Since the uncovering of this historical site by Manolis Andronikos in 1977, the tombs at Vergina have been the source of much debate within the archaeological community. Tomb III has been successfully identified as the final resting place of Alexander IV. However, the occupants of Tomb I and II still generate confusion with different archaeologists discovering differing pieces of evidence. As the larnaxes of this tomb display the Macedonian starburst, it is undeniable that the occupants of these three tombs are of Macedonian royalty, narrowing the eligibility of tomb occupants considerably (Bartsiokas 2000). Although Andronicos posed his belief that the occupants were Philip II and his last wife Cleopatra, many experts argue that Philip III
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He excelled not just in strategy but took part in battle himself, acquiring battle wounds that caused blindness in his right eye and lameness in one of his legs. Due to the polygamy of Macedonian royalty, Philip II had several wives, the most important of which include Olympias (Alexander the Great’s mother) and Cleopatra, his last wife. He was assassinated in 336 and closely followed by his wife Cleopatra who committed suicide after the assassination of her two children (Diodorus 16.91-95). The closeness in time of death makes it very likely that Philip II and Cleopatra Eurydice are buried together in the tombs at Aegae. If the tombs at Vergina are indeed Aegae as the burial goods would indicate, one of them must contain the body of such a great king as Philip II. However, Philip’s son Philip III is also a contender for the occupation of Tomb II. Although possessing some sort of learning difficulty, Philip III took the Macedonian throne in 323 after Alexander III’s sudden death …show more content…
However, the mound cannot be attributed to any one of the three tombs individually (Hatzopoulos 2008). Adams argues that Tomb III stands out from the other two and may hold the clue to the dating of the tumulus. Tomb III is well known to belong to Alexander IV. This is known due to the age of the skeleton and date of the grave goods, both clearly pointing towards the 13-16-year-old boy king that died at the end of the Fourth Century (Adams 1991). From several historical accounts it is known that Alexander was buried at Aegae, as were Philip II and III. Therefore, it is safe to assume that if Vergina is indeed Aegae and Tomb III belongs to Alexander, the other two kings must be present nearby. The red soil used to create the mound is used to ‘cover members of the same family over several generations’ and is characteristic of Macedonian burials (Adams 1991). The differences in construction between the tombs shows that Tomb I was built at an earlier date to its counterparts. There appears to be a ‘clear separation in time’ between the tombs, calling into question who built the tombs (Adams 1991). As Philip III and Alexander IV are much closer in time of death (317 and 311 BC respectively) than Philip II (336) it is logical to draw the conclusion that Tomb I, being older than the others,
He excelled not just in strategy but took part in battle himself, acquiring battle wounds that caused blindness in his right eye and lameness in one of his legs. Due to the polygamy of Macedonian royalty, Philip II had several wives, the most important of which include Olympias (Alexander the Great’s mother) and Cleopatra, his last wife. He was assassinated in 336 and closely followed by his wife Cleopatra who committed suicide after the assassination of her two children (Diodorus 16.91-95). The closeness in time of death makes it very likely that Philip II and Cleopatra Eurydice are buried together in the tombs at Aegae. If the tombs at Vergina are indeed Aegae as the burial goods would indicate, one of them must contain the body of such a great king as Philip II. However, Philip’s son Philip III is also a contender for the occupation of Tomb II. Although possessing some sort of learning difficulty, Philip III took the Macedonian throne in 323 after Alexander III’s sudden death …show more content…
However, the mound cannot be attributed to any one of the three tombs individually (Hatzopoulos 2008). Adams argues that Tomb III stands out from the other two and may hold the clue to the dating of the tumulus. Tomb III is well known to belong to Alexander IV. This is known due to the age of the skeleton and date of the grave goods, both clearly pointing towards the 13-16-year-old boy king that died at the end of the Fourth Century (Adams 1991). From several historical accounts it is known that Alexander was buried at Aegae, as were Philip II and III. Therefore, it is safe to assume that if Vergina is indeed Aegae and Tomb III belongs to Alexander, the other two kings must be present nearby. The red soil used to create the mound is used to ‘cover members of the same family over several generations’ and is characteristic of Macedonian burials (Adams 1991). The differences in construction between the tombs shows that Tomb I was built at an earlier date to its counterparts. There appears to be a ‘clear separation in time’ between the tombs, calling into question who built the tombs (Adams 1991). As Philip III and Alexander IV are much closer in time of death (317 and 311 BC respectively) than Philip II (336) it is logical to draw the conclusion that Tomb I, being older than the others,