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Favonius Cornelius

The Great Artifacts

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That seems to be the going story for all religious artifacts. ;)

I was wondering about the Sybelline books :) now you mention it

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That seems to be the going story for all religious artifacts. ;)

I was wondering about the Sybelline books :) now you mention it

 

Well their original form is lost ever since the fire in Rome destroyed that copy, so perhaps it would be an addition to your other thread?

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What would Indy do?

 

On the subject of Christian relics, how about the one of the biggest and best documented of all, the remains of the True Cross. Reportedly located by the Empress Helena (Emperor Constantine's mother), this was ensconced in Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. In 614, the Sassanids captured Jerusalem and removed the relic to Persian lands. The Emperor Heraclius regained it in 627, taking it to Constantinople. Eventually it was returned to Jerusalem and was said to be hidden by the Christians living there in 1009. Later it was supposedly found by the crusaders in 1099(?) and then lost to Saladin and the Muslims in the 1180s and destroyed presumably. Pieces and accounts of it continued to surface after this and perhaps it was not turned into kindling. Certainly Indiana Jones would risk life and limb for a chance at recovering the True Cross.

 

How about the tomb of Alexander the Great? Where is the greatest conqueror from ancient times buried? The mystery is said to remain... Alexander supposedly wanted no funeral but rather to be dumped into the Euphrates. His generals had other plans. While bickering over the empire Alexander and the Greeks had carved out, they prepared a great funeral procession to bear the body of their king back to Macedonia(?). One general, Ptolemy, who was in control of Egypt at the time, waylaid the funeral procession and took the body of Alexander to Egypt where he reportedly had it interred in Memphis. Later the body of the king was supposedly moved to Alexandria. Accounts mention that Augustus viewed the tomb as did Emperor Caracalla. However after this time, the sources never mention the exact location or anybody else visiting it. This tomb has never been located, to my knowledge even though several modern archaeologists have made attempts to do so. I'd bet Indiana would bite at the chance to locate this lost person/place!

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