Skeleton found in Greek tomb from Alexander era

AMPHIPOLIS, Greece, Nov. 12 (UPI) -- Archaeologists in northern Greece discovered a skeleton inside a tomb from the era of Alexander the Great, Greek officials said Wednesday.

The Greek Ministry of Culture said the skeleton, which is almost completely intact, likely belonged to a "distinguished public figure" due to the size of the tomb.

The tomb "in all probability belongs to a male and a general," chief archaeologist Katerina Peristeri told the BBC.

"It is an extremely expensive construction, one that no single private citizen could have funded," a spokesperson for the culture ministry told reporters. "It is in all probability a monument to a mortal who was worshipped by his society at the time."

Classical archaeologist Dorothy King suggested the skeleton could be that of Hephaestion, a close friend and possible lover of Alexander the Great, Discovery.com reported.

The tomb was built in the late 4th century B.C. in Amphipolis, an important city in the Macedonian Kingdom. The burial mound in which the tomb is located is 1,630 feet in diameter with a 10-foot surrounding wall.

A wooden coffin containing the skeleton was found inside a limestone tomb about 5.2 feet below the floor of the burial site. Along with the coffin were found iron and copper nails, bone, and glass fragments.

"Parts of the skeleton were found scattered within and outside of the grave. Obviously, an anthropological investigation will be carried on the remains," the ministry said in a statement.

King said the scattering of bones outside the coffin suggests it was looted.

The Greek Culture Ministry in September released a series of photographs showing two life-size female statues found at the site along with mosaics.

Archaeologists took two years to excavate a burial mound, and found the entrance to the tomb guarded by two sphinxes missing heads and wings. The ministry said an architrave, or door with an upper lintel, was discovered in a wall within the massive tomb, and a spectacular mosaic floor, in red and white tile, was uncovered in a room near the tomb entrance.

Ed Adamczyk contributed to this report.