Sunday, October 17, 2021

Tomb of Alexander the Great


The whereabouts of Alexander's body is a mystery. It has not been found in Alexandria were it was supposed to be. There have been over 140 officially recognized search attempts.
Alexander's campaign and empire went from Macedonia and Greece through Asia Minor / Turkey, Syria-Palestine, Egypt, Mesopotamia/Iraq, Persia/Iran, Bactria/Afghanistan, Transoxania/Turkmenistan, India/Pakistan.
Alexander died in Babylon. He did not want to be buried in Aegae, Macedonia with his father. He wanted to be buried in Siwa (Ammonium) near the border of Egypt & Libya. "The possession of his body became a subject of negotiations between Perdiccas, Ptolemy I Soter, and Seleucus I Nicator." Plutarch said Python of Catana and Seleucus I Nicator were sent to consulted a/the Serapeum regarding whether Alexander's body should be buried in Alexandria, and it answered in the affirmative. "In 321 BC, on its way back to Macedonia, the funerary cart with Alexander's body was hijacked in Syria by one of Alexander's generals, Ptolemy I Soter." Ptolemy I Soter diverted Alexander's body to Egypt where it was interred at Memphis. (Alexander's empire was split up into about four main divisions, one of them was roughly Egypt under the Ptolemies, and another was roughly Syria and Mesopotamia and Iran under the Seleucids.) Later his body was transferred to Alexandria in late 4th or early 3rd cent bc, or in 280 or 274 bc by Ptolemy II Philadelphus. Ptolemy IV Philopator moved the body to the Soma/Sema Mausoleum in the center of Alexandria. The body was in a fitted hammered-gold coffin but later it was changed to a glass or crystal one. So Alexander's body can not be too far from Alexandria.
I considered many areas where Alexander might be buried but I decided that he must be near the Alexandria area. It is unlikely he was taken out of the Ptolemaic Egyptian kingdom area, and unlikely he was moved far from his last known resting place in Alexandria. In looking in and around the Alexandria and environs area it looked like the most likely place was the Pharos. But on further research I found that Taposiris Magna actually looks like the correct location as it has a number of stark matches evidences (see below). These stark matches made me think/feel pretty sure I have found Alexander's tomb/body location there (Taposiris/Abusir).

The tomb of Alexander is probably in/under/ontop of either
1 the temple or "pharos"/tower of Taposiris Magna (Borg el Arab / Abusir), or
2 the Pharos of Alexandria, or
3 the Serapeum, or
4 the Great Caesareum, or
5 Somouha/Smouha,
all of which are in/at/near Alexandria (north-east Egypt).
The 1st one (Taposiris / Borg el Arab / Abusir) seems to be more likely.

1. Evidences for the temple or tower/pharos of Taposiris Magna, Abusir, west/south Alexandria.

Alexander's tomb was in Alexandria.
Taposiris is in Abusir in west/south Alexandria.

"A well-preserved ancient tomb in the town of Abusir, 48 kilometres (30 mi) southwest of Alexandria, is thought to be a scaled-down model of the Alexandria Pharos. .... It dates to the reign of Ptolemy II (285–246 BC)...."
"Near the beach side of the area, there are the remains of a tower built by Ptolemy II Philadelphus (between 280-270)."
Alexander's body was transferred to Alexandria in late 4th or early 3rd cent bc, or in the 280 or 274 bc by Ptolemy II Philadelphus.

The Magna in the name 'Taposiris Magna' means "Great", like the "Great" in "Alexander the Great".

Taposiris means "great tomb of Osiris", and it "is also believed to be the last resting place of Cleopatra", and there is a "necropolis" there, and the Pharos/Tower of Taposiris/Abusir "probably ... was only a funerary monument".
"A well-preserved ancient tomb in the town of Abusir, ..., is thought to be a scaled-down model of the Alexandria Pharos."
So the temple or the pharos/tower of Taposiris/Abusir could be the site of the tomb of Alexander?

The Taposiris temple was constructed by Ptolemy IV Philopator.
Ptolemy IV Philopator was the one to move Alexander's body to the Soma.  

"Calisthenis states that Alexander the Great visited the city (Taposiris/Abusir) on his way to Siwa Oasis (Ammonium)", and we know that Alexander originally wanted to be buried at Siwa.

There are both public and private buildings in the Taposiris area, which might match the Soma "communal" mausoleum of Alexander's tomb?

The Taposiris temple was later used as a Christian church, and some say Alexander's tomb was in a crypt under a church.

Taposiris is in Abusir, west/south Alexandria. There is another Abusir nearby Memphis where Alexander had temporarily been interred before being shifted to Alexandria. (Abusir is not to be confused with Abukir.)

"Early investigations... show that the mummies were buried with their faces turned towards the temple (Taposiris), which means it is likely the temple contained the burial of a significant royal personality", "The discovery of this cemetery (Taposiris) indicates that an important person, likely of royal status, could be buried inside the temple."

Two of the Taposiris mummies are gilded, and they discovered tombs with golden-tongues dating to Greek and Roman periods, and they unearthed golf leaf amulets in the form of tongues placed for the speaking of Osiris in the afterlife, and they found gilded decorations.
Alexander was supposed to be in a coffin of hammered gold, and Cleopatra took gold from his tomb.

