Alexander in Venice

[Alexias]

Andrew Chugg supported (or proposed, I'm not sure) the theory that the body in Venice purported to be Saint Mark's is actually the body of Alexander. This body was smuggled out of Alexandria in the 9th century.

This video, featuring Andrew Chugg, shows the presenter Josh Gates and another gentleman, using AI to fit a piece of Macedonian stonework currently in Venice I think, to the outside of an Egyptian sarcophagus that is in the British Museum. If that is the sarcophagus that used to be labelled as Alexander's in the 19thC., then it has long been discounted as having anything to do with Alexander, possibly because the hieroglyphs on the outside were deciphered. Anyway, this video raises more questions than it answers.

[hiphys]

The first obstacle to this supposition is the stonework: the experts say the stone doesn't come from Egypt, but from Istria (a peninsula near Venice). Therefore it may be a copy from a Macedonian original. The real question is why there is such a copy in St. Mark at Venice.

[marcus]

Yes, well ... all very interesting, but ...

[Alexias]

I think this is part of a longer episode. Series 1 is available on the Discovery+ channel, but not this yet. Hopefully it will cover why the three items are connected, and how they are connected with Alexander.

I have just found this blog that explains the theory in more detail https://ancientheroes.net/blog/alexander-tomb-solved

[marcus]

The biggest problem is:
>>British author, historian, and all-around Alexander the Great expert Andrew Chugg<<

He's not a historian, except as an amateur. He's also not an "All-around Alexander the Great expert".

Still, the article does at least call his theory: "clever, if speculative".

>>“At 99% probability we have a conclusion that the Star-Shield Block in Venice is part of the outer casing for the Nectanebo sarcaphagus in the British Museum and that essentially proves the entire theory”<< No, it doesn't.

I will be more than deliriously happy if, one day, Chugg's theory is proven to be correct. I have no reason to believe this will happen in my lifetime.

[Alexias]

Oh, I agree with you that the possibility of any of it being connected to Alexander is negligible, and virtually unprovable, but I was just trying to be impartial.