The eye injury of King Philip II and the skeletal evidence from the royal tomb II at Vergina

Science. 2000 Apr 21;288(5465):511-4. doi: 10.1126/science.288.5465.511.

Abstract

The Royal Tomb II was discovered in Vergina, Greece, in 1977. It contained a male skeleton and a rich array of grave goods. Evidence of trauma supposedly in the orbital bones of the skull has been thought to correspond to an eye injury that King Philip II is historically known to have suffered. However, reexamination of the orbital morphology showed no evidence of such pathology. Therefore, the skeleton does not belong to Philip II. New skeletal evidence shows that the skeleton belongs to King Philip III Arrhidaeus. In this case, the tomb may well contain some of the paraphernalia of Alexander the Great.

Publication types

  • Biography
  • Historical Article

MeSH terms

  • Bone and Bones / anatomy & histology
  • Burial / history*
  • Eye Injuries / history
  • Eye Injuries / pathology
  • Famous Persons*
  • Fractures, Bone / history
  • Fractures, Bone / pathology
  • Greece, Ancient
  • History, Ancient
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Mortuary Practice
  • Orbit / injuries
  • Paleontology
  • Skull / anatomy & histology

Personal name as subject

  • None King Philip II
  • None King Philip III Arrhidaeus