Meta Description: Join Dr. Jeff Winkle and Dr. David Noe in Ad Navseam Episode 65 as they embark on an archaeological detective story to find the Lost Tomb of Alexander the Great. From the heist of the funeral cart to the sewers of Alexandria and a conspiracy in Venice, discover the strange afterlife of the ancient world’s greatest conqueror. Plus, learn the Latin language of tombs, bodies, and imperial legitimacy.
Introduction: Frigid Nights in the Vomitorium
Welcome back to the “Vomitorium,” listeners! It is Episode 65 of the Ad Navseam Podcast. We are broadcasting on a Tuesday evening from “Frigid, Michigan,” where the temperatures are dropping, but the intellectual curiosity remains red-hot. Your hosts, Dr. David Noe and Dr. Jeff Winkle, feel right at home here. This is their “home away from home,” a place where the ancient world comes alive—usually with a bit of banter and the occasional Barry White impression.
Tonight, we aren’t discussing poetry or philosophy. We are tackling one of the greatest unsolved archaeological mysteries in history: The Lost Tomb of Alexander the Great. Unlike the Ark of the Covenant, which likely vanished in a singular cataclysm, Alexander’s tomb was a massive tourist attraction for centuries—a central feature of a major metropolis—that simply… disappeared. So, grab your spelunker’s hat and your spade. We are going digging.
Shout-Out: The Rice of St. Louis
Before we unearth the golden coffin, we must honor a listener. This week’s shout-out goes to Chris Rice, a former student of Dr. Noe’s who is now a pastor serving the impoverished in St. Louis, Missouri. In Dr. Noe’s Latin class, every student received a Roman name. Chris, fittingly, chose “Oryza”—the Latin (borrowed from Greek) word for “rice.” To Chris Oryza, who did the “hard yakka” of double-majoring in Greek and Latin and is now doing the noble work of ministry: Macte virtute!
The Opening Quote: An Archaeological Thriller
Dr. Winkle sets the stage with a quote that reads more like a Hollywood movie trailer than an academic text. It comes from Nicholas Saunders’ book, Alexander’s Tomb (2006).
“In the search for Alexander’s Tomb, we travel across the ancient world… We are ambushed by intrigue, deception, greed, and murder, seduced by astonishing wealth… and mystified by claims to divinity.”
This sets the tone perfectly. The story of Alexander’s body isn’t a dry historical footnote; it is a thriller. It involves hijacking, bribery, mummies, and perhaps even a case of mistaken identity that affects one of the most famous cathedrals in Europe.
The Death of a God: “To the Strongest”
The story begins in Babylon on June 10, 323 BC. Alexander the Great dies at the age of 32, leaving behind a massive empire and no clear heir. When asked on his deathbed to whom he leaves his kingdom, Alexander reportedly gave his signet ring to Perdiccas and whispered: “To the strongest”.
This sparked the Wars of the Diadochi (Successors). But amidst the land grabs, there was a peculiar struggle for Alexander’s physical body (corpus). Why? Because the body was a talisman. Possessing the body conferred legitimacy. Whoever buried the King was, by Macedonian tradition, the rightful successor. It wasn’t just a corpse; it was a political nuclear weapon.
The Great Funeral Train Robbery
A massive funeral cart (catafalque) was built—essentially a rolling temple intended to take Alexander back to Macedonia to be buried with his ancestors at Vergina. Enter Ptolemy, Alexander’s boyhood friend and the future Pharaoh of Egypt. Ptolemy realized that Egypt was the prize of the empire. He didn’t want the body going north to Macedonia; he wanted it in Africa to legitimize his new dynasty. So, he pulled off the heist of the century. He bribed Arrhidaeus (the man in charge of the procession), flipped the switch at the crossroads, and hijacked the funeral train, diverting it to Egypt. Perdiccas, the regent, was furious (“Habeas Corpus!”), but his attempt to invade Egypt and retrieve the body ended in his assassination by his own troops (and some crocodiles).
The Memphis Interlude: The Empty Tomb
Ptolemy had the body, but Alexandria (the city) wasn’t built yet. He needed a temporary stash house. He chose Memphis, Egypt. Specifically, he likely used the empty tomb of the last native Pharaoh, Nectanebo II, who had fled Egypt years prior. Archaeological evidence supports this: A semicircle of statues representing the Greek poets and philosophers was found near the Serapeum in Memphis—a very strange addition to a Pharaonic site unless it was marking the resting place of a Greek hero.
