<![CDATA[Archaeologists have uncovered a humongous ancient tomb that is believed to have direct connections with Alexander the Great, the great king who conquered vast expanses of the ancient world right from Greece all the way to India. The tomb has been found underneath a huge burial mound close to the ancient Amphipolis in Northern Greece, the region where Alexander had started forging his empire from. Amphipolis was founded as an Athenian colony in the year 437BC, but it had been conquered in the year 357BC by Philip II of Macedon, the father of Alexander the Great. This ancient tomb is believed to date back to 300BC and it might have held the bodies of one of the members of Alexander’s family or one of his generals. The tomb is also believed to be the largest tomb to have ever been discovered in Greece. There is a broad road that leads up to the entrance of the tomb, which is flanked by carved sphinxes. The tomb was encircled by a 500 yard marble outer wall. Experts also believe that a 16ft tall lion sculpture that had previously been discovered close by had once stood on top of this very tomb. The tomb itself consists of splendid white marble decorations as well as frescoed walls. Unfortunately, parts of the architecture were destroyed when the Romans occupied Greece. The possibility of the tomb belonging to Alexander the Great himself has been ruled out as he is believed to have died from a fever in Babylon in the year 323 BC. Archaeologists had first begun to excavate the site in the year 2013 and they hope to explore the tomb in totality by the end of August in order to determine the identity of the person buried there. Alexander had single-handedly managed to change the history of the ancient world with the pace and power of his conquests. He had been educated by the famous philosopher Aristotle and his armies had tasted major victories over the Persian Empire, Syria, Egypt and Asia Minor to establish an empire that stretched all the way from Danube to India. According to Catherine Peristeri, the head of the ancient monuments department in Northern Greece, a number of Alexander’s admirals and generals were known to have ties to the area close to Amphipolis. It is also the site where his wife and child were killed by Cassander, the Macedonian general who fought for the empire after Alexander’s death, in the year 311BC. Antonis Samaras, the prime minister of Greece, has termed the discovery made by archaeologists as “extremely significant” to the history of the nation. Mr. Samaras also mentioned that Macedonia continues to surprise us even today, and it still has countless treasures to unfold. This magnificent discovery is presently being guarded by the police while archaeological work is being carried out. We hope that the work shall soon be completed and that the tomb will take its rightful place as a historic monument.]]>
Entry to Ancient Tomb Uncovered in Greece
