Tomb Of Alexander The Great In Siwa example essay topic

The death of Alexander the Great is still shrouded in mystery to this day. It seems hard to believe that a 33-year-old man could die of natural causes that spring up out of the blue, and consequently, modern historians have made many attempts to explain exactly what happened. According to Plutarch: Alexander proceeded to Babylon, even after receiving word of several bad omens, such as ravens fighting each other over the city wall with some failing dead right in front of him, a man with a deformed liver being sacrificed in the king's honor, and his best lion was kicked to death by an ass. The god Serapis told a man to put on the king's robes and sit upon the throne. These all served as warnings to Alexander about what may lie in store for him, but they did not deter him. Once in Babylon, he drank, heavily at several banquets.

His friend, Medius, hosted one such banquet. At this banquet was a conspiracy involving, Loll as, Cassandra, and others who were unhappy with Alexander. They gave him poisoned wine, and immediately after drinking it, Alexander felt as if be had "been hit in the liver with an arrow. ' When be tried to throw it back up, he was given a poisoned feather, which ensured that the poison would reach his blood stream. He got sick and his condition deteriorated until his death.

Another version, by historian Aristobtilus, tells us that Alexander was seized with a raging fever, that when he became thirsty he drank wine which made him delirious. ' In the October 1998 issue of Discover Magazine a new diagnosis into the death of Alexander the Great is proposed. According to David Oldach, an in fec 6 ous-disease expert at the University of Maryland, and Eugene Borza, a retired historian from Penn State, Alexander probably died of typhoid fever. Eating and drinking contaminated food and water can contract the bacterium, Salmonella typhi. If not treated, it leads to death in 20-30% of its victims. According to historical records, Alexander suffered "chills, sweat, exhaustion, extremely high fever, and severe pain.

' Eventually he slipped into a coma and died. Although many infections can produce the same type of symptoms, the severe pain that Alexander suffered was a major clue to Oldach. If left untreated, typhoid can perforate the bowel. Another interesting historical curiosity that Oldach's and Borza's diagnosis possibly solves is the mention that Alexander's body supposedly did not begin to decay until several days after his death.

In the past, this has been dismissed as myth or legend. But according to this new theory, this "myth' may be explained by the presence of a rare complication of typhoid fever called ascending paralysis. "The paralysis gradually seizes the entire body and depresses breathing. ' To observers, Alexander appeared dead, while in all likelihood, be was a coma. Although this theory is more plausible than those in the past are, the exact cause may never be known. One thing for certain, it is known that on the 7th of June, 323 BC, the Macedonians were allowed to file past their leader for the last time and finally, three days later, he succumbed to the illness.

Then on June 10,323 BC, Alexander the Great died at the age of 33. Where, then, is Alexander's Tomb? Apparently the tomb of Alexander, which was in Alexandria for at least 300 years, has disappeared as well, though there are some rumors as to its discovery. Nevertheless, his death and burial still remain a mystery. However, in what could prove to be one of the great archaeological finds of all time, a Greek archaeologist believes she may have found the tomb of Alexander the Great in Siwa oasis.

Locating the tomb of Alexander the Great, the Macedonian conqueror, has been the elusive dream of many an archaeologist. More than 100 separate searches have been carried out over the past century and all have proved futile. Early 1995, Greek archaeologist Liana Sovaltzi found what she believes is unquestionable proof that Alexander was buried near Siwa oasis in Egypt's Western Desert. Yet many experts remain unconvinced. The widespread belief, backed by texts of ancient Greek historians, is that Alexander was buried in Alexandria, the city that he founded some 2,300 years ago and which bears his name. A brief history of events shows that Alexander wrested control of Egypt from the Persians in 332 BC, and then proceeded to the ancient capital Memphis, where he presented offerings to the sacred bull god, Apis, and was crowned pharaoh.

