LESSON 5 · Ancient Greece Unmasked
Six Days Without Rot
Ancient sources report something bizarre: his body showed no signs of decomposition for six days after death. Modern doctors suggest this could indicate Guillain-Barré syndrome — he may have been paralyzed but still alive, appearing dead while fully conscious.
Ptolemy hijacked the funeral procession en route to Macedon and installed Alexander's embalmed body in Alexandria, Egypt. It stayed there for centuries, visited by Julius Caesar, Augustus, and Caligula.
The tomb vanished around 400 CE and has never been rediscovered despite over a hundred search expeditions.