Alexander the Great was also worshiped in Iraq – What archaeologists discovered in a Sumerian temple – Newsbomb – News

The mystery surrounding a 4,000-year-old Iraqi temple appears to have been solved by archaeologists as they found clues the Alexander the Great he was worshiped there as a divine figure.

Scientists were troubled by the discovery of more recent Greek inscriptions in the ancient Sumerian temple at Girsuin the modern city of Tello.

But now archaeologists at the British Museum believe that the temple of Alexander the Great was founded at Girsu, possibly by Alexander himself.

Cause the discovery of one silver coin which was cut around 330 BC. by Alexander’s troops and suggests that the conqueror may have visited the temple after defeating the Persians.

Girsu was a city of the Sumerians, one of the first known civilizations in the historical region of southern Mesopotamia.

After excavations began in the 19th century, archaeologists suspected that there was a Greek “construction” in ancient Girsu, but the only evidence was a mysterious tablet, which read in Greek and Aramaic: “Adad-nadin-aḫḫe” meaning “donor of the two brothers”.

What troubled the researchers was that the temple had been abandoned in 1750 BC, more than 1,000 years before Alexander the Great was even born.

The British Museum archaeologist Dr Sebastien Rey he now believes that the Greeks had established their own temple on the ancient site, possibly to honor the divinity of Alexander.

“It’s really shocking. Our discoveries place the later temple in the period when Alexander the Great lived”said Dr. Ray.

“We found ancient offerings, the kinds of offerings that the ancient Greeks made after a battle, such as figures of horses, soldiers and horsemen” he stated.

Offerings included terracotta horsemen that closely resembled the young recruit’s personal guard. All this suggests that the site was used as a place of worship by the men and retinue of Alexander the Great.

Researchers claim that these findings mean that whoever made the offerings in the temple were either very close to Alexander or even that they were made by the conqueror himself.

“There is a possibility, we will never know for sure, that Alexander the Great may have come here on his way back to Babylon shortly before he died and built his temple.”Dr. Ray told the Telegraph.