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Have no idea of the validity of these reports, although they are admittedly interesting, especially the mention of a "broken sarcophagus made of crystal glass". I'm normally such a cynic because throughout these past decades it seems like every man and his mother knows where Alexander's body is to be found. However, that glass sarcophagus does make me wonder ... ...
From the first website above:
A team of archaeologists and historians from the Polish Center of Archaeology have revealed a mausoleum made of marble and gold that might be the tomb of Alexander the Great. The site is situated in an area known as Kom el-Dikka in the heart of downtown Alexandria, only 60 meters away from the Mosque of Nebi Daniel.
The monument was apparently sealed off and hidden in the 3rd or 4th century AD, to protect it from the christian repression and destruction of pagan monuments after the change of the official religion within the Roman Empire. It is a testimony to the multicultural nature of Alexander’s empire, as it combines artistic and architectural influences from Greek, Egyptian, Macedonian and Persian cultures. The inscriptions are mainly in Greek but there are also a few Egyptian hieroglyphs, mentioning that the mausoleum is dedicated to the “King of Kings, and Conqueror of the World, Alexander III.” The finding is extremely important as it can provide new information about Alexander the Great.
The mausoleum contains a broken sarcophagus made of crystal glass, 37 bones, mostly heavily damaged, presumably all from the same adult male and some broken pottery dating from the Ptolemaic and Roman ages. A carbon-dating analysis and a series of other tests will determine the age of the bones and if they belong to the Macedonian emperor.
If I'm not the first to catch any updates I'd appreciate seeing posts from members. Of course, it's unlikely the rest of the world is anxiously awaiting further news, but we Pothosians would like to know!
I'd agree with Sikander there - if it was a new tomb, it would be plastered all over the place. If you read the comments on the original post, the picture is not the tomb that has been found, and the site was originally found in the 1960s. It looks like the Polish Centre are re-excavating the site, and maybe sending the bones for DNA analaysis.
A lady on Alexander's Army says the picture is of the Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa. She is due to visit Alexandria soon and is hoping to visit the site and give us some news.
Alexias wrote:A lady on Alexander's Army says the picture is of the Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa. She is due to visit Alexandria soon and is hoping to visit the site and give us some news.
I can confirm that it most definitely is of the catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa.
Here's my photo of the same place, taken in 2003.
Egypt_2003_061a (640x437) (2).jpg (47.58 KiB) Viewed 5993 times
