Anna Hartz
The Tomb Isn’t Philip II’s After All, Say Scientists
For decades, the tomb at Vergina in northern Greece was believed to hold the remains of Philip II, the father of Alexander the Great.
That assumption shaped museum displays, books, and public knowledge. But a new scientific study has turned that belief on its head.
Researchers now say the bones found in one of the tombs do not belong to Philip II, according to WP.
They belong to an unknown Macedonian king who died at least 20 years before Philip was killed.
The study was recently published in the Journal of Archaeological Science.
The tomb is part of the Great Tumulus, a large burial mound discovered in 1977.
It contains graves from the Argead dynasty, the royal family that ruled Macedonia before and during Alexander’s time.
The site is now a UNESCO World Heritage location and one of Greece’s most important archaeological finds.
For years, many believed the remains in one tomb belonged to Philip II, along with his young wife Cleopatra and their baby.
That theory seemed to fit. But the new research tells a different story.
Scientists used radiocarbon dating and DNA analysis to study the bones. They found that the man was between 25 and 35 years old and died sometime between 388 and 356 BC.
That means he died before Philip II, who was murdered in 336 BC. The woman buried with him was between 18 and 25 years old. Her identity is also unknown.
The grave also contained the bones of six infants. These were dated to the Roman period, between 150 BC and 130 AD.
Researchers think these babies were placed in the tomb much later, possibly by Roman-era families who reused the site.
The findings strongly challenge earlier claims. The remains are not those of Philip II, Cleopatra, or their child.
The true identity of the man and woman remains a mystery. But the wealth of the tomb suggests the man was an important figure—likely a Macedonian noble or king who died young.
This discovery adds a new twist to the story of one of history’s most famous royal families.