pothos.org

Author:

Andrew Michael Chugg

Title:

The Lost Tomb of Alexander the Great

Release:

October 2004

Publisher:

Periplus (under Richmond Editions imprint)

Summary:

The disappearance and fate of the tomb of Alexander the Great in Alexandria is among the most momentous and tantalising of all the mysteries we have inherited from the ancient world. Generations of archaeologists and historians have succumbed to the allure of the quest; yet have failed significantly to elucidate the enigma. Now with the dawning of the 21st century new research is revealing hitherto unrecognised evidence and providing fresh insights, creating a frisson of renewed excitement in academic circles.

This new title combines a detailed chronological account of the history of the tomb with the first book version of the new revelations. It opens with Alexander’s untimely death in Babylon in 323BC, then follows the corpse on its journey to Alexandria in Egypt via Memphis, where it rested for several decades. A site is proposed for the Memphite tomb, based on connections between the Serapeum temple and a pharaonic sarcophagus found in Alexandria by Napoleon. The probable location and appearance of the subsequent tomb in Alexandria are specified and it is shown that an existing ancient wall fragment may have been part of its enclosure wall, whilst one of its gateways seems to appear in an eighteenth century engraving. Finally, an intriguing new possibility is explored regarding the whereabouts of Alexander’s mummified remains.

The author has been actively researching the history of Alexander’s tomb since 1998, including visits to Alexandria and Saqqara in Egypt. He has recently published academic articles on the subject in the classics journal Greece & Rome and in the American Journal of Ancient History. He has also written pieces on this theme for Minerva and History Today. He read Natural Sciences at Trinity College in the University of Cambridge, graduating with honours in 1985, and currently works as a Technical Expert for MBDA in Bristol.