Geologist claims Amphipolis tomb posterior to main burial monument

THESSALONIKI, Greece – A geologist who took part in the excavation of the ancient burial mound in Amphipolis in northern Greece says the ancient tomb found together with a series of vaulted rooms wasn't built at the same time, but somewhat later than the rooms themselves.

Geologist Evangelos Kambouroglou also said Saturday that the mound inside which the rooms and the tomb were found is not man-made, but a natural hill.

The vaulted rooms had been dated to between 325 B.C. — two years before the death of ancient Greek warrior-king Alexander the Great — and 300 B.C., although some archaeologists had claimed a later date. Kambouroglou's announcement casts doubt on the theory that the five bodies found in the tomb could belong to members of Alexander's family.