From: dwhite@sas.upenn.edu (David J. White)
Subject: Re: Alexander and poison (fwd)
Date: Fri, 10 Feb 1995 09:31:56 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Re: Alexander and poison
I would like to draw your attention to the fact that the Siwa inscription naming Alexander and poison is a fraud. It does not exist. The Greek delega- tes from the Ministry of Culture saw a dedicatory inscription written on an architrave of a building from the reign of Trajan. It named Artemidoros, eparch of Egypt. There was no Alexander and no tomb. Olga Palagia -- Subject: The "Tomb" of Alexander (fwd) Date: Tue, 7 Feb 1995 08:01:58 -0500 (EST) I thought I'd hiss a word of warning on the "Alexander Tomb" to you all, in case you haven't seen this item in the New York Times on Monday (p. 8A): "CAIRO, Feb. 5 - A high-level archaeological team from the Greek Government, investigating claims that the tomb of Alexander the Great had been discovered in Egypt's western desert, visited the site today and said that they saw no evidence that the tomb had been found. But Liana Souvaltzi, the archaeologist who announced last week that she had found the tomb outside the oasis of Siwa, said on Saturday: "I have no reservations. This is Alexander's tomb. There is no doubt." She said the tomb was built in Macedonian style and that three tablets uncovered at the site provided the archaeological proof. One of the tablets, she said, was written by Alexander's lieutenant. Ptolemy I, and affirmed a legend that Alexander had been poisoned. Another, she said, was left by the Roman emperor Trajan, who she said had paid his respects at the site. But the Greek team, headed by the General Secretary of the Ministry of Culture, George Thomas, said it was unclear if the structure she was excavating was even a tomb. He and members of the team said that the style of the complex was not, as Mrs. Souvaltzi said, Macedonian. And they said that the fragments of tablets they were shown did not support any of the translations she provided as proof of her discovery. The team members also said that the fragment they saw were from the Roman period, some 300 years after the death of Alexander the Great. "We are not sure if the complex is a tomb or temple," said Dr. Yanni Tzedakis, the Director of Antiquities for the Greek Government, "although there are elements of the Hellenistic period in the rubble. It appears, however, to be from a later period." Mrs. Souvaltzi has refused to allow the visiting team to read her report on the excavations. She has also refused to brief the team on her work. She gave no reason for her refusal to cooperate with the Greek officials. "The fact that the report on the excavations is not being shown to us is curious," Dr. Tzedakis said. "She should present photos and plans, along with details of the excavations to back up her claim. This is how it is done in Greece." Abdel-Halim Nureddin, chairman of the Egyptian Antiquities Organization, who said earlier in the week that he supported the claim by Mrs. Souvlatzi, now says he is less sure about the find. "It is an important discovery," Mr. Noureddin said, "but we have to be a bit careful. We must wait for further study and a reconsideration of the text." Mrs. Souvaltzi, who has an archaeological degree from the University of Athens, has been excavating in the area around Siwa, 50 miles east of the Libyan border, for the past four years. The inscriptions on the tablets, broken into pieces, were translated by Mrs. Souvaltzi's husband, who has no formal archaeological training. He also provides the financing for her research. Mrs. Souvaltzi, who says she has received mystical guidance in her research, in part from snakes, has claimed in the past that this structure was the tomb of Alexander. She wrote an article in an Egyptian magazine, published by Cairo University three years ago, saying that the same structure was the tomb of Alexander. The report was dismissed at the time by senior archaeologists in Egypt and Greece. The Greek team said that the fragments of tablets they were shown did not appear to support Mr. Souvaltzi's translations. They also said that they did not see the eight-pointed Macedonian star Mrs. Souvaltzi says she found on what she describes as the tomb. "These inscriptions have nothing to do with the period of Ptolemy I," Mr. Tzedakis said, "and they are very well dated. We did not see any of the words they say were inscribed on the tablets, not Alexander, not Ptolemy, not even the word poison." Alexander, King of Macedonia, led his armies out of Greece in 334 B.C. at the age of 22 and conquered an empire that covered much of Asia and the Middle East. Ancient texts indicate that, after his death in Babylon in 323 B.C. on a military campaign, his body was moved to Syria and then to Egypt. But his final burial place remains a mystery. About 570 B.C., the Pharaoh Amasis built a temple in Siwa to the god Amun. The temple oracle was one of the most famous in antiquity and was famed for being able to answer difficult question. Alexander went to Siwa in 332 B.C. to see the oracle. The oracle, according to legend, told Alexander he was divine and the son of Amun. Ogden Goelet goelet@acfcluster.nyu.edu