Does Egypt tomb hold Alexander the Great?
Egyptian tomb discovery gives archeologists hope they will unearth remains of Alexander the Great
Egyptologists hunting the remains of Alexander the Great are days from opening a granite sarcophagus found buried under the modern city of Alexandria. There are few clues as to the occupant’s identity, but experts say he must have been noble or wealthy for its stone to have been transported from 600 miles away. However, Mostafa Waziri, of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, cautioned that it could be “too small for a king”.
EGYPTOLOGISTS are preparing to open a huge black sarcophagus unearthed in Alexandria, where Alexander the Great himself may be buried. The 10ft-long by 6.5ft-high sarcophagus was discovered in a long-concealed buried tomb during a survey of a plot of land for a building construction.
An alabaster bust, its features eroded over time, was found in the tomb.
While the tomb likely belonged to a nobleman, not a king, its discovery gave hope to experts who believe that the tomb of Alexander might one day be found in modern Alexandria, built on top of the ancient city he founded.
The Egyptian antiquities ministry said the sarcophagus had remained sealed for more than 2,000 years, with an undisturbed layer of mortar between the lid and the body of the massive stone coffin.
There are few clues about the identity of the person inside. The bust is worn beyond recognition and the sarcophagus has no writings on it.
Scientists believe, however, that it belonged to a noble or wealthy man of the Ptolemaic period, between 323BC and 30BC, when Rome seized Egypt following the death of Cleopatra. The tomb “should belong to someone important, it is a granite sarcophagus”, said Zahi Hawass, a former antiquities minister and leading Egyptologist. “For someone to bring granite from Aswan [600 miles south] means he would have had to have been rich.”
The archaeologists would open the sarcophagus on-site, Mostafa Waziri, the secretary general of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, told The Daily Telegraph.
“Within days, when the debris is raised, we will open it. We will lift the lid,” he said. “But the tomb is too small for it to be for a king like Alexander.” Mr Waziri added: “We’ve opened several such sarcophagi, some bigger than this. One was a Roman noble, another was a priest. It could be empty, we don’t know.”
It provoked debates on social media with some suggesting, half in jest, that the tomb be left alone.
“If the movies have taught me anything, guys, don’t open that. Just don’t. Leave it alone,” wrote Catherynne Valente, an American novelist, on Twitter.