AncientWorldArtifacts: Philip II, father of Alexander the Great, tomb confirmed

Sunday, August 16, 2015

Philip II, father of Alexander the Great, tomb confirmed

A new study claims to conclusively identify King Philip II, father of Alexander the Great, and determines he was buried in Tomb I, not Tomb II, as previously believed.

The tombs were discovered in 1977 in the village of Vergina in northern Greece. Gold caskets were uncovered housing the remains of several people. Studies have been published concerning human remains found in the 24-carat gold casket in Tomb II

Philip II was the 18th king of Macedonia (359–336 BC). He restored internal peace to his country and gained domination over all Greece by military and diplomatic means, thus laying the foundations for its expansion under his son Alexander. Philip II is described as a powerful king with a complicated love life. He married between five and seven women, causing confusion over the line of succession.

In 336 BC, Philip II was assassinated at a celebration of his daughter's wedding, perhaps at the behest of a former wife, Olympias. Olympias was the fourth wife of Philip II, and mother of Alexander the Great. Alexander the Great succeeded his father as king.

The golden larnax and the golden grave crown of Philip

An extensive anthropological investigation was launched to fully analyze more than 350 bones and fragments found in the two golden caskets. The research team utilized X-ray computed tomography, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray fluorescence.

The skull showed signs of sinusitis, which may have been caused by an old facial trauma, such as the arrow that is known to have hit and blinded Philip II at the siege of Methone in 354 BC. There are signs of chronic pathology on the surface of several ribs, which are believed to be linked to Philip’s trauma when he was struck with a lance around 345 BC.