A big question now is: Who was interred in the inner chamber? Peristeri and her colleagues have yet to break the seal over the entrance, so archaeologists can only make educated guesses. Most agree, however, that the tumulus is unlikely to hold the remains of Alexander the Great, the Macedonian king who defeated the Persian army, invaded Asia and Egypt, and created one of the ancient worlds largest empires. Historical texts agree that Alexander the Great died in Babylon in 323 B.C., possibly of an infectious disease such as malaria or typhoid fever. Mourners then reportedly preserved the kings body in honey and placed it on a funerary cart destined, according to some accounts, for his home in Macedonia, now northern Greece. But along the way, says Worthington, one of Alexanders favorite generals, Ptolemy, kidnapped the corpse and buried it somewhere in Egypt. So I will bet you ten dollars that Alexander the Great is not in the tomb of Amphipolis. Instead, the smart money among archaeologists is on a member of the kings immediate family—perhaps his mother, Olympias; his wife, Roxana; or his young son, also named Alexander. After the kings death, his generals divided up his empire. One of them, Cassander, executed all three of the kings next of kin in order to secure his own reign over Macedonia. But it is very possible that Alexanders well-heeled followers constructed an opulent funerary mound at Amphipolis for at least one of their own. It is an enormous tomb, and one assumes that it was built for some prestigious and wealthy person, says archaeologist Hector Williams at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. If the tomb proves to be unlooted, and the clues to the original owners identity remain intact, some history buffs may soon be able to collect on their bets.
Posted on: Fri, 12 Sep 2014 06:57:47 +0000