Discovery of bones at Amphipolis fuels hopes

Archaeologists working at Ancient Amphipolis, in northern Greece, yesterday announced the discovery of skeletal remains at the site’s innermost chamber, reviving speculation about who is buried there.

Officials said the remains found at the site, which date to the era of Alexander the Great, belonged to “a powerful personality... a mortal who was worshipped by the society of the time.” The bones are to be examined for identification, the ministry said, with lead archaeologist Katerina Peristeri to reveal her findings on November 29. Peristeri said the remains probably belong to a “prominent Macedonian general” but would not be drawn on speculation that the deceased is Alexander himself, a prospect most archaeologists have ruled out. Other possible occupants of the tomb are Alexander’s wife Roxana, his mother Olympia, his friend Hephaestion or the general Cassander. The skeleton was found in pieces spread in and around a rectangular stone grave located 8 meters beneath the site’s innermost chamber, according to the ministry. The remains had been placed in a wooden coffin which had disintegrated, according to archaeologists who also found iron and bronze nails and decorations.

Meanwhile a dig at another Alexanderera burial site in Aigai, northern Greece, revealed an unlooted tomb with funeral offerings.