Alexander the Great's tomb found?
By: Marshall Ramsey II
VERGINA, Greece - One of archaeology's biggest mysteries may have been solved.
For many years, there has been dispute about the final resting place of Alexander III of Macedon, also known as Alexander the Great. Thanks to unintended help from construction workers, it may have been found.
Angeliki Kottaridis, Honorary Superintendent of Antiquities for "the Archaeological Project in Macedonia and Thrace", announced the discovery of a high status Macedonian tomb in the necropolis of Aegae. It was discovered by construction workers putting in a new sewage network.
The tomb dates to the 3rd century BC, after Alexander's reign. Inside were the remains of a man and woman, believed to be married.
Lying beside the man were a shield reinforced with iron parts and several weapons. Jewelry such as beads and necklaces were with the woman, along with a golden myrtle wreath.
The tomb itself measures 3.7 x 2.7 meters and is decorated inside with brick red paint on the bottom half of the tomb and white on the top half. It also contains a golden band around the inside of the tomb that contains at least three golden bows.
While this may be typical of the period and area (Vergina was known as the burial place for Macedonians of high social status), it is the bows, reminiscent of the famed Gordian knot, that first suggest it is the tomb of Alexander and one of his wives.
Many people who have read about Alexander know also the story of the Gordian knot. It was made by a man named Gordias, the last descendant of the royal family of Bryges. According to legend, Gordias, a poor farmer, was prophesied to be king of the Phrygians. The Phrygians of that time found themselves without a king. They consulted the oracle of Sabazios at Telmissus, who told them to make king the first man to ride up tot he temple in a cart. Unbeknownst to him, Gordias fulfilled this prophecy, becoming king of the Phrygians.
In memoriam of this event, Gordias placed his cart in the acropolis (military fort), tying its yoke with an intricate knot. It was then said that whoever could unravel it would be master of Asia (modern Anatolia). Alexander, knowing of this, sliced it in half. He then went on to become "master" over Asia, with his empire reaching as far as western India. It seems likely that the bows on the walls of the tomb are representations of the Gordian knot.
In addition to this, Alexander the Great was said to have been buried with his wife, Roxanne. While he was originally buried in Memphis, Lower Egypt (modern Mit Rahina, markaz Badrashin, Giza, Egypt), his body was moved from Memphis to Alexandria (modern Greater Cairo, Egypt). His tomb was then looted by Cleopatra and then Caligula. In 215 AD, Caracalla relocated some of the funerary items in his tomb. It is possible that Caracalla the items Caracalla took were, in addition to jewelry and possibly weapons, the bones of Alexander himself along with those of his wife, Roxanne. This is supported by Triantafyllos Papazois who, in 1993, developed the theory that in royal tomb II in Vergina it is Alexander and Roxanne lying there instead of Phillip II, Alexander's father.
While there is no conclusive evidence stating the bodies found in the tomb are those of Alexander and his wife, it does fit the available information, credibly.
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2024/03/high-status-macedonian-tomb-found-in-ancient-aegae/151264, accessed 04/01/2024
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomb_of_Alexander_the_Great, accessed 04/01/2024
https://www.archaeology.org/issues/95-1307/features/1089-alexander-the-great-macedon-alexandria-the-soma, accessed 04/01/2024
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordias, accessed 04/01/2024
https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1490/the-royal-macedonian-tombs-at-vergina/, accessed 04/01/2024
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memphis,_Egypt, accessed 04/04/2024
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