Among the many perks that came with being an ancient Macedonian king was the exclusive right to dress in purple, and Alexander the Great certainly made the most of this royal entitlement. The legendary ruler is believed to have to have donned his aubergine apparel at every opportunity, and a new study suggests we may have finally located one of his most famous purple garments.
According to the Ancient Greek author Ephippus of Olynthus, Alexander exercised his purple privilege almost every day, rarely going anywhere without his mauve tunic-like robe, known as a chiton or sarapis. Now, it seems this well-used frock may have been stashed alongside some of the monarch’s other items inside the tomb of his half-brother.
Originally excavated in 1977, the so-called Great Tumulus of Vergina in northern Greece contains the remains of several of Alexander the Great’s relatives, although it took until the tail end of last year for the identities of the interred to be confirmed. Of particular interest is a burial known as Royal Tomb II, which features a golden chest – or larnax – that houses the bones of Alexander’s semi-sibling Philip III Arrhidaeus in addition to armor and other objects that belonged to the king himself.
Among these items is a purple and white material that was once thought to have served as wrapping for Arrhidaeus’ bones. However, re-examining the ancient cloth, study author Antonis Bartsiokas from the Democritus University of Thrace has reached an altogether different conclusion.
Reviewing a series of molecular and microscopic analyses of the fabric, Bartsiokas reveals that the item is in fact a purple-dyed cotton textile with a white center, likely blanched using the mineral huntite. The author therefore concludes that “the physical description exactly fits the description in the ancient sources of the sacred Persian mesoleucon sarapis which belonged to Pharaoh and King Alexander the Great”.
Not holding back, Bartsiokas goes on to describe the old rag as “the most precious object in antiquity.”
It’s worth noting, however, that the Royal Tombs of Vergina remain the subject of great academic debate, and Bartsiokas’ assertions are sure to be discussed and contested by other scholars. Seeking to strengthen his argument, the researcher points out that Tomb II is adorned with a frieze depicting Alexander the Great wearing the very robe that was found inside the larnax.
In the image, the king can be identified by the fact that he is also wearing a purple hat known as a kausia, which features a diadem and was only worn by royalty. He is depicted hunting a lion, apparently poised to deliver the fatal blow, all the while draped in his fabulous purple chiton.
Thus, while the final resting place of Alexander himself remains a mystery, Bartsiokas suggests that the great ruler’s iconic clothing was buried with Philip III Arrhidaeus, who died in 316 BCE and was the last king of the Argead dynasty.
The study is published in the Journal of Field Archaeology.
