The ‘prominent nose and double chin’ of the queen as pictured on the coins suggest she wasn’t as conventionally attractive as the actors that portrayed her on-screen, most memorably Elizabeth Taylor in the 1963 film ‘Cleopatra’.

According to Dr. Godenho, the tomb of Anthony and Cleopatra will be a “way grander affair” than this mummified couple.

‘While we don’t know what Ptolemaic monarchs’ graves looked like because none have been clearly located yet, it’s highly improbable that they’d be generic and indistinguishable from their citizens’ interment,’ he told MailOnline.

‘Add to that the fact that most people believe Cleopatra and Mark Antony’s tomb is closer to Alexandria than here at Taposiris Magna, and all the evidence points to these not being royal mummies at all.’

Archaeologists looking for Anthony and Cleopatra’s tomb (portrayed by Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor in the 1963 film) have narrowed in on a location in northern Egypt.

The dig at the Taposiris Magna temple is being led by Dr. Kathleen Martinez, a Dominican Republic professor. Dr Martinez and her colleagues are more sure than ever that Cleopatra’s tomb will be discovered thereafter working there for over 14 years.

In the Channel 5 program, which will air on Thursday, Dr Martinez is seen reacting to the opening of the freshly discovered mummies at Taposiris Magna.

‘Oh my god, there are two mummies…’ she exclaims after lifting the first limestone block. Look at this marvel!

Dr Linda Chapon, an osteoarchaeologist, is striving to preserve two mummies discovered within a sealed tomb at Taposiris Magna.

Experts say Cleopatra planned for herself and Anthony to be buried at Taposiris Magna to honor the ancient tale of Isis and Osiris.

From 51 BC to 30 BC, Cleopatra was Egypt’s last pharaoh and ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt. Dr. Martinez believes Cleopatra and her Roman lover, Mark Anthony, were buried at the spot 2,000 years ago in order to fulfill an old prophecy.

Cleopatra was recognized as a seductress as well as a compelling personality during her life, which spanned from 69 BC to 30 BC. She famously used her charms to first attract Julius Caesar in order to seal Egypt’s alliance with him and later to seduce Mark Anthony, one of his successors.

She worked hard to identify herself and Anthony with the stories of Isis and Osiris in order to cement themselves as rulers in the minds of the Egyptian people. According to legend, Osiris was murdered and chopped into pieces that were strewn over Egypt. Isis was able to resuscitate her spouse for a short time after discovering all of the pieces and reassembling him.

Dr. Glenn Godenho and Dr. Kathleen Martinez inside the Taposiris Magna temple in Egypt, near Alexandria.

The dig’s leader, Kathleen Martinez, believes the site was deeply tied with the myth of Isis and Osiris – a tale that Cleopatra frequently attempted to mimic during her lifetime.

Martinez believes Taposiris Magna was strongly related with the tale because the name means ‘tomb of Osiris’.

The word ‘Osiris’ could indicate that it was one of the locations where his body was spread in the myth. Dr. Martinez believes that when Mark Anthony murdered himself following his defeat to Octavian, but before her suicide, Cleopatra made extensive plans for them both to be buried there, echoing the tale.

Taposiris Magna’s temple. This Monday, Channel 5 will broadcast the uncovering of the first intact tomb discovered at Taposiris Magna.

The inside of the Taposiris Magna temple, where excavations are taking place. Between 280 and 270 B.C., the temple was built.

‘Cleopatra negotiated with Octavian to enable her to bury Mark Antony in Egypt,’ she previously told National Geographic.

‘She desired to be buried with him in order to reenact the mythology of Isis and Osiris.

‘The essential meaning of the Osiris religion is that it bestows immortality. The gods would allow Cleopatra to dwell with Antony in another form of existence after their deaths, so that they may have eternal life together.’

However, other analysts believe Cleopatra was swiftly buried in Alexandria, the city from where she controlled Egypt until her death, which was supposed to have been caused by snake poison.