Researchers Discovered A Tunic That May Have Once Belonged To Alexander The Great While Exploring Ancient Royal Tombs In Greece
In 1977, an archaeologist named Manolis Andronikos uncovered four ancient tombs at Great Tumulus Hill in Vergina, Greece.
He believed the tombs belonged to Philip II, the father of Alexander the Great, and Alexander IV of Macedon, the son of Alexander the Great.
For a long time, experts have questioned whether the tombs actually belonged to this ancient royal family, but a series of excavations conducted throughout the years have yielded findings that support Andronikos’ theory.
Two of the tombs have remained well-preserved. In 2022, researchers were exploring Vergina’s Royal Tomb II when they discovered a number of artifacts that may have connections to Alexander the Great.
During the 4th century B.C.E., the famed ruler was the king of Macedonia. He led massive military campaigns across Europe and Asia.
He died suddenly in Babylon in 323 B.C.E. The location of his tomb has been a mystery ever since, cementing him as a figure of legend.
Now, the recent discoveries at the royal tombs in Vergina may provide some answers. A team of archaeologists led by Antonis Bartsiokas from Democritus University of Thrace stumbled upon the remains of cotton textiles inside Royal Tomb II.
The textiles were dyed in Tyrian purple, a pigment reserved for royalty. It contained rare minerals from Persia and was sometimes even more valuable than gold.
They were found in a coffin alongside the remains of a man, a golden oak wreath, a golden crown, and a scepter.
milosk50 – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only
The archaeologists used Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and gas chromatography to confirm that the textiles were made of cotton and dyed with Tyrian purple.
A white mineral from Persia called huntite was also discovered in the layers of the textiles. It was known for its gleaming radiance.
Additionally, the tomb featured frescoes depicting a man wearing a royal tunic thought to be Alexander the Great. The painting showed him in the midst of a battle between the Greeks and the Persians.
Initially, the tomb was believed to have belonged to Philip II, but now researchers hypothesize that Alexander the Great’s half-brother, Philip III Arrhidaeus, was buried there. He inherited some of Alexander the Great’s personal effects after the ruler died.
The researchers’ hypothesis was further strengthened after they found remnants of purple and white tunics inside the tomb. They were worn by Persian kings.
“The physical description exactly fits the description in the ancient sources of the sacred Persian mesoleucon sarapis, which belonged to Pharaoh and King Alexander the Great, and as such, it was the most precious object of antiquity,” wrote Bartsiokas.
The new findings have deepened the researchers’ understanding of ancient textile usage and burial customs among the elite, in addition to making experts rethink the long-held belief that Tomb II belonged to Philip II.
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