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On the 11th June 323 BC, Alexander the Great
passed away.

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Following his death in Babylon, his body became
a continuing source of war, intrigue and mystery.

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His body and his tomb were lost; yet the legend
lives on and historians are still trying to

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uncover clues to their whereabouts.

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But how did this all come about?

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Why did all records of Alexander’s tomb
abruptly cease?

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In this two-part documentary, we shall unravel
the history surrounding Alexander’s tomb

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and attempt to answer this question.

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This is the story behind Alexander’s body
and his tomb.

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Almost immediately after Alexander’s death,
chaos erupted, as the Macedonians quickly

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began arguing over the fate of the empire,
leaving his body unattended for many days

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in the Babylonian heat.

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Legend has it that upon returning to the corpse,
to everyone’s amazement, they found it in

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pristine condition – untouched by decay.

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Perdiccas, the highest-ranking commander in
Babylon, then had Alexander’s body embalmed

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and placed in a golden coffin.

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For the next two years Alexander’s body
remained in Babylon, as Perdiccas and his

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followers oversaw the construction of a funeral
carriage unlike any other the world had seen.

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The carriage was designed to resemble a great
temple: it had beautiful Ionic columns encircled

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by paintings depicting Alexander and his army
and was covered with gold.

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It was to be pulled by 64 mules, each bearing
a golden crown and bell.

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Upon its completion, Perdiccas ordered that
Alexander’s body to be escorted home to

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Aegae in Macedonia – the traditional resting
place of the Macedonian Kings.

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Yet the plan went horribly wrong.

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The governor of Egypt Ptolemy was aware of
the great wealth and potential of his domain

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and soon grew ambitious, eager to get rid
of Perdiccas’ control.

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He believed he might achieve this by taking
possession of Alexander’s body, as it was

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a superhuman talisman representing authority
and legitimacy in this new post-Alexander

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world.

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Whoever controlled the body held great sway.

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Ptolemy was not deterred by Perdiccas’ precautions
to keep the body, but he needed a daring plan.

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In 321 BC, Alexander’s elaborate funeral
cart left Babylon for Macedonia.

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Yet as the procession was making its way through
Syria, Ptolemy made his move, bribing the

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escort, seizing the body and diverting it
to Egypt, where he had it housed in Memphis

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– the traditional Egyptian capital.

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Perdiccas was furious, as his authority as
regent had been severely tarnished.

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It was the opposite for Ptolemy, as Alexander’s
soldiers came from far and wide to swell the

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ranks of his army.

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Perdiccas immediately marched on Egypt with
his army – his main aim to regain control

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of the body and restore his authority.

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In the ensuing war, covered in our documentary
which you can see here, Ptolemy emerged victorious

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and Perdiccas was murdered.

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Alexander’s body was now securely in Ptolemy’s
possession.

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He quickly began proclaiming the link between
himself and Alexander, becoming the first

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of the Diadochi to put Alexander’s image
on his coinage, and emphasising that he was

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a favourite of Alexander in his account on
the conquest of Asia.

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Ptolemy also cultivated a local legend of
Alexander.

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Rather than being the son of Philip of Macedon,
Egyptian tales soon became widespread that

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Alexander was the son of the last Egyptian
pharaoh Nectanebo II.

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In 343 BC, the Persians had deposed Nectanebo,
who had then died in exile.

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His pre-made sarcophagus in Memphis had therefore
remained empty.

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It is likely Ptolemy had first placed Alexander
in this empty coffin and it was from here

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that this fabulous story took root.

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A pharaoh of Egypt could only be legitimate
if he was related to his predecessor, so this

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tale helped portray Alexander as Nectanebo’s
rightful heir.

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It also established a connection between the
Macedonian and Egyptian dynasties – a connection

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that only helped Ptolemy’s cause.

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At the same time, Ptolemy began spreading
the rumour that he was in fact an illegitimate

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son of Philip II and thus the half-brother
of Alexander.

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Both stories spread rapidly and helped Ptolemy
secure his rule in Egypt – thanks in good

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measure to his clever use of Alexander’s
body.

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Following the climactic battle of Ipsus in
301 BC, Ptolemy had Alexander’s body moved

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to the centre of his new capital at Alexandria
and placed in a new, elaborate tomb.

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The city had been founded by Alexander back
in 331 BC but had only recently been completed.

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Immediately, Ptolemy set about promoting Alexander
adulation.

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Not only did he have Alexander publicly honoured
as the founder of Alexandria, but he also

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introduced a state cult of Alexander throughout
Egypt.

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His statues were erected far and wide while
processions and festivals centred around the

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great conqueror also appeared.

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In 283 BC, Ptolemy I passed away.

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For the next 150 years Ptolemy’s descendants
would rule Egypt, and the memory of the great

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king was crucial for their dynasty.

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Almost immediately after his father’s death,
Ptolemy II Philadelphus, had him deified and

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worshipped alongside Alexander.

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The message was clear: in both life and death
these two kings were inseparable.

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Philadelphus also created a new religious
festival in honour of his father: the Ptolemaia.

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Hosted every four years this festival attracted
many thousands of visitors not only from Egypt,

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but all around the Greek World.

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Fortunately for us, a description of the Ptolemaia
staged in 275-274 BC survives.

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Dubbed, ‘the Grand Procession of Ptolemy
Philadelphus’, It was an EXTREMELY lavish

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parade through the centre of Alexandria.

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Soldiers, animals, gems, gold and images of
Gods – especially Dionysios - all featured,

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emphasising the unbounded wealth, splendour
and power of Ptolemaic Egypt.

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Alexander was central to the procession.

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First, his statue appeared on top of a great
float accompanied by another statue of the

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now-deified Ptolemy I - both wearing gold
diadems of ivy leaves.

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Following this came a golden statue of Alexander
in a chariot, towed by four elephants and

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surrounded by statues of the Gods.

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This procession reminded the onlookers not
only that Alexandria was the home of Alexander’s

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body but also of the inseparable link between
it and the Ptolemies.

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Desiring to further emphasise this link Ptolemy
IV ‘Philopator’, placed Alexander’s

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body in a new royal burial complex in c. 215
BC.

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It soon became known as the ‘Soma’ or
the body – named after its main exhibit.

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This new mausoleum was almost certainly visually
majestic – perhaps inspired by the famed

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tomb of Mausolus at Halicarnassus.

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The complex may also have been circular, in
its turn possibly inspiring the great tombs

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of the Roman emperors Augustus and Hadrian.

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Inside the enclosure, Alexander’s body was
placed in an underground chamber along with

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remains of the Ptolemies, once again emphasising
the closest possible link between the Ptolemies

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and Alexander.

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The Soma soon became an iconic feature of
Alexandria.

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From far and wide, visitors would journey
to Alexander’s city and see his marvellous

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tomb.

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It was a place of pagan pilgrimage.

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Still, no dynasty can last forever and by
the beginning of the First Century BC, the

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Ptolemaic dynasty had become a shadow of its
former power.

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So great was its turmoil that in 89 BC King
Ptolemy X had done the unthinkable: in desperate

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need of money to pay his mercenaries, he melted
down Alexander’s golden sarcophagus, replacing

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it with one made of glass.

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Regardless, Ptolemaic power continued to dwindle
and within 70 years, a new power would be

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ruling Alexandria.

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A power that also had a keen interest in Alexander’s
tomb – but for very different reasons: Rome.

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The second video on the story behind Alexander’s
tomb and his body will we released soon, so

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make sure you are subscribed to our channel
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