The skeletal remains at the tomb found in the last chamber of the burial mound at Amphipolis belongs to an elderly woman, say unconfirmed sources speaking to Proto Thema. The report presented to the Ministry of Culture by scientists of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and Democratus reportedly states that the bones found belong to a 60-year-old woman.
The relevant announcement to be made by the Ministry of Culture on January 20 is expected to confirm or deny the royal heritage of the tomb’s occupant. A key contender for the ownership of the tomb is Alexander the Great’s mother whose name has been discussed from the outset. Olympias was a princess of Epirus, the fourth wife of the king of Macedonia, who was a devout member of the orgiastic snake-worshipping cult of Dionysus.
The age and gender of Olympias makes her an ideal candidate for the ownership of the tomb, an idea that has been supported by Alexander the Great biographer and researcher Andrew Chugg since the start of the excavation.
At the presentation that took place in November, scientists stated that skeletal remains had been tampered with, possibly due to the caving in of the tomb structure. The collapse doesn’t seem to be due to the weight of the tumulus and there are indications that there may have been a restoration attempt or random looting by tomb raiders or iconoclasts.
There were also suggestions that the bones could predate the main body of the tomb. The skeletal remains, neither mummified nor cremated, could have been kept elsewhere before being brought to the magnificent tomb with the Caryatid statues, sphinx guards and mosaic.
Experts believe that there could have been more than one person buried at the tomb regardless of the fact that only one skeleton may be found. If confirmed, the female identity of the skeleton shatters the theory of lead archaeologist Katerina Peristeri who had said that the tomb was built for a prominent general of Macedon close to Alexander the Great.
Results of the electrical tomography
The area in red on the diagram shows another spot where the scientists have identified one more possible ancient chamber. This spot lies about 10 meters away to the west of the excavated Tomb chambers. The diagram shows the location of the existing tombs arched ceiling (Greek: ΘΟΛΟΣ) and the existing Tumulus surrounding wall (Greek: ΠΕΡΙΒΟΛΟΣ).
