In what could prove to be one of the great archaeological finds of all time, a Greek archaeologist believes she may have found the tomb of Alexander the Great in Siwa oasis.
Locating the tomb of Alexander the Great, the Macedonian conqueror, has been the elusive dream of many an archaeologist.
More than 100 separate searches have been carried out over the past century and all have proved futile. Early 1995, Greek archaeologist Liana Sovaltzi found what she believes is unquestionable proof that Alexander was buried near Siwa oasis in Egypt’s Western Desert. Yet many experts remain unconvinced.
He loved Siwa
Alexander maintained a sentimental affinity with Siwa after he consulted the sacred oracle of the God Amun, who reputedly promised him vast conquests. But the widespread belief, backed by texts of ancient Greek historians, is that Alexander was buried in Alexandria, the city which he founded some 2,300 years ago and which bears his name.
Alexandria wrested control of Egypt from the Persians in 332 BC, and then proceeded to the ancient capital Memphis, where he presented offerings to the sacred bull god, Apis, and was crowned pharaoh. He then turned downstream, following the Canopic branch of the Nile, until he reached the Mediterranean coast where he founded Alexandria near a village called Rhacotis.
After visiting Siwa oasis where he received assurance from the oracle that he was Amun’s son, and legal heir to the Pharaohs, he returned to Memphis.
Leaving behind a small army in Egypt, Alexander led his troops against the Persians whom he conquered, thereby he extended his empire as far as Lahore in Pakistan. When he returned to Babylon, he fell seriously ill and died in June 323 BC at the young age of 33. His body was brought back to Egypt for burial, but the exact location of this tomb remained a mystery.
Four-years efforts paying
After digging for four years, archaeologist Sovaltzi came across three limestone tablets in a Graeco-Roman tomb in the El-Maraqi area, at a 25 km distance from Siwa. They indicated that Alexander’s tomb lay in the vicinity.
The Chairman of Supreme Council for Antiquities(SCA) immediately visited the site and agreed that the Greek inscriptions on the tablets indicate that Alexander’s body was brought to the area. One of the tablets praises a great man described as "the first and the most unique of all, he who drunk the poison."
Sovaltzi described the tomb as having a 6.5 metre-long entrance, slightly sloping and guarded outside by two limestone lions, which indicate the importance of its owner. A third lion, said to have no peer in Greek, Roman or Ancient Egyptian monuments, was latter discovered.
A side-chamber, located beyond the entrance, has not been opened and a Graeco-style vault, believed to have been used for storage purposes may lie underneath. Some compartments for the accommodation of visitors, a feature of Graeco-Roman tombs, were unearthed, also indicating the importance of the man buried inside. According to Sovaltzi, the resemblance between the architectural style of the tomb and that of Alexander’s father, Philip, in Macedonia, is striking. But the Siwan tomb, some 51 metres long, is even larger.
Further indications
More proof came to light when Sovaltzi unearthed a stone inscribed with Alexander’s emblem, a star with eight rays.
The archaeologist suggested that El-Maraqi, the name of the area, is derived from the Greek work Meirakion, which has two meanings: a young man who lost his life early and a slave.
Here it could mean a man who is already in the hands of god or his slave. After his death, Alexander became the slave of the god Amun.
The Chairman of Supreme Council for Antiquities(SCA) said "size of the tomb as well as some of the architectural elements all suggest that this tomb was indeed the burial ground of a great man", but whether this was Alexander remains in question.
Despite Sovaltzi’s claim, other scholars remain convinced that Alexander was buried in Alexandria. Michael Jones, field director of the German archaeological mission restoring the temple of Amun, is one of them. "Alexandria is the place to look for the tomb."
There is not yet enough evidence to suggest that a search should be conducted in Siwa," he said. Jones believes that although Alexander might have expressed a wish to be buried in Siwa, he was undoubtedly buried in Alexandria, "the city which bears his name."
Other scholars point out that ancient Greek texts made it clear that Alexander was buried in Alexandria. "He had a close relationship with Siwa, because he received his prophecies of victory at the Amun Temple there, but this doesn’t necessarily mean he was buried there," said professor Ahmed Etman, head of Graeco-Roman studies at Cairo University. "All Greek sources we have agree on the fact that his body was transferred from Babylon to Alexandria.
"There are even some texts from eyewitness," he said. Dr. Etman believes the tomb in Siwa might belong to a great leader or an important Ptolemic figure, but not Alexander the Great.
As the controversy continues, digging will continue in the hope of casting light on the puzzle.
If not, then who is there?!
A Greek archaeological team announced in Athens, following their return from a trip to Siwa oasis, that they saw no evidence proving that the tomb of Alexander the Great had been found in that part of Egypt’s western desert.
Sources at the Greek Embassy in Cairo said that it was "too early to come to conclusions whether or not the tomb belongs to the Macedonian conqueror."
Some of the inscriptions on the plaques, said to have been composed by Ptolemy, seem to support Sovaltzi’s claim. "I present these sacrifices, according to the orders of the god, and carry the corpse here - and it was light as a small shield - when I was commander of Egypt," the inscriptions read. "It was I who was caring about his secrets and who was carrying out his wishes. I was honest to him and to all people and as I am the last one still alive, I state that I have done all the above for his sake."
"We need to form a committee of professors of Graeco-Roman studies to decode those texts. We have to make sure of the accuracy of the translation," Head of Supreme Council of Antiquities, said.
Have you got
"Alexander the Great" or not?!
Great Conqueror