He then turned downstream; following the Can opic branch of the Nile, until he reached the Mediterranean coast where he founded Alexandria near a village called Rhacotis. Alexander's visit to the Oracle of Ammon at Siwa was, and still is considered as one of the most fascinating events of his reign. It was so widely publicized in antiquity, that King Lysimachus of Thrace, one of Alexander's successors, struck one of the first issues of posthumous silver tetra-drachmas in the name of Alexander, featuring the portrait of the Macedonian king on the obverse, bearing the horns of Ammon on his head. According to several ancient historians, Alexander claimed towards the end of his life that he was actually the son of Ammon / Zeus and not of Philip II of Macedon. There is no way of knowing whether such a claim was ever made by Alexander himself. It is known, however, that the Greeks were immensely skeptical about these rumors, because they generally opposed the deification of a mortal during his lifetime.

The Oracle of Ammon is located in Libya. Although it was considered as one of the most prominent and reputed ancient oracles and enjoyed "international' reputation, no Egyptian pharaoh before Alexander had ever visited it. So why did Alexander make the honors? The answer is obvious if one takes into account the fact that the Libyan Oracle of Ammon was very well respected in Greece.

Ancient Greek authors ranked it third in importance after the sanctuaries of Zeus at Olympia, the home of the Ancient Olympic Games, and the sanctuary of Zeus in Dodona. Alexander set off for the Oracle of Ammon at Libya in 331 BC In order to reach it, he had to cross the desert and face many dangers. According to our sources, the chief priest of Ammon there welcomed Alexander by calling him "son of the God. ' He then allowed him access to the Adyton of the temple, a privilege usually reserved exclusively for the priests. Alexander's entourage was only allowed to enter the front yard and receive their oracles there. Only Alexander received his oracle personally in the Adyton.

The ancient historian, Plutarch cites an unnamed source, according to which Alexander allegedly posed two questions to the priests of Ammon: 1) Whether any of Philip's assassins got away unpunished; and 2) whether he would conquer the entire world. To both these questions, the Oracle answered in the affirmative. Plutarch doubted the validity of his unnamed source and agreed with the reports that Arri an probably also used: that Alexander kept his discussion with the priests a secret, although he allegedly did write to his mother Olympias back to Macedonia promising to reveal his oracles to her alone upon his arrival back home. Alexander the Great proclaimed his divinity towards the end of his life and ordered his subjects to worship him as god.

It is also true that the Macedonian kings of the Arg ead dynasty, who ruled before Alexander, traced their descent to the Greek mythical super-hero Heracles who was the son of Zeus. In that sense, it is true that Alexander claimed Zeus as his forefather, but it appears unlikely that he launched a propaganda campaign in order to promote any "blood' association between the king of Macedonia and Zeus / Ammon. Alexander reportedly sacrificed to Zeus before the Battle of Gaugamela for good luck, according to Plutarch who drew this information from Kallisthenes. This act, however, was not out of the ordinary, as Zeus was, after all, the chief god of the Greeks who frequently sacrificed to him at times of war for good luck The later historians Diodoros, Curtius Rufus, and Justin mention the information that Alexander the Great allegedly asked at his deathbed to be buried at the Anim oneion of the Libyan Oasis in modem-day Siwa. Bosworth, a modern historian, has suggested that Diodoros, who did not name his source for his account of Alexander's death and burial, probably drew his information from the History of Hieronymus of Kar dia (late 4th century BC).

Although there are no surviving reports from historians who were eyewitnesses of the last days of Alexander, it is not improbable that Alexander did in fact wish to be buried in Egypt. However, modern historians have shown that there is ample evidence to support that Alexander wished to be buried at Aigai with his forefathers. On his deathbed, Alexander allegedly gave his ring to his general Perdikkas, thereby appointing him regent of his huge empire until queen Roxane gave birth to their child. Roxane eventually did indeed give birth to a son, Alexander IV, who stood to inherit his father's territories.