The Soma: The Tourist Attraction of Antiquity
Eventually, the body was moved to Alexandria. By 215 BC, under Ptolemy IV, Alexander was laid to rest in a magnificent communal mausoleum known as the Soma (The Body) or the Sema (The Sign).
For nearly 600 years, this was the pilgrimage site of the ancient world. Famous Roman visitors included:
- Julius Caesar: Who visited to pay homage to his hero.
- Augustus: Who, in a moment of clumsy reverence, touched the mummy’s face and accidentally broke off the nose.
- Caligula: Who stole Alexander’s breastplate to wear it himself (because of course he did).
- Septimius Severus: Who, horrified by the foot traffic, sealed the tomb in the early 3rd century AD.
Alexander’s coffin went through changes, too. Originally solid gold, it was melted down by a cash-strapped Ptolemy in 89 BC and replaced with glass (or crystal), allowing visitors to see the mummified remains.
The Disappearance: Where did he go?
By the late 4th century AD, the tomb vanishes from the record. Why? The rise of Christianity. In 361 AD, Archbishop Georgius railed against the pagan monument: “How long shall this tomb stand?” Between Christian riots, tsunamis, and general neglect, the Soma was likely destroyed or lost beneath the rising water table and modern city of Alexandria. As the historian Peter Green suggests, if the body exists at all, it is likely “floating around the sewers of Alexandria”.
The Islamic Connection: The Two-Horned One
However, the memory of the tomb persisted. In the Islamic tradition, Alexander is known as Zulqarnain (“The Two-Horned One”), a reference to his depiction on coins with the horns of Zeus-Ammon . Dr. Noe and Dr. Winkle discuss a fascinating theory that the Nabi Daniel Mosque in Alexandria might be built over the site. Local legends conflated the Prophet Daniel with Alexander, leading to confusion about who was actually buried in the crypts. When Napoleon invaded in 1798, his savants found the sarcophagus of Nectanebo II (now in the British Museum) being used as a ritual bath in that very mosque—a tantalizing clue that this was indeed the original resting place.
The Venetian Conspiracy: Is St. Mark actually Alexander?
The most explosive theory comes from author Andrew Chugg. The Setup: In 828 AD, Venetian merchants smuggled the body of St. Mark out of Alexandria to save it from destruction by the Muslims. They took it to Venice, where it lies in St. Mark’s Basilica. The Problem: St. Mark was historically burned, not mummified. Alexander was mummified. The Theory: Could the “St. Mark” in Venice actually be Alexander the Great? Chugg suggests that early Christians, wanting to preserve Alexander’s body but unable to venerate a pagan, might have rebranded him as St. Mark. When the Venetians arrived, they unwittingly stole the body of the conqueror, not the evangelist. It is a wild theory, but as Dr. Winkle notes, it would explain why a mummified corpse was found in a Christian context. If true, the greatest general of antiquity is currently resting under the altar of a Catholic basilica in Italy.
Sponsors: Tools for the Modern Explorer
This journey through history is supported by:
- Hackett Publishing: For the best translations of the ancient sources that tell us about Alexander.
- The Deal: Visit hackettpublishing.com and use code AN2021 for 20% off and free shipping.
- Ratio Coffee: Dr. Noe relies on the Ratio 8 to fuel his late-night research. It simulates a pour-over with the precision of a scientist.
- The Giveaway: For Episodes 65-67, use the code 6567 at ratiocoffee.com/anco to be entered to win a Ratio 6!
- The Moss Method: Want to read the accounts of Alexander in the original Greek? Dr. Noe’s self-paced course takes you from “Neophyte to Erudite.”
- The Deal: Visit mossmethod.com to sign up.
The Gustatory Parting Shot
We conclude this mystery with a quote from Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. Dr. Winkle admits it wasn’t originally intended for food, but it fits the gustatory theme perfectly:
“Defeat your enemy from within.”
Whether that applies to Trojan Horses or a bad batch of cafeteria chili, we leave to your discretion.
Valete! (And keep looking for that nose).
Resources for the Latin Learner:The Moss Method: Interested in learning the language of Alexander’s historians? Visit LatinPerDiem.com to start your journey into Ancient Greek today!
