The site of Kasta Hill and the Tomb of Amphipolis

Kasta Hill is a huge tumulus made of limestone having a perimeter of almost 500m which can easily be spotted from nearby Amphipolis. It is a landmark that inevitably impresses any visitor.

Since 2014, the hype of the Tomb of Amphipolis has traveled around the world as a wildfire but now that the fever has subsided, it is time to consider a number of facts that has been established since.

A first serious link with Hephaistion based on a monogram found at the tomb site was mentioned in an earlier blog (see: Amphipolis, a Heroon for Hephaistion?). Meanwhile, some have argued that this tomb was meant to contain the remains of both Alexander and Hephaistion but this does not look very plausible for different reasons.

Firstly, since only Alexander could be the one ordering the construction of a tomb for Hephaistion, most probably soon after his death in 324 BC. At that time, there was no reason for Alexander to plan his own grave next to his friend’s. We should keep in mind that Alexander could afford to call on the best professionals in every field from all over the world – which he frequently did. In the present case of building a tomb and/or memorial for his dearest friend Hephaistion, no expense was too high or too extravagant. It has, however, not been established what happened to the remains of Hephaistion after his body was burnt on the elaborate pyre that was built for him in Babylon. Most probably, the bones were washed in wine the Macedonian way, wrapped in a luxurious cloth (probably a purple one) and placed in a precious (most likely gold) casket or larnax that was lavishly decorated with precious stones. Alexander may have kept this larnax in his tent pending the burial in the tomb at Amphipolis but as the king himself died before returning to his homeland the project never materialized and it remains everybody’s guess what happened to the remains of Hephaistion. Besides, it is difficult to imagine who would have cared enough about him to take charge of the matter.

Secondly, and in spite of his deep love and affection for Hephaistion, Alexander was first and foremost the King, King of Macedonia and what’s more King of Kings. He was well aware of his kingship and what it meant for the people he had conquered, especially for the Persians. In his position, it was totally impossible for the Great King to be interred in such a far away place as Amphipolis. It may have been Parmenion to suggest that city as he still belonged to “the old Macedonian stock” and was convinced that the body of Alexander should return to Macedonia to be buried with his ancestors. But the body never arrived in Macedonia as it was diverted to Egypt instead.

On the other hand, there is the hypothesis about the image of the Rape of Persephone that is considered to be a common link between the Royal Macedonian tombs. The second chamber of the Amphipolis tomb contains indeed a mosaic floor depicting Persephone abducted by Pluto, god of the underworld. It has been suggested that this picture ties the tomb to the Macedonian royal family.

The oldest representation is to be found in the tomb of Eurydice, the mother of Philip II and Alexander’s grandmother. The next and probably most striking picture of the Rape of Persephone is the one associated with the tomb of Philip in Tumulus of Vergina. It is, however, important to note that it is not part of Philip’s tomb but painted on the wall of another tomb in the same tumulus, making it a weak candidate for belonging to Macedonian royalty. All in all, that hypothesis is not very convincing either.

A last theory or speculation that arose around the Tomb of Amphipolis is even stranger than the previous ones but, who knows, it may contain some truth after all. It has been calculated that on the day of the Equinox of 21 December the sun lights up the third room of the Amphipolis Tomb and would at some point shine in a straight line from Delphi. Well, for what it is worth …

The excavations at Kasta Hill have been stopped for now but with the material gathered so far the archaeologists have their work cut out. As always, we have to wait and see what will happen next.

[Picture of the Rape of Persephone from Vergina is from reddit]