Alexander the Great's generals had different plans, however, and aimed at promoting their own interests for succession. Very early on, they openly challenged the legitimacy of Alexander IV's designation as heir of his father. The years from 323 to 301 BC saw endless conflicts among Alexander the Great's successors which ended with the parceling out of the Macedonian conqueror's empire and the creation of the first Hellenistic kingdoms. During these turbulent years, Alexander IV and his mother Roxane were assassinated by Cassandra who then usurped the throne of Macedonia and married Thessaloniki, Alexander the Great's sister in order to legitimize his power.

In the struggle of Alexander's generals for succession, the body of the conqueror played the role of a symbol that would confirm the newly acquired power of some of them. Perdikkas, according to our sources, sent the mummified remains of Alexander the Great to Aigai, the old Macedonian capital, for burial. He had a magnificent funerary cart constructed for this purpose. The body itself was placed in a gold anthropoid sarcophagus which was in turn encased in a second gold casket and covered with a purple robe.

Alexander's coffin was placed, together with his armor, in a gold carriage which had a vaulted roof supported by Ionic columns. The decoration of the carriage was rich and was described in great detail by Diodoros It has been found that early on, Ptolemy had realized that the breakdown of Alexander's Empire was inevitable, and he wished to secure the wealthy territory of Egypt for himself. He therefore organized an attack against Alexander's funerary procession and intercepted the body of his former master that he then buried in Memphis, the old capital of Egypt. Diodoros mentions that Alexander's funerary procession was indeed destined for the Ammoneion of Libya in modem-day Siwa, but there is not a single ancient historian to claim that Alexander was in fact ever buried there. By the time that Ptolemy stole Alexander's mummy from Perdikkas, thereby infuriating the latter, he had established his control over Egypt. It seems therefore unlikely that Perdikkas would be ever so naive as to not have guessed Ptolemy's ambitions and the role that Alexander's body would play in Ptolemy's dynastic propaganda.

Perdikkas, at least in the beginning, seems to have sincerely tried to hold Alexander's Empire together and preserve it for Alexander IV. It has been conjectured therefore highly unlikely that he would ever decide to bury Alexander in Egypt instead of Aigai, the traditional burial place for Macedonian kings and an area that he himself controlled. If Alexander's body was ever destined for Siwa for burial, Ptolemy would not go to any pains in order to steal it from Perdikkas, since the body was being transported to Egypt anyway and would therefore be easily accessible to him. If Alexander wished to be buried in Aigai, next to his ancestors despite the "internationalist' ideas of the Macedonian conqueror for the creation of a multi-national empire where diversity and individuality it would have been respected. Alexander always remained a Greek and was on his way back home to Macedonia when he died suddenly. Perdikkas, who by all accounts conformed to his former master's wishes and protected his widow and infant son, then intended to bring his body to Aigai.

Ptolemy on the other hand, had other plans. He had established his control over Egypt and decided to use the body of Alexander as a symbol in order to legitimize his position. He intercepted the mummy by attacking the funerary procession that headed eastwards and buried it at Memphis. According to Diodoros who describes the tomb of Alexander in Memphis in some detail, the monument that was constructed by Ptolemy I there was in the traditional Egyptian style. Ptolemy II Philadelphos (293-246 BC), the son and successor of Ptolemy I So ter, then transported the body of Alexander from Memphis to Alexandria, the capital of his kingdom. The ancient authors are very clear on this last point: Alexander was buried for the last time in Alexandria!

The Modern Search The time is now 1995. After digging for four years, archaeologist Sovaltzi came across three limestone tablets in a Graeco-Roman tomb in the El-Maraqi area, at a 25-km distance from Siwa. They indicated that Alexander's tomb lay in the vicinity. The Head of Supreme Council of Antiquities immediately visited the site and agreed that the Greek inscriptions on the tablets indicate that Alexander's body was brought to the area.

