At 32, Alexander the Great became not just one of the youngest generals, one might say, the most famous conqueror in the world. Various peoples applauded him. During his lifetime, they said that he was a living God, he was hated and loved. His empire stretched from the Himalayas to the Mediterranean. But his life ended abruptly, he died before he was 33 years old. This happened in Babylon, where Iraq is now located, in 323 BC.
There are many versions of his death, but there is not a single exact fact confirming at least one of them. The reason could be any, ranging from tropical fever and ending with constant drunkenness and the wild way of life of the Macedonian. They write that his harem consisted of several hundred concubines. And, perhaps, one of the confidants simply poisoned him with poison.
In general, when this event happened, no one was in a hurry to engage in the funeral of such a respected person during his lifetime. The bloody division of the empire began - only 10 days later, its military commanders remembered that they had not even buried their commander. As was customary then, the body was embalmed, placed in a coffin made of pure gold, put on a golden crown and buried in the ground in Babylon.
In those days, the death of the emperor was treated in a special way. The sarcophagus of Alexander the Great was considered a very valuable relic, which, according to the beliefs of that time, was supposed to help its owner become the new ruler of the world, because the empire began to fall into pieces. This was believed by a friend and ally of the Macedonian Perdik, who decided to reburial the body in Macedonia.
But on the way, the coffin with the body is kidnapped by another friend of the Macedonian, Ptolemy. To confuse the tracks, he takes the coffin first to Egypt and then to Alexandria. Here he leaves the body in a specially organized tomb-mausoleum, which was located in the city center next to the city library. Later, Caesar himself came here to bow to the greatness of the leader.
But this did not end the last journey of Alexander the Great. Several centuries later, during the bloody wars, first Christianity was established in Alexandria, then Islam. Neither did the other need the symbol of the great commander. According to the main version, someone, fearing the desecration and looting of the tomb, hid and reburied the Macedonian coffin away from prying eyes. But this is where it still remains a mystery.
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Historians believe that the reburial, if it was, it should be in Alexandria, on the territory of modern Egypt. 150 times the government of this country gave permission to archaeologists to excavate the grave. But none of them were successful. Modern analysis makes it possible to accurately determine the age of tombs and buried bodies.
Will mankind be able to solve this riddle connected with the great commanders, only time will tell….