Which Philip of Macedon?

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When archaeologists cracked open an ancient Macedonian tomb near Vergina, Greece, in 1977, they also cracked open a mystery that rages to this day. The date of the tomb, and its lavish contents, strongly suggest the male and female skeletons inside were relatives of Alexander the Great.

But which relatives? The debate boils down to two camps: those who believe the male tomb occupant to be Philip II, the father of Alexander who set the stage for his son's unprecedented conquests, and those who believe the skeleton belongs to Philip III Arrhidaios, Alexander's less-illustrious half-brother who ruled as a figurehead briefly after Alexander's death. (The female skeleton is presumed to be the wife, or one of the wives, of these men.)


Bones likely belonging to Alexander the Great's father or half-brother

Examinations of the bones have yet to yield any firm proof either way. Archaeologists argue over whether the bodies were cremated right after death, or later — Philip III was buried for more than a year before being exhumed for a royal cremation and funeral. They also bicker over whether the bones show signs of Philip II's known battle wounds. Ultimately, the bodies may not even provide the final clues, said Maria Liston, an anthropologist at the University of Waterloo who studies cremated remains.

"It's going to have to be, in the end, based a little bit at looking at the bones, but honestly on the dates of the pottery [in the tomb] and things like that," Liston told Live Science. 

SOURCE

READ ALSO RELATED ARTICLE: False Greek discovery from Vergina

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