King Philip’s II of Macedonia Tomb Revisited. The Female Remains in the Antechamber are Still Unidentifiable

The golden chests bearing the emblem of the Macedonian Royal family contained in two marble sarcophagi found in 1977 in the main chamber and antechamber of the unlooted Royal Tomb II at Aegae, Greece, contained the remains of two individuals, a man and a woman. The man in the main chamber has been identified as King Philip II of Macedon, father of Alexander the Great. A pair of unequal gilded greaves, the left one shorter by 2.6 cm and narrower by 3.5 cm compared to the right one, an indication of the lameness of their owner, was found in the antechamber. There is not enough evidence that they belong to the woman buried and the possibility they are part of the ceremonial armor found in the main chamber cannot be excluded. The woman's age remains disputed, following criticism of the method used in estimating it. Whether she is King Philip's seventh wife/concubine, daughter of Scythian king Atheas, or Cleopatra, King Philip's wife, remains still open to discussion and any uncertainties need to be further explored.