A new tomb may be the burial place of Alexander the Great
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Archaeologists in Greece have discovered an immense tomb that they believe may be connected with Alexander the Great, whose conquests stretched from Greece to India.
Highlights
Catholic Online (https://www.catholic.org)
8/13/2014 (9 years ago)
Published in Europe
Keywords: Greece, International, History
LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - This tomb, which dates to around 300 BC, may have held the body of one of Alexander's generals or a member of his family. It was discovered beneath a massive burial mound near the site of the ancient city of Amhibolis in northern Greece, 65 miles northeast of Greece's second-biggest city, Thessaloniki.
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A five-yard wide road led up to the tomb, and the entrance was flanked by two carved sphinxes, and it was encircled by a 500 yard long outer wall of marble. Experts believe that a 16-foot-tall lion sculpture that had been previously discovered once stood on top of the tomb.
This ruled out the possibility that the tomb could be that of Alexander, as the conqueror is believed to have been buried in Egypt after he died in Babylon in 323 BC.
The tomb has white marble decorations and frescoed walls, and was partially destroyed during the Roman occupation of Greece, hundreds of years after Alexander died.
Amphipolis was founded as an Athenian colony in 437 BC, but was conquered by Philip II of Macedon, Alexander's father, in 357 BC.
"It is certain that we stand before an especially significant finding. The land of Macedonia continues to move and surprise us, revealing its unique treasures, which combine to form the unique mosaic of Greek history, of which all Greeks are very proud," said the Greek prime minister Antonis Samaras.
Archaeologists have been excavating the site since 2012 hope to be able to fully explore the tomb by the end of August to determine exactly who has been buried there.
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