Questions about Alexander's tomb

[agesilaos]

That would seem to fit the case nicely; it is not infrequent for reknowned classicists to err; it's not that their translations are wrong per se although that does happen, all the translations of Arrian are marred by an insistence upon a bogus precision of terminology, rather it is that Greek can frequently bear more than one interpretation and they have seventeen books to worry about translating not just the one sentence which interests us

Agreed on the Sema/Soma too; Zeus! With all this agreement this post is bound to be flagged as inappropriate

[marcus]

Agreed on the Sema/Soma too; Zeus! With all this agreement this post is bound to be flagged as inappropriate

Yeah! Watch it, sunshine. We can always have you banned from the site ...

[egrgr]

Dear Andrew,

thanks for your earlier answers. I am trying to read some of the sources to get a better understanding of your replies to me to my questions (eg. was Strabo or other authors equally brief also when describing other magnificent buildings/monuments of Alexandria or other cities?). I may come up with some updated questions later.

Just one brief question: on the process of my internet searches I found this:

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/tex ... light=soma

Proceeding westward, we come to the public granaries (Caesar, B. Civ. 3.112) and the Mausoleum of the Ptolemies, which, from its containing the body of Alexander the Great, was denominated Soma (Σῶμα, or Σῆμα, Strab. p. 794). The remains of the Macedonian hero were originally inclosed in a coffin of gold, which, about B.C. 118, was stolen by Ptolemy Soter II., and replaced by one of glass, in which the corpse was viewed by Augustus in B.C. 30. (Sueton. Octav. 18.) A building to which tradition assigns the name of the “Tomb of Alexander” is found among the ruins of the old city, but its site does not correspond with that of the Soma. It is much reverenced by the Moslems. In form it resembles an ordinary sheikh's tomb, and it stands to the west of the road leading from the Frank Quarter to the Pompey's--Pillar Gate. In the Soma were also deposited the remains of M. Antonius, the only alien admitted into the Mausoleum (Plut. Ant. 82).

I never read anywhere else that M. Antonius was also buried within the Soma. Is this true?

[Taphoi]

I never read anywhere else that M. Antonius was also buried within the Soma. Is this true?

No and yet possibly. Mark Antony was probably buried somewhere in Alexandria, but there is no literary evidence that his tomb lay within the Soma enclosure. In fact Plutarch implies that it might have been within Cleopatra's mausoleum, since she soon joined him. Furthermore he implies that this mausoleum was near the sea. A possible inference is that it was part of the complex of buildings constructed by Cleopatra VII (including the Caesareum) after Julius Caesar had accidentally razed a section of the city along the centre of the shoreline of the Great Harbour in firing Ptolemy's ships.

...but as for Antony, though many generals and kings asked for his body that they might give it burial, Caesar would not take it away from Cleopatra, and it was buried by her hands in sumptuous and royal fashion, such things being granted her for the purpose as she desired... It is said that the asp was brought with those figs and leaves... Moreover, not even was the reptile seen within the chamber, though people said they saw some traces of it near the sea, where the chamber looked out upon it with its windows... But Caesar, although vexed at the death of the woman, admired her lofty spirit; and he gave orders that her body should be buried with that of Antony in splendid and regal fashion.

Your 19th century source is conflating fragments of knowledge rather speculatively and effectively concluding that 2+2=5. I suppose he thinks that Strabo's statement that the Soma contained the tombs of the kings meant that Cleopatra was buried there and Antony too, since he was with her. But this need not follow.

Best wishes,

Andrew

[marcus]

I suppose he thinks that Strabo's statement that the Soma contained the tombs of the kings meant that Cleopatra was buried there and Antony too, since he was with her. But this need not follow.

I agree totally with Andrew - it's possible, but we cannot be certain.

Andrew, you know about the history of Alexandria much better than I do. Although it's not a particularly useful question to ask, do you think it more or less likely that Cleopatra built her mausoleum in the Soma, so that on the balance of probability she and Mark Antony were entombed there?

ATB

[Taphoi]

Andrew, you know about the history of Alexandria much better than I do. Although it's not a particularly useful question to ask, do you think it more or less likely that Cleopatra built her mausoleum in the Soma, so that on the balance of probability she and Mark Antony were entombed there?

The evidence is less good than for Alexander's tomb, but Plutarch's implication that Cleopatra's mausoleum had windows that looked out over the shoreline may be the best clue. If so, then a site close to the Caesareum at the western end of the Palace Quarter near the centre of the shore of the Great Harbour becomes very likely (I think there's another ref which suggests a location at the end of the Palace Gardens). This is because the area was vacant due to Caesar's conflagration. There are strong clues that Cleopatra began the construction (in the cleared patch) of the Caesareum, which was completed by Octavian as Augustus. Her mausoleum would be another part of the same complex. As you may know, something similar happened in Rome after its Great Fire with Nero's Domus Aurea. The Caesareum location is outside of the Soma enclosure that I have identified. The Soma was probably full by Cleopatra's era. Nevertheless, the Soma is probably the next most likely location. Actually, we are not even sure that Cleopatra was buried in her mausoleum - if not, then the Soma is relatively more likely.

Best wishes,

Andrew