With the participation of colleagues from other countries, Greek archaeologists from the Democratic University identified the owner of the tunic found in one of the royal tombs in the city of Vergina. It turned out that this garment belonged to Alexander the Great.
Oku.Az reported about this with reference to Gazeta.ru.
Previous research suggested that several members of Alexander the Great’s family were buried in Royal Tombs I, II and III at Vergina. However, the burial place of Alexander himself is unknown to this day.
Using various testing methods and historical reference work, scientists have determined that the remains in Tomb I belong to Alexander’s father, Philip II. The remains in Tomb II belong to Alexander’s half-brother Philip III, and the remains in Tomb III belong to Alexander IV, Alexander’s son, who died in his teens.
However, the most interesting object in the case was the violet-white tunic found with the remains in Tomb II.
By testing using gas chromatography and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, researchers determined that the tunic was made of cotton and dyed a purple color permitted only for the elite.
They also noted that the tunic was depicted on a frieze from Tomb II of a hunter known as Alexander the Great. Additionally, the garment was found alongside a gold scepter, an oak wreath and a wreath, which are believed to have possible connections to ancient Iran and, more broadly, to Alexander.
Researchers have not been able to explain why the tunic was forgotten in the tomb along with the gold objects, but they suspect that it may have something to do with the coronation of Philip III after the death of his brother.
