The exact burial place of Alexander the Great remains one of the greatest mysteries of antiquity. Although his tomb disappeared centuries ago, researchers continue to search for the truth. A modern theory claims that his real tomb is in Venice, in St. Mark's Basilica.

Why is the tomb of Alexander the Great a mystery? After his death in 323 BC, Ptolemy stole his body and moved it to Memphis, Egypt, where he was first buried. Later, Ptolemy's son moved Alexander's body to Alexandria, the city that bears his name.

For centuries, various historians have reported visits to his tomb, proving that its location was known. However, the last reliable report comes from the orator Libanius in 390 AD. A few years later, around 400 AD, John Chrysostom visited Alexandria with the intention of seeing the tomb, but by then it had already been lost.

What happened between 390 and 400 aD that led to the tomb's disappearance? The most obvious explanation is the edicts of Theodosius against pagan places of worship. These were issued around 390 aD, the same period that the tomb is last mentioned.

Alexander Was worshipped as a god, so his monument would have been considered pagan and probably destroyed by Christians. However, there is another possibility: instead of being destroyed, alexander's tomb may Have been repurposed as the tomb of mark The Evangelist.

Researcher andrew Tsag Argues that the christians Of alexandria, Wanting to protect the tomb, presented it as the tomb of saint Mark. The First mention of a tomb of Mark in Alexandria occurs in 392 aD, immediately after the edicts of Theodosius.

In 828 AD, Mark's body was moved from Alexandria to Venice, as the Muslim leader al-Ma'mun planned to destroy the church where it was kept. The body was placed in St. Mark's Basilica, which allows researchers to know its exact location.

Near Mark's original burial site at Vasiliki, archaeologists discovered a stone fragment with ancient Macedonian symbols, including a sun, associated with Alexander's royal family. The type of stone comes from the Eastern Mediterranean and dates to around 200 BC.

Tsag argues that the shape of this stone perfectly matches the lid of the sarcophagus of Nectanevos II. This sarcophagus, although not used by Nectanevos, has been traditionally associated with Alexander the Great. The researcher suggests that Alexander's body may have been transported with the lid of his sarcophagus to Venice.

Definitive proof could come from an examination of the body in the Basilica, but it is unlikely to happen anytime soon, due to the stance of the Catholic Church.