Alexander the Great breakthrough as family tomb's findings thrown into doubt by new study

A tomb found in 1977 was originally "conclusively" believed to contain the remains of Alexander the Great's son Alexander IV, elder half-brother Philip III, and his father Philip II. However, a recent discovery following research near the ancient town of Vergina in Greece suggests the skeleton that was believed to belong to Philip II in fact belongs to someone entirely.

These recent findings suggest that the male body belongs to an unknown Macedonian royal, who was actually buried decades before Philip II was killed. The research director at the Greek National Centre of Scientific Research, Yannis Maniatis, told the MailOnline: "We are absolutely certain it is not Phillip II." This conclusion was reached after it was determined that Philip II’s tomb could in fact not belong to him at all, as the remains are believed to have been buried before 356BC, some 20 years before Alexander's father died.

"This person’s date of death is before 356BC, as determined with radiocarbon dating, so it excludes Philip II who died in 336BC", Dr Maniatis said, as the body was determined to be of a Macedonian royal aged between 25 and 35 when he died.

Philip II was around 45 years old at the time of his death, when he was assassinated alongside his wife Cleopatra and infant child, upon the orders of his former wife Olympias.

The initial theory of Philip II and his murdered family being buried here is further disproved, the researchers said, through analysis of other bones found in the tomb. The presumed bones of his infant son have also been determined to not come from one individual, but from at least six different infants, according to the researchers.

Dr Maniatis said: "It is clear that Tomb 1, which was in the periphery of the Great Tumulus, was exposed after some environmental event and so it became a convenient place for disposing dead infants in the Roman period.

The fact that the three tombs all sit in what is considered to be the Royal burial Ground of Macedon Kings still leans into the idea that the unidentified skeleton does still belong to a member of Alexander’s family, but likely an older member.

Alexander III was born in Pella, the ancient capital of Macedonia, in July 356BC. His conquests at war, such his victory at the Battle of Guagamela in northern Iraq, led him to be known as Alexander the Great.

He died of a fever in Babylon in June 323BC. His tomb is still yet to be discovered.