The communal bathroom, where Alexander the Great likely bathed with his close friend and suspected lover Hephaestion, was attached to a gymnasium where the men trained in sports and combat.
Archaeologists at the Palace of Aigai in northern Greece have just discovered the bathroom and combat gymnasium of Alexander the Great.
robertharding / Alamy Stock PhotoThe Palace of Aigai where Alexander the Great was crowned the King of Macedonia.
As part of a 16-year renovation project, experts are painstakingly excavating and restoring the ruins of the great ancient Macedonian palace to better understand the life of one of history’s most influential figures, and this discovery is one of the most exciting yet.
Alexander The Great’s Bathroom At Aigai
The Palace of Aigai was constructed in the heart of the Kingdom of Macedonia at the request of Philip II, who ruled from 359 B.C.E. to 336 B.C.E. It was three times the size of the Parthenon in Athens.
At 162,000 square feet, the palace featured a theater, places of worship, a courtyard, royal tombs, and a giant wall. This was the home of Alexander the Great, the young king of Macedonia.
Between 336 B.C.E. and 323 B.C.E., Alexander created one of history’s largest empires, which stretched from Greece to parts of India and Africa. As one of the greatest military leaders of all time, researchers are eager to learn more about him.
Public DomainA mosaic of Alexander the Great.
For the past 16 years, archaeologists have been conducting extensive renovations of the palace, restoring more than 15,000 square feet of it so far.
Now, researchers believe they have discovered the bathroom and an adjacent palaestra, or gymnasium, of Alexander the Great. The team plans to show off the rooms for the first time on the series Bettany Hughes’ Treasures of the World, which will air on May 11, 2024.
“There’s a massive drain cut into the rock and a communal bathroom,” said Hughes, as reported by Daily Mail. “This would have been where Alexander the Great bathed with his companions — his famous favorite Hephaestion and all those young men who then traveled with him on campaigns and after his death squabbled over his empire.”
Learning More About The Life Of The Legendary Conqueror
Researchers are ecstatic about the opportunity to learn more about one of history’s most important people. For one, Alexander the Great lived and trained at the Palace of Aigai, making it an incredibly important place in his life.
While at the palace, Alexander would have trained extensively in the combat gym with his friends, including his future second-in-command Hephaestion.
Public DomainAlexander the Great and Hephaestion were rumored to be lovers as well as close friends.
“There were all these rites of passage [Alexander and his friends] went through. They were incredibly active in the gym, fighting and wrestling. They were trained to hunt,” Hughes stated.
“It is a really visceral moment to be there imagining Alexander bathing in a lovely homo-erotic way with his teenage, testosterone-filled companions,” she continued.
Now, archaeologists state the next step in the renovation process is finding Alexander the Great’s childhood bedroom. That discovery, coupled with his bathroom and combat gym, will help experts better understand how one of history’s most influential figures lived his life before setting out to conquer the world.
After reading about the discovery of Alexander the Great’s bathroom, dive into the story behind his puzzling death. Then, read the mystery behind his elusive tomb.
