Emily Chan
At the age of 32, the famed Macedonian king Alexander the Great died in Babylon in 323 B.C.E. Shortly after his death, his impressive empire, which stretched from the Balkans to modern-day Pakistan, collapsed as officials fought for control. His empire was one of the largest in the ancient world.
To this day, the cause of his demise is unclear. He may have died from an illness or from being poisoned.
Just as mysterious as his death is the location of his final resting place. Based on ancient documents, experts know that Alexander the Great was initially buried in Memphis, Egypt, on the order of one of his generals, Ptolemy I Soter, in 321 B.C.E.
By 300 B.C.E., his tomb was moved to an unknown location. According to historical documents, it is likely that his body was brought to another tomb built in Alexandria, Egypt. However, experts don’t know where this tomb is.
“The location of the tomb could now be underwater—[the ancient Greek historian] Strabo indicates that it was in the ‘palaces district,’ part of which is certainly underwater now.
But it could have been further inland—the sources don’t allow us to be certain about this,” said Chris Naunton, the director of the Robert Anderson Research Charitable Trust in the United Kingdom.
Generally, historians agree that the ancient king was buried in Alexandria. His tomb became a place of worship there.
It managed to survive through a period of earthquakes and rising sea levels. But after all this time, it’s possible that its remains may be unidentifiable. There is very little information about what the tomb looked like.
Although Alexander the Great’s final resting place continues to be a mystery, two surviving areas where his body may have been placed for a time could provide some clues to the true location of his remains.
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
