A scientist claims that the ancient tunic belonged to Alexander the Great

Researchers believe they have found a tunic that once belonged to him Alexander the Great among the artifacts from the royal tombs of Vergina, Greece, which has led to debates in the archaeological field.

The discovery, led by Antonis Bartsiokas of the Democritus University of Thrace in Greece, could provide a rare tangible link to the legendary Macedonian king. Clothing, described in Journal of Field Archaeologyit consists of a cotton textile material dyed purple with layers of whitish huntite mineral and is known as mesoleucon sarapis.

“In archaeology, it’s very rare to have the find itself, its ancient description and its image,” Bartsiokas said. Newsweek. — Here, we have all three, and the identification of Alexander’s serapis is conclusive.

Several features indicate the royal significance of the tunic. Cotton, a material foreign to ancient Greece, was imported from Persia, and purple dye was reserved for the use of the elite.

The garment was discovered in Tomb II alongside a gold scepter, oak crown and diadem of Persian origin and close to depictions of Persian gazelles in the tomb frieze. The researchers used advanced techniques, including gas chromatography and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, to determine what the tunic was made of.

The research team also made bold claims about the tomb’s occupants. Using various testing techniques and historical references, they suggest that Tomb I contains the remains of Philip II, Alexander’s father; Tomb II holds Philip III, Alexander’s half-brother; and Tomb III contains Alexander IV, Alexander’s teenage son.

Discovered in 1977 near the town of Vergina, the royal tombs are part of an ancient city complex that once served as the capital of Macedonia, one of the most ambitious and expansionist kingdoms of antiquity. The discovery was led by Manolis Andronicos, who died in 1992, claiming the tomb belonged to Philip II, Alexander’s father.

However, the findings are debated in the archaeological community. Stella Drougou, professor emeritus at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and former lead excavator at the site, dismissed the claims as “baseless” and contradictory to previous excavation data, according to Greece. newspaper ProtoTheme.

Addressing the controversy surrounding the finds, Bartsiokas said: “The archaeologists responsible are not biological anthropologists, and the skeletal remains are what the identification of the graves is based on. So physical anthropology is not something they can fully understand.”

He added: “Another main problem they have is that they don’t publish in peer-reviewed journals, so their work is not reliable, whereas all my work on Vergina is in peer-reviewed journals. Their reputations are also at stake.”

James Romm, professor of classics at Bard College and author of Ghost on the Throne: The Death of Alexander the Great and the Bloody Struggle for His Empire, provided a more nuanced view. While suggesting that Bartsiokas’ theories might be legitimate, he said The New York Times that resistance comes from a “combination of reverence for Philip II and reverence for Andronicus”.

However, Romm cautions that some aspects of Bartsiokas’ interpretation, particularly regarding the tomb frieze, are “harder to defend”.

The presence of Alexander’s tunic in his half-brother’s tomb remains unexplained, although researchers speculate that it may have something to do with Philip III’s succession after Alexander’s death.

The location of Alexander the Great’s final resting place remains unknown.

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Reference

Bartsiokas, A. (nd). Identification of the sacred “Chiton” (Sarapis) of Pharaoh Alexander the Great in Tomb II at Vergina, Macedonia, Greece. Journal of Field Archaeology, 0(0), 1–13.