January 22, 2015

Archeologists Find Tomb From Era Of Alexander the Great





[From article]
Archaeologists unearthed bones from at least five people, including a woman aged over 60, a newborn baby, two men aged between 35 and 45 and another adult of indeterminate age.
The bones of one of the men bore cut marks which were likely to have come from a sword or a dagger, the Greek culture ministry said, adding a new twist to the occupants of the necropolis.
The fifth person, whose gender and age has not been identified so far, had been cremated.
Since the tomb was discovered at Amphipolis in northern Greece last year there has been intense speculation that it may have been built for Alexander the Great, or failing that one of his generals or his mother.
[. . .]
Alexander forged one of the largest empires the world had ever seen, a sprawling mosaic of territories that stretched from the Mediterranean to the Indus.
He is believed to have died in 323 BC, at the age of 32, after an all-night drinking bout in Babylonia, with his body then transported to Alexandria, a city that he founded, for burial.
After his death, his generals fought over control of the empire he had established.
During those wars, Alexander’s mother, widow, son and half-brother were all murdered - most of them near Amphipolis.
Inside the huge tomb – the largest ever to have been found in Greece - archaeologists have found two marble statues of sphinxes and a beautiful mosaic pavement which depicts the abduction of Persephone, the daughter of Zeus, by Hades, king of the underworld.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/greece/11355324/Mystery-of-Greeces-Alexander-the-Great-era-tomb-deepens-with-body-discoveries.html

Mystery of Greece's Alexander the Great-era tomb deepens with body discoveries
Remains of five people found in vast, ancient tomb dating back to Alexander's era, around 300-325 BC
By Nick Squires
5:21PM GMT 19 Jan 2015

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