Time. It erases boundaries, destroys stone, licks wounds and changes entire worlds. Nothing can resist the influence of time. Everything will be destroyed to dust. But how can you leave the coordinates of a place, and leave them unchanged through the centuries?
And now we will try to figure out what kind of riddle a certain Ptolemy left us.
Ptolemy I Soter.
To begin with, let's again recall the mysterious circumstances of the burial of Alexander the Great. According to official history.
So: in the middle of June 323 BC, the Macedonian dies suddenly in Babylon. Then his body is buried there in a wooden coffin, allegedly for a while, until the construction of a normal sarcophagus, to preserve its integrity. That is, for a year or two, Alexander's body disappears from the field of vision of all people. At the same time, his brother, commander and friend, a certain Ptolemy the first, nicknamed Soter, disappears somewhere. According to the official version, he allegedly went to Egypt, but he went there for a rather long time - about 5 months. And on arrival, the first thing he ordered was to kill Cleomenes, who had been appointed governor of Alexandria by Macedonian himself. Considering the fact that Cleomenes proved himself quite well during the construction and subsequent management of the city, the fact of his murder is rather strange.
Meanwhile, the diadochi, that is, Alexander's commanders, begin to divide the empire left without a king. And gradually they begin to fight each other. These wars are called "wars of diadochi" and they lasted for about 40 years, until the last of Alexander's generals died. But more on that later.
Map of the division of Alexander's empire after his death.
So, a year or two later, after the death of Alexander, Ptolemy the first-Soter suddenly returns and suddenly just in time for the funeral procession. He takes control of it and directs the coffin with the body not to Alexandria, where he bequeathed to be buried by the Macedonian himself, but to Memphis. And what, no one objected? everyone recognized the right of Ptolemy to do this?
Promotional video:
Also a rather strange fact.
However, it is easily explained if it was not Alexander's body that was brought to the burial, but someone else. The murder of Cleomenes is also explained - he personally knew Alexander and could catch a deception. So did some of the inhabitants of Alexandria.
But why did Ptolemy get away with it? Why did none of the Diadochi object? Most likely the explanation is in his nickname - Soter. According to the official version, this nickname means "savior". But this nickname was given to him long before he began to really show himself in battles. What did he save Alexander from? I would venture to suggest that even before the campaigns, Alexander and his commanders discussed all possible options for action, in case of the death of any of them. After all, they went to fight, and death was their inseparable companion. And this means that Ptolemy most likely fell on the shoulders of fulfilling the last will of Alexander, and maybe others.
We will deal with this issue in more detail in other articles if you want, but for now we will take this unfounded statement of mine as a fulcrum.
Let's imagine that Alexander really wanted to keep his burial place a secret. And there weren't many people dedicated to this. After his death, Ptolemy, together with the body, is sent to fulfill the last will, and then a play is performed with a fake body and a funeral procession in Alexandria. To prevent the deception from being revealed, Ptolemy kills Cleomenes. But then, apparently realizing that in addition to him in Alexandria, there are still many people who know Alexander by sight, he decides to urgently transport the body of his double to Memphis, and he himself founded the dynasty of Ptolemies - the keepers of the secret. But after several generations, for some reason, this place also becomes unsafe and is deliberately "lost". Since then, the mystery of the Macedonian tomb appears. They have been looking for his tomb for several centuries, without much success.
So where could Ptolemy go?
Marks of Ptolemy at Taganrog, or what does the Alferaki clan have to do with it
We have established that the place to which Ptolemy 1 could have gone with the body of Alexander the Great is most likely located somewhere near Taganrog, on the shores of the Sea of Azov. And on the map of Guillaume Delisle, dated 1705, it is written that in these places the army of the king passed and found the marks of Ptolemy. And already on them I discovered the altars of Alexander.
And although the location of the altars is quite accurately marked on the map, let's try to make sure that Ptolemy really left some marks.
Part of Guillaume Delisle's map.
Stop the video for a minute and put yourself in the shoes of Ptolemy. You are in the steppe. You need to bury the body, and at the same time leave a memory about it that will not be erased in centuries … This is not an easy task. You can build pyramids, but it will be too noticeable and attract crowds of fans.
It is necessary to make this place obvious only to the initiated. You can draw maps. But they are short-lived and easily destroyed. A monument?.. yes, of course, some altars were built. But how can we avoid the silence and rewriting of history? Then, and even now, the practice of knocking down inscriptions from monoliths was widespread. Fake history.
So what should you do?
Our tags should not only be eternal, they should be self-sustaining and self-healing. Like a living organism.
I think that the best solution for this would be the founding of settlements with a population at certain points.
This means that we will focus our attention on the settlements in this region.
The first thing that catches your eye is the abundance of references and references to the Greeks. Greek is everywhere. For example, one of the suburbs of Taganrog is called Greek companies. Apparently in memory of the decree of 1775, to settle Greeks in Taganrog. And also in memory of the next Russian-Turkish war, during the time of Catherine II, in which Greek units took part. Also one of the main streets of Taganrog, also has a name - Greek. The first churches built in Taganrog, mind you, already 80 years after its foundation, are also Greek.
