Macedonians Hope to Chance on Alexander's Tomb

A team of scientists at work on a dig in central Macedonia has attracted unwanted attention after an independent Croatian researcher, who joined the team, said he believed that the spot hides the grave of Alexander the Great.

Domagoj Nikolic, an independent researcher, told media that he came to the  village of Crniliste, close to the central Macedonian town of Sveti Nikole, “to prove or discard” his theory that the area contains the grave of Alexander.

“Who would have said that this forgotten place hides such a great thing - the grave of Alexander the Great?” Nikolic inquired, according to local media. “It is up to the scientists now to prove or discard my beliefs.”

Nikolic says his claims are based on ancient writings on the ground that are found near the village, which he says pinpoint Alexander’s grave.

An international team of scientists this week launched a survey near the village, scanning the area to create maps of subsurface archaeological features.

The event has been covered with great care by the media, and with the presence of the mayor of Sveti Nikole, Zoran Tanev.

However, the head researcher, Macedonian archaeologist Dragi Mitrevski, insisted that their purpose was not to find Alexander - and dismissed media reports as sensationalism.

“The story about Alexander the Great and his grave has nothing to do with our work or with archaeology in general. Each village [in Macedonia] has similar stories,” Mitrevski said.

The head of the Sveti Nikole Museum, Aleksandar Arsov, also said there was no reason to believe that the spot pinpointed by Nikolic contains an ancient royal burial tomb.

“According to past research in the area, there is nothing unusual there...