Hunt for Alexander the Great

Josh Gates launches a multi-continent hunt for one of archaeology's most tantalizing prizes: the lost tomb of Alexander the Great. The investigation takes him from the royal tombs of Vergina in northern Greece—where Alexander's father Philip II was discovered in 1977—to the submerged ruins of Alexandria's ancient Royal Quarter off Egypt's coast, and deep into tunnels beneath the modern city. Gates works with archaeologists, divers, and historians pursuing three distinct leads: evidence in a sunken Mediterranean city, underground excavations that may pinpoint the burial site, and a controversial theory suggesting Alexander's mummified remains were hidden inside another ruler's sarcophagus. The search turns perilous when a water pump fails during tunnel exploration, threatening to trap the team underground.

Alexander died suddenly at 32 in 323 BCE after forging an empire spanning over two million square miles across three continents, from Greece to the Himalayas. Ancient sources describe his burial in a treasure-filled tomb in Alexandria, the Egyptian city he founded, but both his body and the tomb's location were lost to history centuries ago. The episode captures why this mystery endures: a dogged archaeologist believes she's closing in on the site through systematic excavation beneath Alexandria's streets, while underwater surveys reveal tantalizing remains of the Royal Quarter where ancient texts placed his resting place. Gates examines each theory against mainstream archaeological evidence, including an assessment of whether a sculpted head discovered in the excavations could represent Alexander's actual likeness—potentially the first authentic portrait of the legendary conqueror.