Settlements around Taganrog, founded by the Greeks.
Moreover, the coffin with the body of Alexander 1 was also installed in the Greek church. in 1872 a Greek school was opened in Taganrog.
That is, there is a massive presence of Greek cult ministers. Those who know something and are dedicated.
One of the first settlements founded according to the official version in 1789 was the village of Lacedemonovka. It still exists today. Few locals know what its name means. Yes, and I did not immediately realize. Only English transcriptions came to mind, but they did not explain anything either.
We went to Lacedaemonovka and conducted a small survey of local residents. It turned out that almost no one knows the origin of such a strange name.
So, in my humble opinion, the most lasting reminder, the most effective memorial that will sustain itself for centuries, will be the settlement. The people living in it will themselves maintain the existence of the settlement and, accordingly, the mark.
In the last part I said that the number 1685 on Guillaume Delisle's map turned out to be the key. The key to understanding Ptolemy's logic. Let's take another look at Wikipedia and try to follow the train of thought.
So the date 1685 didn't give us anything.
date 685, also gave us nothing - surprisingly calm dates for events in the world.
Then let's try to look at 685 BC. What was going on in the world then?
The only event that happened quite close then was the Messenian revolt against the Lacedaemonians and the second Messenian war. Stop. And who are the Lacedaemonians?
And this is none other than the Spartans. The region in which Sparta was located was called Lacedaemonia!
That is, an obvious reference to the Greeks and the Greek city!
However, do not rush to rejoice. Everything turned out to be not so simple.
According to official history, during the next Russian-Turkish war, the Russian fleet, going from the Baltic to Taganrog, under the command of Count Orlov, for some reason landed troops on the way in Greece, not far from the small town of Mystra, where it allegedly entered into battle with the Turks. Why this attack was made is not entirely clear, but as a result, Greek units joined the Russian fleet, which then fought on our side against the Turks. They consisted of different people, but among them there were a lot of influential citizens of Greece, whose lineage was carried out already from ancient times. One of such people was a certain Demetri Alefereos, whose name was later simplified to Dmitry Alferaki. He took part in many battles and, among others, in the battle of Chesme.
Demetrius Alephereos. Just a Greek major.
After the war, he expressed a desire not only to stay in Russia, but also to live in Taganrog. It suddenly turned out that he was an extremely wealthy and influential citizen of Greece, who built up almost all of Taganrog for his own money. Moreover, he asked Catherine II for a loan in order to transfer his entire family, numbering more than 100 people. He also founded the village of Greek companies and the village of Beglitsa (where Beglykh was settled) and the village of Dmitriadovka (apparently in his honor) and that very Lacedaemonovka, apparently in memory of his homeland.
According to some reports, his family also traced its roots from ancient times. However, his surname, Alefeios, does not tell us anything - translated from Greek, it simply means "free citizen" and only … that is, it is a pseudonym. And we do not know the real, antique surname of this character.
See his palace in Taganrog. this is a masterpiece of architecture, which we will talk about more than once. A simple sailor, even a junior officer, clearly could not afford this.
The palace of a simple Greek major.
By the way, if you are interested in this palace, I recommend watching a separate video about it on the Ostrogor channel.
However, we go further.
So the official history seems to give a clear answer to who and when founded Lacedaemonovka. But something haunts me. There can be a huge number of villages and buildings built by one, albeit a rich person, with his own money. Maybe the general flight of the Greeks to a limited territory and the desire to take it under their religious control. Or maybe the most detailed map of Napoleon, written 20 years after the alleged foundation of these villages, but on which there is neither Dmitriadovka, nor Beglitsa, nor Greek companies. But there is Lacedaemonovka.
Maybe I'm confused by the map of Guillaume Delisle and Ptolemy?
And just like that, the invasion of the Greeks from the small town of Mystra, which, as it turns out, was the most ancient mystical center of Greece, and then of the Roman Empire. From here the Byzantine emperor John 6 began his reign. Later this town became the capital of the Achaean principality, a quasi state founded by the crusaders. This place was not indifferent to the imperial dynasty of the Palaeologus. Which by the way got its continuation suddenly in Russia. And the mysterious risky landing of the Russian fleet inland to take with them a couple of hundred Greek soldiers? This is all pretty weird, but..
There must be something else.
And it was found. On another map, published almost a hundred years later, in 1869. Beglitsa and Dmitriadovka and Lacedaemonovka and … Athens are already present on this map!
Now this is more interesting, let's look more closely for information about this village. But … no … This village exists on the maps from 1869 to 1908. And then … and then the official story begins. Which says that it was this place that was constantly and unsuccessfully attacked during several wars. Who just tried to take it. Including the red army in the civil war. But as we know, the shores there are impregnable and an attempt to land troops is practically doomed to a bloody meat grinder. That is why the village, the farm was renamed into the red landing. And they erected a memorial to the fallen.
And before that, according to the official history, the farm was called … marievka? And founded by another Greek - Benardaki, by the way a relative of Alferaki? Stop … but on old maps it is clearly called Athens! Not a single mention of Athens. as if someone is trying to erase this name from memory.
