Famous Last Words
Alexander the Great
Babylon (modern-day Iraq)
June 10, 323 B.C.
“To the strongest!”
Alexander the Great’s day of death has been recorded as either June 10 or 11, and the reason for his death have been disputed. Many theories as to how the mighty military leader and king may have died, from poisoning to a relapse of a previous disease. Regardless, when he died his body was placed in a gold sarcophagus which was then filled with honey (used as a natural preserver as it doesn’t decay and acts as a hermetic seal). Afterward, this honey-and-corpse filled sarcophagus was placed within a gold casket.
The location of his body and tomb are currently unknown despite great efforts to discover them. In 2014, a large tomb was found containing a skeleton, and studies began to determine if they belonged to Alexander the Great. In 2015, however, it was determined to be a monument honoring a close friend and general, Hephaestion.
