Archaeology
News Network published an interesting hypothetical reconstruction of the
tomb at Kasta Hill near Amphipolis.
The latest official news is that thorough tests
will be carried out on the bones found in the burial site. If DNA examination
will lead to anything conclusive is very much debated since a comparison with
the remains found in the Vergina tumulus and believed to belong to King
Philip II is not really an option since those bones have been cremated.
More interesting news comes from Andrew Chugg
who has been following the Amphipolis operations very closely
(see also: A
wonderful analysis of Amphipolis by Andrew Chugg). One of his first
conclusions is that this tomb definitely doesn’t belong to Hephaistion who was named among the many possible occupants, simply
because we know for certain that he was cremated in great pump which is not the
case for these bones at Amphipolis.
I also agree that it is most unusual in those
days for a Macedonian of high status to be buried without being previously
cremated. The entire monument
of Amphipolis
By reading further in Andrew Chugg’s latest
article in the Greek
Reporter, it is clear that he is still convinced that Queen Olympias is the most plausible candidate and his
argumentation is rather convincing (for the full story read: Is
the Mother of Alexander the Great in the Tomb at Amphipolis? Part 7: The
Skeleton). We know that Cassander was
capable of many intrigues that fitted his cause, so I would say this theory is
one among many but not impossible. We have to wait for the results of further
research to draw more substantiated conclusion. Besides, we still don’t know
whether the bones belong to a male or a female.
