Have Archaeologists Discovered the Tomb of The Greek Philosopher Aristotle?

On Thursday, at the Aristotle 2400 Years World Congress held in Thessaloniki and organized by the Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki was announced the discovery of Aristotle’s tomb!

The great ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, was a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. He was born in Stagira in 384 BC and died in Chalcis, Evia, at 322 BC.

Archaeologists initially believed Aristotle was buried in Chalkis.

In 1996 the Greek archaeologist Kostas Sismanidis discovered a tomb in ancient Stagira, in Central Macedona, on the east coast of the Greek mainland.
Mr Sismanidis dedicated more than 20 years in research and excavations in order to find evidence and prove that the tomb belongs to Aristotle. He said: ‘I have no hard proof, but strong indications lead me to almost certainty.’

Many indications, from the location of the tomb, to the period it was erected, and literary ancient sources suggest that the edifice is indeed Aristotle’s tomb.

Two literary sources indicate that: “When Aristotle died (in Chalkis, in October 322 BC), people of Stagira transferred his ashes to his birthplace, placed it into a bronze urn and deposited it in a place named “Aristotelion”. Every time they had important issues and wanted to resolve difficult problems, they convened their assembly in this place.” These manuscripts are from The Marciana Library and an Arabic biography of Aristotle from the second half of the 11 century BC.

The marble floor is dated to the Hellenistic period between 323 BC and 32 BC and is located the center of Stagira, near the Agora.

Ceramics findings from the royal pottery workshops and more than fifty coins found in the area date at the times of Alexander the Great.

Byzantines had destroyed the tomb and built a square tower on in so the tomb had remained unknown.

Outside the tomb, there is an altar and a square-shaped floor – presumably placed there for people to pray for Aristotle.

The tomb is 32 feet (10 meters) high, and the main square floor surrounds a Byzantine tower – the architectural style of the Later Roman era.

There also appears to be a pathway leading up to the tomb’s entrance, which was probably there for those that wished to pay their respects.