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In 30 BC, great change was coming to the city of Alexandria. The death of Cleopatra signalled
the end of the Ptolemaic dynasty in Egypt and the era of Roman Alexandria began. Just
as it had first under Perdiccas and then under the Ptolemies, as Rome became the new owners
of Alexander’s body, the symbolic power of the Conqueror’s corpse changed once again.
So how great was this transformation? And why did this body - one so central to Alexandrian
life – later suddenly vanish without a trace? This is the story behind Alexander’s body
and his tomb.
Alexander had always fascinated the Romans. Questions of who would have emerged victorious
if Alexander had faced them in battle had dominated much scholarly thinking for centuries.
To some, he was a drunk and decadent megalomaniac. Yet to those Romans who desired great power,
he was an immortalised conqueror who epitomised world power – a man to admire and emulate.
First Julius Caesar and then Augustus would visit Alexander’s tomb to pay their respects
– Augustus according to one account breaking off Alexander’s nose by accident. Both neglected
the nearby Ptolemaic tombs. In their eyes, only Alexander was worthy of admiration. When
asked whether he would also like to see the bodies of the Ptolemies, Augustus replied,
‘I came to see a king, not a bunch of corpses.’ The Romans showed contempt for the Ptolemaic
link with Alexander. Some suggest that they even had the Ptolemaic tombs removed, thus
severing the connection between the Ptolemies and Alexander.
Other Roman emperors also visited Soma – among them Caligula, Vespasian, Titus and Hadrian.
For them all, the body symbolised the zenith of power. Many would thus associate themselves
with Alexander – some more obsessively than others. Caligula for instance looted Alexander’s
body of his breastplate. Yet no emperor was more fixated with Alexander
than the crazed Caracalla, who believed he was Alexander-reincarnated. So crazed was
his belief that he called himself the Great Alexander and even equipped Macedonian levies
as Alexander’s infantrymen – arming them with deadly sarissae and naming them Alexander’s
phalanx. It is not surprising that Caracalla was murdered soon after.
As the Crisis of the Third Century raged, Alexandria would endure numerous riots, rebellions
and sackings from various monarchs – among them the famed Palmyrene Queen Zenobia as
well as the emperors Aurelian and Diocletian. Yet the tomb survived.
Mention of Alexander’s tomb is sparse in this period. However, in 390 AD, another reference
to Alexander’s tomb emerges – this time by the pagan writer Libanius
who mentions Alexander’s body being on display in Alexandria. Little did he know, that his
would be the last known written account mentioning Alexander’s body in Alexandria.
Within ten years, all knowledge of the whereabouts of Alexander had disappeared. Around 400 AD
the Christian priest John Chrysostom went so far as to taunt the disappearance
of this pagan body, ‘Where, tell me, is Alexander’s tomb?’’ Alexander’s body
had vanished without a trace. So what likely happened?
The answer most likely lies in the religious context of late 4th century Alexandria. At
the start of the 4th Century, a new powerful force came to the city – one very different
to those that had come before: the followers of Christ.
Jews and Christians had long lived in Alexandria as minor sects of the mainly pagan population.
Yet by 330 AD, following the split of the Roman Empire in two, the Christian sect began
to grow. Christian zealots soon appeared throughout the Eastern Roman Empire, on many occasions
violently tearing down pagan buildings. Alexandria would not be spared this fervent
zeal. In 391 the Eastern Roman Emperor Theodosius officially banned paganism
throughout the Empire. All symbols of Paganism had to be eradicated. The Christians in Alexandria
happily obliged, quickly destroying the pagan places of worship – most notably the Serapeum
– the temple to Serapis. Many believe Alexander’s tomb suffered a
similar fate. To the early Christians, Alexander’s tomb was more than just a monument; the pagans
worshipped Alexander as a god and his tomb had been a place of pagan worship for centuries.
If left untouched, it could easily become a focal point for Pagan resistance. It is
likely that Alexander’s tomb suffered a similar fate to the Serapeum in 391. As for
the body itself, it was likely either buried underneath or smuggled away before the destruction
could take place. No evidence has yet been found.
Yet there is another possibility. The Christians did not always tear down pagan sites; sometimes
they simply converted these places into Christian churches.
One theory, put forward by Andrew Chugg, suggests Alexander’s tomb may have been converted
into the Church of St Mark, the founder of Christianity in Alexandria. This church is
first mentioned in the 390s at the same time as we last hear of Alexander’s body and
was also located in the centre of Alexandria. In some accounts, St Mark’s body was also
mummified. Yet the story then gets even more interesting.
In 828, Venetian traders smuggled a body, alleged to be Mark, out of the church. They
then sailed back to Venice, who’s patron saint was St Mark. The body was placed in
the Basilica of St Mark where it remains to this day. Could this be the final resting
place of Alexander? Although this theory has flaws, it is fascinating to consider that
Alexander’s body may not be lost in Alexandria, but highly visible in the centre of Venice.
Attempts to discover the whereabouts of Alexander’s tomb have occurred since the Muslim occupation
of Alexandria from 640 onwards. To this day, sarcophagi are being uncovered. Yet none so
far have been proven to be that of Alexander. Despite this there have been some interesting
finds – one of which stands out above the rest.
In 1798, the French Emperor Napoleon arrived in Alexandria at the start of his Egyptian
campaign and his men made a startling discovery. In a mosque courtyard, they discovered an
ornate Egyptian sarcophagus claimed to be the empty sarcophagus of Alexander the Great.
This sarcophagus soon fell into the hands of the British, following their victory at
Alexandria in 1801. Equally convinced it was the sarcophagus of Alexander, they took it
to London to be displayed at the British Museum. Yet disappointment soon followed as hieroglyphs
then revealed it belonged to Nectanebo II. This is not to say that the sarcophagus had
never housed Alexander’s body however. As mentioned at the beginning of our first
video, for a time it is likely Ptolemy I had placed Alexander’s body in the empty sarcophagus
of Nectanebo II as it was in this act that fabulous Egyptian tales of Alexander being
the son of Nectanebo likely took root. It was in this coffin, for instance, that Ptolemy
likely transported Alexander’s body to Alexandria from Memphis, before it was later replaced.
Could this tomb, now on display in the British Museum, have once housed the mummified body
of Alexander? The story of Alexander’s body is one that
has fascinated archaeologists and historians to this day and the hunt continues for the
eternal conqueror’s remains. Recently another sarcophagus dating to Ptolemaic times has
been discovered in Alexandria. Perhaps this tomb will be the one? Or perhaps Alexander’s
body is still out there, silently waiting to be discovered.
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