Bones from a skeleton found in the innermost chamber of a huge, looted tomb in Greece could help archeologists solve the riddle of who was buried there in opulent splendor, during the twilight of Alexander the Great’s reign in the late 4th century BC.
The Greek Ministry of Culture said in a statement on Wednesday that the bones were strewn in and around a rectangular stone-lined cist, under the floor of the cavernous, vaulted 8m-tall structure.
The skeleton had initially been placed in a wooden coffin that rotted away, leaving behind the nails that held it together and some carved ivory and glass ornaments.
In an excavation over the past three months near the ancient city of Amphipolis, 600km north of Athens, Greek archeologists have uncovered a three-chamber tomb decorated with marble statues of sphinxes and young women, as well as a large mosaic pavement.
“It is an extremely expensive construction, whose cost, clearly, is unlikely to have been borne by a private citizen,” the ministry said.
The statement confirmed what archeologists had suspected from the outset — and officials for a long time denied — that the tomb had been thoroughly and repeatedly plundered during antiquity.
Excavator Katerina Peristeri said the occupant was probably some “outstanding personality, a great general” who later enjoyed hero worship.
The mystery has gripped the country for months.
University of Thessaloniki archeology professor Michalis Tiverios said the remains should provide valuable information on the occupant of the tomb, which at about 15m long and 4.5m wide is one of the biggest ever found in Greece.
“It’s a very important find because it will help us learn the sex of the person buried there and possibly their approximate age,” he said.
Tiverios, who is not linked with the excavation, said one possible candidate would be Nearchos, one of Alexander’s closest aides who grew up in Amphipolis.
After Alexander, who built an empire from modern-day Greece to India, died in Babylon in 323 BC, his generals fought over control of the empire for years. In the ensuing wars, Alexander’s mother, widow, son and half-brother were all murdered — most near Amphipolis.
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