THE MYSTERIOUS HISTORY BEHIND ALEXANDERS SARCOPHAGUS

BACKGROUND INFO:

The ancient city of Sidon, one of the biggest and most powerful Phoenician cities, holds many historic artifacts and monuments, one of which is the Alexander Sarcophagus, now located in the Istanbul archaeology museum. Osman Hamidi, the then director of the Istanbul Archaeological Museum, first discovered it during the excavations at Sidon in the year 1887. Although the sarcophagus depicts images of Alexander, the tomb was supposedly created for Abdalonymus, the Sidon king. Interestingly, the sarcophagus is not named after King Alexander but is named after the picture of Alexander wearing the Nemean lion fur on the sarcophagus. 

Although historians have no idea for whom the tomb was erected, it is still a mark of historical evidence indicating how Alexander lived. One piece of historical evidence on the tomb includes Alexander’s famous lion hunts, with the sarcophagus being one of the few existing monuments that depicts the hunts. Also included is a depiction of one of Alexander’s great military achievements, the Battle of Isus, which covers the long side of the sarcophagus. Another depiction found on Alexander’s Sarcophagus is an all-Persian style panther hunt. Previously, several historical documents have provided many details of his conquests, but the sarcophagus shows the final piece of the historical puzzle. This discovery permitted historians to understand how Alexander’s army functioned. The masterpiece on the sarcophagus illustrates Alexander crushing the Persians on the battlefront.

VISUALS ON THE SARCOPHAGUS:

The Sarcophagus is embellished using “22 pigments, including 10 different ochres for yellow-dark brown, five different reds (minimum from lead, red ochre, light and dark iron oxide and madder lake) and three shades of purple, covered every surface. No part was left unpainted marble, including the background, which though white was rendered in lead white; the sculptural finish on flesh was smoother than on hair or fur, contributing to their differentiation also in paint, while the depths of folds carved in drapery were first outlined in colour, adding emphasis to their relief, before applying a second coat of colour to the whole.”  A article on JSTOR states that “The neat structures and the imaginative interpretations of art historians ought not, however, close the reader's (or the viewer's) mind to the fact that the (apparently) historical scenes on the sarcophagus have no bearing on the life of Abdalonymus and that Abdalonymus himself would never have been proposed as the Grabherr if the object had not been found in the so-called "royal necropolis" of Sidon.” . From this quotation, one strange but interesting fact is that the visuals on the sarcophagus make no mention of the Sidon king, concluding that the only connection made with Abdalonymus was the discovery location. These are just a few of the points that make this artifact one of histories greatest mysteries. meaning that the only connection made with Alexander was the discovery location.

CURRENT STATUS:

Though Alexanders Sarcophagus is a huge discovery, Alexander’s real tomb is still lost. The reason for such a confusion with Alexanders tomb, is due to the gaps in history regarding its location, and the sinking of ancient Alexandria due to rising sea levels. Despite these difficulties more than 140 excavations officially have been taken in finding the lost tomb. It is said that finding the real tomb of Alexander will be equivalent to when the tomb of king Tut was discovered, in terms of historical value. According to national geographic archeologist Calliope Papakosta discovered traces of white marble, upon furthering digging they discovered a statue, in Alexandria the city named after Alexander. The statue bore unmistakable evidence of Alexander the great, proving that there is evidence towards Alexanders lost tomb being somewhere near the discovery of the statue. Seven years after this discovery, Papakosta has dug 35 feet under the city of Alexandria and discovered the remains of the ancient city, this is one the first known remains of Alexandria and could prove to be the location of  the lost tomb of Alexander the great.

More cool facts on the Sarcophagus can be seen in this video https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ancient-art-civilizations/greek-art/late-classical/v/alexander-sarcophagus

Call to Action:

After reading this blog post, I hope this mystery has sparked your interest in the history behind Alexanders tomb. Now after reading this post, I would like all of you to take a moment do your research and let me know where you think Alexanders lost tomb is. I am looking forward to everyone's thoughts.

References:

Gates, C. Ancient Cities: The Archaeology of Urban Life in the Ancient Near East and Egypt, Greece and Rome. London: Routledge, 2011: 197.

Roisman, J. and I. Worthington (eds), A Companion to Ancient Macedonia. Oxford: Blackwell, 2010:356-469

Amanda Claridge. ‘Looking for Colour on Greek and Roman Sculpture.’ Journal of Art Historiography, vol. 5, Department of Art History, University of Birmingham, (Dec. 2011): 1-2, https://doaj.org/article/e57a6f7031764386a76536fd6ddbad5d.

Andrews, Stefan. ‘Alexander Sarcophagus, One of the Most Remarkable examples of Hellenistic Art Ever Found.’ The Vintage News, (2018), www.thevintagenews.com/2017/12/23/alexander-sarcophagus/.

Blakemore, Erin. ‘New Clues to the Lost Tomb of Alexander the Great Discovered in Egypt.’ (2019), www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/2019/02/lost-tomb-alexander-great/.

Heckel, Waldemar. ‘Mazaeus, Callisthenes and the Alexander Sarcophagus.’ Historia: Zeitschrift Für Alte Geschichte, vol. 55, no. 4, (2006): 385–396. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/4436826.

Joy of Museums. ‘Alexander Sarcophagus – Joy of Museums Virtual Tours.’ Joy of Museums Virtual Tours, (2020), joyofmuseums.com/museums/middle-east-museums/turkey-museums/istanbul-museums/istanbul-archaeology-museums/alexander-sarcophagus/.

The World of Alexander The Great. "Alexander Sarcophagus." World Of Alexander The Great, 29 Sept. 2012, theworldofalexanderthegreat.wordpress.com/2012/08/29/alexander-sarcophagus/.