Professor of the University of Thessalonias M. Andronikos was sure that under one of the nurhans near the Greek village of Vergina was a royal burial. The hill was not accidentally called the Big Kurgan: with a diameter of 110 meters, it had a height of 12-14 meters. The professor, however, did not expect to find anything of value there. From written sources it became known that as early as 274 BC. e. Gallic mercenaries ransacked all the tombs in the area - here was once the capital of Macedonia, the city of Aigi. However, the thieves could not take absolutely everything from the tombs, including the marble sarcophagi and frescoes on the walls?..
Marble door
On August 31, 1977, Andronikos began excavations. Almost immediately, at the foot of the hill, archaeologists stumbled upon the ruins of the Heroes' sanctuary. And then a rectangular underground tomb was discovered (three and a half by two meters, three meters high). Ancient intruders left here only a few shards and bones scattered in disarray. However, the frescoes on the walls have survived. These murals depicted the moment of the abduction of Persephone by the ruler of the kingdom of the dead by Pluto.
A month passed, and the scientists saw the cornice of the facade of another tomb, a large room with a vaulted ceiling. Between the two Doric columns was a marble door. Above it was a frieze with hunting scenes: horsemen with dogs, deer, lion, wild boar. Amazingly, the door hasn't suffered at all from time to time. This is the first time archaeologists have encountered such a thing in Greece.
They simply did not dare to open the doors: they could damage both the door and what was hidden behind it. We decided to use the experience of the ancient robbers. They removed the entire top layer of the earth, raised and removed the central floor slab. It was long, grueling work, but it was worth it.
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Golden urn and crown of oak leaves
On November 8, Andronikos descended a rope ladder down to the cell. On the floor were the remains of furniture, probably a burial bed with sculpted ivory human figurines. A sarcophagus stood against the western wall. In the corner of the cell were silver and clay vessels. Weapons and various utensils were dumped in another corner. Here archaeologists have found an iron Macedonian helmet, a sword in a wooden sheath with an ivory pommel, an iron scaly shell, and a bronze case for a round shield. The shield itself (apparently the front one), made of wood, leather, ivory and gold, fell apart from decay.
When the sarcophagus was opened, inside was a massive gold four-sided urn with a multi-rayed star on the lid. The urn became the heaviest gold treasure ever discovered in the land of Greece; the total weight of the find was 10.8 kilograms. It contained human bones, stained … blue. The fact is that in Macedonia the noble dead were burned, and the remains were wrapped in expensive purple cloth. Apparently, the bones were colored with it.
On top was a golden crown in the form of oak leaves and acorns. The burial was clearly royal.
Diadem and Knemis
After all the finds from the chamber were transferred to the Archaeological Museum in Thessaloniki, where these rarities can still be seen today, archaeologists entered the adjacent room. It was literally filled with funeral utensils. There was another sarcophagus near the southern wall; it contained a second urn, smaller and easier decorated, weighing eight and a half kilograms. Inside, along with the bones wrapped in cloth, was hidden a woman's golden diadem. Professor Andronikos called it the most stunning beauty and filigree jewelry found by their group.
Leaned against the doors was an arrow quiver overlaid with gold.
Nearby lay the knemids (warrior's knee pads).
Father of Alexander the Great
Whose remains were in the tomb? Scientists did not find any inscriptions in it. But according to M. Andronikos, this could be the burial place of the Macedonian king Philip II, the father of the famous Alexander the Great. The ruler was in power from 359 BC. e. and was killed in a conspiracy in 336 BC. e.
During the years of his reign, Philip II created a powerful combat-ready army, showing himself to be an outstanding military leader and diplomat. In more than 20 years, he unified Macedonia, expanded its borders and turned his country into the dominant military power of his time. In the end, all of Greece came under Philip's control. On the eve of his death, the king was preparing an invasion of Persia.
What considerations speak in favor of the fact that in the tomb was found
the ashes of Philip II? There are many of these considerations. First, the ceramics from the burial date from about the middle of the 4th century BC. e. Secondly, an examination of the bones from the first sarcophagus was carried out. The age of the man who owns the remains is 40-50 years. The Macedonian king was killed when he was 46 years old. Thirdly, from various historical sources it is known that in 354 BC. e. an enemy arrow hurt Philip's right eye. There is a similar mark in the eye socket of the preserved skull. Finally, the left combat knee pad from the pair found in the second chamber is noticeably shorter than the right one. And Philip, according to the memoirs of his contemporaries, was very limp.
M. Andronikos believes that the ivory figurines on the burial bed are portraits of Amynta and Eurydice - the parents of Philip, Philip himself, his wife and son Alexander.
A grave under water?
Later, another tomb was discovered in the Big Kurgan. Fortunately, the robbers did not visit it. There they found silver goblets, five gilded bronze scrapers, gilded knee pads and a silver reliquary with the remains, which was girded with a golden crown of oak leaves. The examination showed that the remains belonged to a 12-14 year old boy. Historians came to the conclusion that Alexander IV, the son of Alexander the Great, who was proclaimed king after the death of his father and killed in 310 BC, was buried here. e.
The finds of Greek researchers in Bolshoi Kurgan in the late 1970s are an outstanding achievement of archaeological science of the 20th century. The only pity is that the tomb of Alexander the Great himself has not yet been found. It is known that Ptolemy Lag brought the remains of his master to Egypt and buried them near Alexandria. Three centuries later, Emperor Augustus descended into the underground tomb of the great Alexander. Another 200 years passed, and another Roman emperor, Septimius Severus, ordered it to be tightly walled up. Where she was, we still do not know. Over the past centuries, several cities north of Alexandria have been swallowed up by the sea. Perhaps the tomb of Alexander the Great should be sought under water?
Vasily Mitsurov, candidate of historical sciences. Magazine "Secrets of the XX century" № 42