The head swells from inconsistencies. Whom to believe then? Nevertheless, in each of these settlements, there are still two functioning temples. One of which, in Lacedaemonovka, was built by Alferaki himself and dedicated to Nicholas the Wonderworker, and the other, in Athens, that is, in the Red Desant, in honor of Mary Magdalene.
The churches themselves contrast wildly with the Alferaki palace in terms of the quality of workmanship. It seems that different workers were building.
Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Lacedaemonovka.
The Church of Mary Magdalene is generally built tyap blooper, the fence around it is made of bricks carelessly placed on the edge. And next to the entrance there is a memorial stone to the Cossacks who founded the village named after Starodubtsev … So what happened here after all? The village of Starodubtseva, the village of Maryevka, the Polyakovskoe settlement, or is it Athens? And why did they try to take this place with such stubbornness for centuries? was it really impossible to land in another, more convenient place?
In my humble opinion, these churches are either themselves marks left by Ptolemy, or they hide them under themselves.
Well … all of this is rather vague and relates more to my speculation than facts.
Tsar's mound near Taganrog, possibly belongs to Alexander the Great
We are left with the last argument - Guillaume Delisle's map. In the previous installments we have established that it is quite accurate and therefore can be trusted. Let's try to transfer her data to the map, and establish where the very altars of Alexander are located, and are they there now?
Attention - a life hack for researchers!
In fact, everything is not as complicated as it seems. It is not at all necessary to make the card translucent and try to stretch it over another.
It is enough just to create a transparent layer and mark the points already known to us on it - these are the fortresses of Azov and Taganrog. And also the third point - the desired altars. Then we remove the ancient map that has become unnecessary so as not to spoil our eyesight and set the first two points in the coordinates we know.
The third point will rise automatically.
After that, we need to understand what tolerance we will consider acceptable and see what is on the modern map at this point.
I think that an error of 2-3 kilometers will be considered acceptable.
And what do we see? within a radius of 2-3 kilometers from the point indicated on the map is … a mound? A mound with a diameter of 100 meters !!! Right in the middle of a wheat field. Do you think this is a coincidence?
A mound with a diameter of 100 meters.
Let's look at it in Yandex maps … Fathers, he's marked there! and is called the Tsarsky Kurgan! Nobody knows why he is the royal one. perhaps simply because it is large, but a kilometer to the south of it there are … the excavations of the city of the TANAIS Museum !!
Do you still think this is a coincidence? Let's go there and see everything with our own eyes in place
But weren't there any excavations on this mound? well, of course they were. Although they hardly found anything there.
Tsarsky Kurgan from a distance of 500 meters. My colleague, from the YouTube channel "Ostrogor", in my opinion, convincingly showed with the help of a visual experiment how earth star fortresses appear on the surface. They are simply covered with earth from above. and in those places where there were walls, a shaft of earth appears at the top.
However, the same argument can be made for any building. This means that they are digging in the wrong place and in the wrong place. This means that some megalithic structures or a huge temple are really hidden under the mound. However, it is covered with clay, and the real structure rests at a depth of 15-25 meters. And the mound only slightly repeats the shape of this building. Together with the sarcophagus of Alexander the Great. The map was right.
Here's how it turned out so chaotic to state your idea. Have I told everything? of course not.
Firstly, the name Tanais itself - where did it come from? Despite all the legends, the thought of Thais of Athens, the mistress of Alexander the Great and at the same time the mistress of Ptolemy, does not leave me. It is too consonant and can also serve as a kind of mark.
Second, instead of answers, a huge variety of new questions appeared.
For example - why all the same Taganrog, and not Alexandria or Macedonia?
Who is Alferaki and his clan really?
What is hidden under the churches in Lacedaemonovka and Athens (Red Desant)?
And why is the Name of Alexander the Great still receiving so much attention?
Let us recall the commemorative medal in honor of the victory over Napoleon's troops - "Not for us, Not for us, but for your name" … And the subsequent ritual death of Alexander 1 in Taganrog?.. In the light of these events, the mysterious phrase takes on a new meaning.
I will answer some of these questions in the next series..
And some are better not to light …
Postscript
During his 12-year reign, Alexander founded many cities. Plutarch says there were about seventy of them. And he called all of them Alexandria. Modern historians believe that there were from 13 to 34. And one of these cities, allegedly built in 17 days, was called Alexandria Tanais. The same Tanais Museum-Reserve, which is located just 1 kilometer from our royal burial mound.
Tanais.
Alexandria Egyptian
Alexandria Caucasian
Alexandria Margiana
Alexandria Tanaisskaya
Alexandria Oksiana
Alexandria Eskhata
Alexandria Bactriana
Alexandria Ariana
Alexandria Arachosia
Alexandria Nicaea
Alexandria Herat
Alexandria on Latma
Alexandria at Issa
Alexandria Profthazia
Alexandria Opiana
Alexandria Bucefala
Alexandria on Gifais
Alexandria Sughd
Alexandria Patala
Alexandria in Karmania
Alexandria in Susiana
And more than 50 more Alexandria
So in which particular Alexandria did the Macedonian bequeathed to bury himself?
