Okay, so this whole thing about finding Alexander the Great’s tomb has been buzzing lately, right? Experts keep popping up on podcasts and articles claiming they’re onto something. Got curious myself – figured, how hard can it be to track these people down? Let me tell ya exactly what I did, step by messy step.
The Starting Point: Just Asking Around
First off, I hit up Facebook groups about ancient history stuff. You know the ones – full of enthusiasts arguing over pottery shards. Posted a simple question: “Heard about anyone seriously looking for Alex’s tomb right now? Who’s talking about it?” Big mistake. Got buried under a mountain of conspiracy theories. One guy insisted it was under the White House. Another sent me a 20-page PDF about alien involvement. Zero actual experts.
Poking at Universities & Museums
Next, tried the official route. Visited university archaeology department websites – clicked through staff pages looking for anything mentioning Hellenistic Egypt or Alexander. Emailed three professors whose research seemed close. Waited a week. One reply: “We focus on text analysis, not fieldwork.” The other two? Radio silence. Messaged a curator at a big museum’s Mediterranean section on LinkedIn. Got a polite auto-reply saying they don’t take unsolicited queries.
The Podcast Rabbit Hole
Since everyone’s chatting on podcasts, I binge-listened. Searched “Alexander tomb location” on every app. Found tons of episodes with flashy titles like “THE BREAKTHROUGH REVEALED!” Most were:
- Some host yelling excitedly about old maps
- A “historian” promoting their book with zero new evidence
- Vague mentions of “ground-penetrating radar” without naming who’s using it
Realized half these guests weren’t even archaeologists – just authors or treasure hunters. Felt like chasing ghosts.
Finally Connecting (Sort Of)
Stumbled on a recent academic conference video panel called “Debating Ancient Burials.” One scholar – dude from Greece – casually mentioned modern efforts in Alexandria’s urban digs. Screenshotted his name. Dug deeper into his university profile, found his email. Sent a blunt message: “Heard you on the panel. Are any experts actively searching? How do I find them?” Took him 10 days to reply. Said: “Several teams survey possible sites. But funding’s low and permits are nightmares. Most talk is speculative until someone gets real access.” Attached a PDF of his old dig report – dry as sand.
What Actually Worked (Kinda)
My dumb luck move? Went to JSTOR and filtered very recent archaeology journals. Found a 2024 paper co-authored by an Egyptian researcher detailing struggles with groundwater at a suspected site near Siwa Oasis. No grand announcements, just raw frustrations about excavating near modern pipes. Emailed her institution’s generic “contact us” address. Got a boilerplate reply listing public lectures – none in the next six months.
The Takeaway? Finding these experts feels like trying to grab smoke. They’re either buried in bureaucracy, not doing fieldwork, or drowned out by loud voices pushing theories. Everyone’s “discussing” it, but actual boots-on-the-ground searchers? Like finding gold dust. Learned more about academic runarounds than Alexander’s grave location.
