These five ancient rulers changed the world, but their bodies have never been found.
As tourist attractions go, the final resting places of famous people score pretty high on the list. Just ask the caretakers at Westminster Abbey, where the graves of kings, queens, poets and scientists (including Newton, Darwin and Hawking) have seen millions of visitors over the years. And don’t even get us started on Graceland, where Elvis’ grave sees as many as 750,000 pilgrims. Per year.But when you go further back in history, you find that the final resting places of many great figures are mysteriously missing. Here are a few people whose lives are well remembered, while their burial places are lost.
Boudica, Rebel Queen
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However she died, no one knows what happened to her body. There have been some (rather wild) claims that she’s buried under King’s Cross Station in London. It’s more likely that her grave, if there is one, is somewhere near Shropshire, where the Romans at last defeated her and her forces. In any case, even if someone does dig up bones that might be Boudica’s, it’s unlikely we’d ever know for sure. Sometimes DNA can be isolated from ancient remains to identify individuals. But Lindsey Buster, an archaeologist at the University of York, who specializes in Iron Age Britain, explains that, for conclusive proof, remains must be well-preserved and we’d need a modern relative for comparison. It’s unlikely that either would be the case with remains thought to be Boudica’s. That doesn’t mean the Warrior Queen is forgotten. Boudica became a hero to the women of the British Suffrage movement, and a statue of her stands in London today as a reminder of the independence of the British — and, more to the point, of women in general.
Alexander the Great
Alexander became the ruler of Macedon upon the assassination of his father, Philip II, in 336 BCE. The 20-year-old warrior quickly consolidated power throughout Greece and then expanded his rule. He conquered the Persian Empire, founded over 70 cities (including, of course, Alexandria), and consolidated an empire that stretched from Greece to India. Then in 356 CE, nature did what the Persian armies could not. A tsunami, followed by a series of earthquakes and rising sea levels, combined to defeat Alexandria. Much of what was coastline then is underwater now. And what is not underwater is underground. A new city was built on top of the old. Alexander’s tomb is likely lost under as much as 12 feet of layers of soil and more recent history — if it hasn’t been washed out to sea.
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The others: https://www.discovermagazine.com/the...tm_source=digg