New study shows Greek tomb likely contains Alexander the Great’s tunic

A piece of cloth discovered in a royal tomb in Greece could be the remains of a tunic worn by Alexander the Great, according to recent claims by Antonis Bartsiokas, Professor Emeritus of the Democritus University of Thrace. Found in a tomb near Vergina, a place historically associated with Macedonian royalty, Bartsiokas now believes the garment did not belong to Alexander’s father, Philip II, as previously thought, but to Alexander himself. Arrhidaeus was the half-brother of Philip III. Arrhidaeus assumed the title of king after Alexander’s death, although his ability to rule was limited due to mental disability.

Debate surrounding the tomb’s inhabitants and origins

The discovery was published in the Journal of Field Archaeology. The garment was discovered in 1977 within a gold box in a tomb traditionally associated with Philip II. However, Bartsiokas argues that the tomb actually contains the remains of Arrhidaeus and his wife, Eurydice, based on analysis of historical records, wall art and costumes in the tomb. He claims that this tunic may have originally belonged to Alexander, but passed to Arrhidaeus after Alexander’s death, symbolizing continuity within the royal lineage. Testing by other scholars had previously shown that the cloth, dyed purple and layered with cotton and huntite, resembled clothing worn by Persian kings, adding weight to Bartsiokas’ argument.

Mixed reactions from scholars to the findings

Experts have given differing opinions on Bartsiokas’s claims. Heracleia Bracolaki, senior researcher at the National Hellenic Research Foundation of Greece, disputed Bartsiokas’s identification of the garment as a tunic, suggesting instead that it resembled a scarf used to wrap bones. Additionally, Athanasia Kyriakou, director of the Vergina excavation project at Aristotle University, stated that Bartsiokas had not directly examined the materials and criticized the findings as speculative.

Other scholars provided cautious support. Professor Susan Rotroff, a classics scholar at Washington University in St. Louis, found Bartciokas’s findings plausible, saying that the garment’s cotton fibers align with Alexander’s post-Persian conquest timeline. Richard Janko, professor of classical studies at the University of Michigan, called the research interesting but emphasized that the cotton would have reached Greece through trade routes accessible to Philip II.

The identity of the tomb’s occupants continues to be debated, but Bartsiokas’ hypothesis has inspired renewed discussion of the artifacts and their historical significance in relation to Alexander the Great.