Researchers have discovered the bones of Macedonian King Philip II, the father of Alexander the Great, in a royal tomb with two chambers located in the town of Vergina
The tomb, known as Tomb II and located 100 miles away from the mysterious burial mound of the municipality of Amphipolis, contained 350 bones and fragments that went through an anthropological investigation.
Investigations on the bones led to the discovery of activity markers, pathologies and trauma that allowed the researchers to identify the occupants of the tomb where the bones were found in.
In addition to the cremated remains of King Philip II, the investigation discovered bones belonging to a female warrior, who could probably be the daughter of the Skythian King Athea.
The discovery will be unveiled on Friday on Oct. 17 at the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki, and will look to put an end to a debate over the identity of the cremated skeleton, which has been going on for decades.
Experts have been debating over the cremated bones since they were discovered in 1977-1978 by the Greek archaeologist Manolis Andronikos. He was able to excavate the Great Tumulus, a large mound, at Vergina through the advice of Nicholas Hammond, an English classicist.
Inside the tumulus were three tombs. The first one, named Tomb I, was already looted when it was discovered. However, still inside it were fragments of human remains and a painting depicting the Rape of Persephone.
Tomb II and Tomb III were undisturbed. Inside Tomb III was a silver urn containing the bones of a young man, while inside Tomb II were the cremated remains of a male in the main chamber and the cremated remains of a female in the antechamber.
A significant portion of the academic debate on the tombs was on whom the remains found within Tomb II belonged to. Some argued that the remains belonged to King Philip II and his wives Meda and Cleopatra. Some, however, said that the remains belonged to King Philip III Arrhidaeus, the half-brother of Alexander the Great who took his throne upon his death, along with Eurydice, his wife.
King Philip II was a ruler from fourth century BC whose efforts to reform the army of Macedonia and planned the invasion of Persia served as the foundation for the achievements of his son, Alexander the Great.
According to Theodore Antikas, who was the leader of the Art-Anthropological research team for the Vergina excavation, the male whose remains were found in Tomb II suffered from maxillary and frontal sinusitis that could have been the result of a previous trauma. The trauma could be caused by the arrow that struck and blinded the right eye of King Philip II in 354 BC.
Anthropological investigation discovered additional bone evidence on the many wounds that the male suffered, supporting the identity of King Philip II who was known as a warrior.
King Philip II survived and ruled over Macedonia until 336 BC, when he was killed during the wedding celebration of his daughter.
The identification of the Macedonian king's remains puts an end to an unsolved mystery of the ancient world, as his tomb previously eluded scientists and historians.
