A forcible anthropologist in Greece claims that a mysterious textile discovered in one of the iconic quaternary - century BCE Royal Tombs at Vergina is a tunic shard that belonged to none other than Alexander the Great .
Using multiple examination techniques and an analysis of historical description , Antonis Bartsiokasof the Democritus University of Thrace close that the fabric consists of textile remnants from a white and imperial tunic ( a type of cap or robe ) made of cotton . ground on historical source , he evoke this garment belong to the illustrious young conqueror . The artefact had antecedently been get in a golden jewel casket alongside a male systema skeletale and a favourable wreath in a chamber knight Tomb II .
Bartsiokas present his findings in a study publish in theJournal of Field Archaeologylast month , impart to a long - digest archeologic debate over both the artifacts discovered at the Royal Tombs at Vergina and the identity element of their occupants . It ’s an intriguing claim , but not everyone gibe with Bartsiokas ’s conclusions .
Royal tomb of Phillip II.© Ntinos Lagos/Getty Images
ArchaeologistManolis Andronikosdiscovered theRoyal Tombs at Verginain a modest town of the same name in northern Greece in the late 1970s . Four of the tombs were one by one key out Tombs I through IV , with Tombs I , II , and III presenting the most interest to archaeologist . When archaeologists found Tomb I , a belittled cist grave , it had already been looted , while Tombs II and III are large chambers that uncover a startling treasure trove of sepulture commodity . All three contained cadaverous remains .
The tomb at Vergina are located in proximity to the ancient land site of Aegae , the first capital of thekingdom of Macedonia . Philip II unified this kingdom , and his Logos , Alexander the Great , expanded it as far as India during the fourth one C BCE . Tombs I through IV became recognize as the Cluster of Philip II after archeologist suggested that they hold in Philip II ’s remains .
As for the burial of Alexander the Great himself , however , the location remain as mysterious as his end , though most would venture that it was ( or is ) somewhere in Alexandria , Egypt . Some scholars , however , suggest that part of the artifact from Tomb II nevertheless belonged to the renowned conqueror .
Bartsiokas clearly lies in that camp . He determined that the material was textile fabric using gas chromatography — a technique that vaporizes a sample to secern its chemical substance compounds — and Fourier - transform infrared spectroscopy , which uses infrared Christ Within to analyze a sample ’s chemical composition . He then summons verbal description from ancient sources , afriezein Tomb II ( a decorative horizontal panel of sculptures or artwork ) , and Alexander the Great ’s adoption of ancient Persian garments as evidence that the garment belonged to the vanquisher .
“ The forcible description [ of the adventitia ] exactly fits the verbal description in the ancient author of the sanctified Persian mesoleucon sarapis [ the garment ] which belong to Pharaoh and King Alexander the Great and as such it was the most precious aim in antiquity , ” he writes in the study . “ This sarapis is also depicted in the frieze of Tomb II on the sixth hunter , identified as Alexander . ”
In his study , Bartsiokas also demo grounds supporting the idea that Philip II was sink in Tomb I , Philip III Arrhidaeus in Tomb II , and Alexander IV in Tomb III , aligning his research with the new surmisal about the Royal Tombs at Vergina . He suggest that Alexander ’s “ paraphernalia ” was buried with Arrhidaeus because his blood brother inherited them after Alexander ’s death .
Bartsiokas ’ interpretation has triggered a heated up disputation in the archaeological community . Stella Drougou , an archaeologist at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki who led the Vergina excavation for a decade , told the Greek NewspaperProtoThemathat “ without considering excavation data ” these “ discussions are idle . ” On the other hand , James Romm , a classical scholar at Bard College , told theNew York Timesthat Bartsiokas ’ sketch could be legitimate . Romm go as far as to paint a picture that the pushback from the archaeological community might develop from an urge to protect the image of Andronicos .
For now , Bartsiokas ’ theory on the identity and ownership of the material is just that : a hypothesis . If it were bear witness true , however , it could overhaul the piece of work of one of Greece ’s most famous and revered archaeologist .
alexander the greatanthropologyArchaeology
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