One of the tablets praises a great man described as "the first and the most unique of all, he who drunk the poison. ' Sovaltzi described the tomb as having a 6.5-meter long entrance, slightly sloping and guarded outside by two limestone lions, which indicate the importance of its owner. A third lion, said to have no peer, in Greek, Roman or Ancient Egyptian monuments, was latter discovered. A side chamber, located beyond the entrance, has not been opened and a Graeco-style vault, believed to have been used for storage purposes may lie underneath. Some compartments for the accommodation of visitors, a feature of Graeco-Roman tombs, were unearthed, also indicating the importance of the man buried inside. According to Sovaltzi, the resemblance between the architectural style of the tomb and that of Alexander's father, Philip, in Macedonia, is striking.

But, the Siwa tomb, some 51 meters long, is even larger. More proof came to light when Sovaltzi unearthed a stone inscribed with Alexander-s emblem, a star w' eight rays. The archaeologist suggested that El-Maraqi, the name of the area, is derived from the Greek work Meirakion, which has two meanings: young man who lost his life early and a slave. Here it could mean a man who, is already in the hands of god or his slave. After his death, Alexander became the slave of the god Ammon. The Head of Supreme Council of Antiquities (in Egypt) said "the size of the tomb as well as some of the architectural elements all suggest that this tomb was indeed the burial ground of a great man', but whether this was Alexander remains in question.

Despite Sovaltzi's claim, other scholars remain convinced that Alexander was buried in Alexandria. Michael Jones, field director of the German archaeological mission restoring the temple of Ammon, is one of them.. ' Alexandria is the place to look for the tomb. ' There is not yet enough evidence to suggest that a search should be conducted in Siwa,' he said. Jones believes that although Alexander might have expressed a wish to be buried in Siwa, he was undoubtedly buried in Alexandria, "the city that bears his name. ' Other scholars point out that ancient Greek texts made it clear that Alexander was buried in Alexandria.

"He had a close relationship with Siwa, because he received his prophecies of victory at the Ammon Temple there, but this doesn't necessarily mean he was buried there,' said Professor Ahmed Etman, head of Graeco-Roman studies at Cairo University. "All Greek sources we have agree on the fact that his body was transferred from Babylon to Alexandria. "There are even some texts from eyewitness,' he said. Dr. Etman believes the tomb in Siwa might belong to a great leader or an important Polemic figure, but not Alexander the Great. As the controversy continues, digging will continue in the hope of casting light on the puzzle. A Greek archaeological team announced in Athens, following their return from a trip to Siwa oasis, that they saw no evidence proving that the tomb of Alexander the Great had been found in that part of Egypt's western desert.

Sources at the Greek Embassy in Cairo said that it was "too early to come to conclusions whether or not the tomb belongs to the Macedonian conqueror. ' Some of the inscriptions on the plaques, said to have been composed by Ptolemy, seem to support Sovaltzi's claim. "I present these sacrifices, according to the orders of the god, and carry the corpse here – and it was light as a small shield – when I was commander of Egypt,' the inscriptions read. "It was I who was caring about his secrets and who was carrying out his wishes. I was honest to him and to all people and as t am the last one still alive, I state that I have done all the above for his sake. ' "We need to form a committee of professors of Graeco-Roman studies to decode those texts.

We have to make sure of the accuracy of the translation,' Head of Supreme Council of Antiquities, said. In conclusion, there is ample reliable evidence to suggest that Alexander was in fact laid to rest in Alexandria. There are reports on the location of the tomb and on its visitors from the Hellenistic to the Late Roman period. Some of these authors, like Diodoros and Strabo, visited the tomb themselves. No ancient source ever suggested that Alexander was ever buried at the Ammoneion of the Libyan Desert in modem-day Siwa. To argue otherwise and initiate endless speculation based on no evidence whatsoever is only counter-productive.

Memorable Quotes from Alexander I am indebted to my father for living, but to my teacher for living well. I assure you I had rather excel others in the knowledge of what is excellent, than in the extent of my power and dominion. There is nothing impossible to him who will try. Do you not think it a matter worthy of lamentation that when there is such a vast multitude of them [worlds], we have not yet conquered one? I send you a kaffir of mustard seed that you may taste and acknowledge the bitterness of my victory.

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