Scientists to announce Amphipolis skeleton findings next month
An analysis of a skeleton found in an Alexander-era tomb in Amphipolis, northern Greece, is expected to yield answers in January, the Culture Ministry said on Friday.
Scientists from Thessaloniki’s Aristotle and Thessaly’s Dimikritos universities are conducting forensic studies on the remains – discovered in the massive 4th century BC tomb in November – to determine the era during which the person lived and details about their identity.
“The result of macroscopic study of the bone tissue [identifying] sex, age and height will be announced in January,” the ministry announced.
It also said that claims suggesting the skeleton belongs to a middle-aged woman, stirring speculation that it could be that of Alexander the Great’s mother, Olympias, were “unfounded.”
Any findings made by the scientists examining the remains will be compared to a sample of some 300 skeletons unearthed in the broader Amphipolis area and dating to between 1000 and 200 BC.
