Alexander the Great's Tomb Found in Greece?

This is more of an update concerning the Archaelogical discoveryand dig going on over in Greece right now. Archaeologists are combing thru a massive Tomb right now; a Tomb in ancient Amphipolis, about a hundred miles east of Thessalonic. So far they've found Sphinxes and two female statues. The buildings of this tomb are round which is something used for royal burials in antiquity so the fever is mounting in this area of the world if indeed this is Alexander the Great's tomb.

The structure that now holds much of Greece and Hellenists around the world in suspense stands at the site of ancient Amphipolis, about a hundred miles east of Thessalonica, on territory conquered by Alexander’s father Philip in the 4th century B.C. Amphipolis was a major Greek city and a stronghold of the vast Macedonian empire, but today the site is all but deserted. On grasslands where goatherds graze their flocks, under a hill called Kasta—now protected by a military cordon from throngs of onlookers—lies one of the most puzzling finds ever unearthed in the Aegean region.

Round in shape and vast in size, the building beneath the hill has been called a tomb for lack of a better label. Circular buildings, though rare in antiquity, were sometimes used for royal burials, but no other known tombs approach the scale of this one: 500 meters in circumference (half again larger than Stonehenge) and surrounded by a superbly built marble wall. Atop the center of the building’s roof once stood a crouching stone lion, long ago removed from the site but still intact—a sign that the tomb, if such it is, probably held a great soldier or ruler. The structure’s date, fixed by analysis of the lion and the stonework, seems to be the last quarter of the 4th century B.C., the decades just after Alexander’s death in 323.

He is supposed to be buried in Alexandria according to ancient legend; a city he built that is named after him. I wish I could be there to experience it as the tomb is being explored. Check it out, ATS

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a reply to: lostbook

I thought he died in Babylon?

I suppose his remains could have been taken back to Greece for burial but they didn't have refrigeration or formadahyde back then.

Perhaps the crypt will prove to be empty.

Ptolemy I actually hijacked Alexander's body as it was being sent to Macedonia for burial. He did this to solidify his claim to rule basically. I think that the evidence points to this having a good likelihood of being Alexander's tomb. There are not very many people it could belong to, as long as the dating methods used are relatively accurate. The further they progress in their analysis and uncovering of what is inside, the more likely it is that they can determine who it belongs to. I am fairly confident that they will be able to make this determination relatively quickly. Whoever is buried here was an important figure, and this find is one less historical mystery, no matter who it turns out to be.

A large number of lost works were supposed to have been buried with him so it will be interesting to watch this

s&f

a reply to: chr0naut

It is said he was buried in a casing of honey or wax as per the usual burial techniques at the time. So it might be preserved to some state

I was actually reading an article that his tomb was already found in Egypt but Egyptian and Greek governments have forbid the opening of the tomb. But I don't think he will be found in Greece regardless, there has to be a tomb built for him but I imagine it would have been used for someone else seeing as they didn't have the body.

I can't wait for them to do more research on this tomb though!

originally posted by: chr0naut
a reply to: lostbook

I thought he died in Babylon?

I suppose his remains could have been taken back to Greece for burial but they didn't have refrigeration or formadahyde back then.

Perhaps the crypt will prove to be empty.

You're right.

Back then they had absolutely no idea how to preserve a body after death.

a reply to: TheComte

Back then they had absolutely no idea how to preserve a body after death.

Have you forgotten about Egyptians mummies?

Post mortem preservation was an art brought to a high pitch of refinement long before the death of Alexander.

a reply to: lostbook

It isn't Alexander, it's Hercules.

originally posted by: Astyanax
a reply to: TheComte

Back then they had absolutely no idea how to preserve a body after death.

Have you forgotten about Egyptians mummies?

Post mortem preservation was an art brought to a high pitch of refinement long before the death of Alexander.

I'm afraid you have been sucked in by my sarcastic reply to Chr0naut.

originally posted by: TheComte

originally posted by: Astyanax

a reply to: TheComte

Back then they had absolutely no idea how to preserve a body after death.

Have you forgotten about Egyptians mummies?

Post mortem preservation was an art brought to a high pitch of refinement long before the death of Alexander.

I'm afraid you have been sucked in by my sarcastic reply to Chr0naut.

Those of us fluent in the language of sarcasm got it...and you beat me to it.

Here is a great site with some amazing pictures, seems they entered the third chamber

Hellenic Culture

a reply to: Sparta

Well gosh!

originally posted by: TheComte

originally posted by: chr0naut
a reply to: lostbook

I thought he died in Babylon?

I suppose his remains could have been taken back to Greece for burial but they didn't have refrigeration or formadahyde back then.

Perhaps the crypt will prove to be empty.

You're right.

Back then they had absolutely no idea how to preserve a body after death.

Point taken

a reply to: Sparta

Thx for the pictures.