In the temple (Taposiris) was "discovered coins depicting the face of Alexander the Great".

"They have found a number of deep shafts inside the temple (Taposiris), three of which seem to have been used for burials."

One of the Taposiris mummies was wearing a crown, decorated with horns, and the cobra snake at the forehead.
Alexander is called Dhul Qarnain "one/two horned" in Arab/Muslim sources, and Alexander "sprang from Zeus/Jupiter/Ammon in the form of a serpent".

Taposiris' name relates to Osiris.
Plutarch says they sought the oracle of the Serapeum about Alexander's burial, and Serapis is supposed to be a combimation of Osiris/Asar & Apis/Hapi.

"The finds from Taposiris reflect a charm that could have captured the hearts of Julius Caesar".
Julius Caesar is supposed to have visited Alexander's tomb.

Taposiris is supposed to be connected with Cleopatra and Mark Antony.
Alexander's tomb is connected with St Mark's in Venice. Cleopatra visited Alexander's tomb, and she supposedly took gold from Alexander's tomb.
(Plutarch is also linked with both Alexander's tomb and Taposiris.)

Taposiris was a "city", and "there must have been a town here (Taposiris) in the Hellenistic period", and Taposiris was a centre for a religious festival,
which might match Alexander's tomb was "in the centre of Alexandria"?

2. Evidences for the Pharos of Alexandria.

The Pharos as a great lighthouse momument and wonder of the world is a suitable memorial of Alexander.

"The lighthouse (Pharos) was constructed in the third century BC. After Alexander the Great died, the first Ptolemy (Ptolemy I Soter) declared himself king in 305 BC, and commissioned its construction shortly thereafter. The building was finished during the reign of his son, Ptolemy II Philadelphus, and took twelve years to complete...."
So the Pharos was built not long after Alexander's death. (Alexander's body was temporarily interred at Memphis in ca 321, and was transferred to Alexandria in late 4th or early 3rd cent bc, or in the 280 or 274 bc by Ptolemy II Philadelphus, though it was supposedly placed in a communal mausoleum (the Soma/Sema) by Ptolemy IV Philopator 221-204.)

Alexander promoted that he was son of Zeus Ammon.
The Pharos had a statue of Zeus on the top. "Al-Masudi wrote in the 10th century that the seaward-facing side featured an inscription dedicated to Zeus."

The Pharos was partly ruined by 1326, which date minus 1000 and switched from ad to bc is almost exactly 1000 yrs after Alexander's death in 323 bc. The 1303 earthquake date is also similar.

St Mark's in Venice is associated with Alexander's tomb.
The Pharos is associated with St Mark.

Alexander's tomb was supposed to be a mosque and to have a pyramidical roof.
The Pharos is sort of pyramidical, and supposedly had a "mosque" on top of it, and "The design of minarets in many early Egyptian Islamic mosques followed a three-stage design similar to that of the Pharos".

"A well-preserved ancient tomb in the town of Abusir, 48 kilometres (30 mi) southwest of Alexandria, is thought to be a scaled-down model of the Alexandria Pharos. .... It dates to the reign of Ptolemy II (285–246 BC), and is therefore likely to have been built at about the same time as the Alexandria Pharos."
So the Pharos of Alexandria could be associated with a tomb like the Abusir model is?

"Strabo specifically located the tomb as adjacent to the palaces (all references to the "center of the city" become dubious therein since recent marine archaeology is now indicating that the palaces were located in what is the present-day harbor of Alexandria!"
So this sounds like it might be near the Pharos?

3. Evidences for the Serapeum (Alexandria) :

Plutarch said they consulted the oracle at the Serapeum regarding whether Alexander's body should be buried in Alexandria.

Alexander's body was temporarily at Memphis before being transfered to Alexandria.
Serapis is also connected with Sakkarah/Memphis.

Serapis is connected with healing and with a sarcophagus under Sakkarah.

4. Evidences for the Great Caesareum (Alexandria) :

Alexander's tomb was in Alexandria. The Great Caesareum is in Alexandria.
Caesar and Alexander are similar.
Great Caesareum and Alexander the Great both have "great" in them.

5. Evidences for Somouha/Smouha (Alexandria) :

The name Somouha/Smouha (in Alexandria) is similar to Soma/Sema (the name of Alexander's mausoleum/tomb in Alexandria)?

Alexander's tomb is supposed to be in a later mosque, and to have a pyramidical roof.
There is/are one or two Muslim mosques in Somouha/Smouha

Unless of course the Romans removed his coffin to Rome. Emperor Trajan identified himself with Alexander, and in the match of the popes list with the emperors liet Pope Alexander 1 matches Trajan. Vespasian was also in Egypt.

Previously I thought Amphipolis/Kasta tomb in Macedonia/Greece might be his tomb ( http://atlantisonline.smfforfree2.com/index.php/topic,34548.0.html ), but that looks unlikely now.
An older post on Alexander's tomb is here
http://www.allempires.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=23327&PID=723777

Some suppose that the body in St Mark's in Venice is Alexander. But this body is more likely Mark Antony.

As to the "tomb of Alexander in Ecbatana (Media)" I don't think this can be Alexander's tomb since he died in Babylon some distance southwest and was taken towards Macedonia and ended up in Egypt.

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