Ancient tomb may have belonged to a courtesan with Alexander the Great's army, archeologists reveal
Fox News
Archeologists in Israel believe they may have discovered a historic first: the tomb of a woman who was a courtesan with Alexander the Great's army some 2,300 years ago.
More specifically, hetaira were "one of a class of professional independent courtesans of Ancient Greece who, besides developing physical beauty, cultivated their minds and talents to a degree far beyond that allowed to the average Attic woman," said Encyclopedia Britannica. Alexander of Macedonia was criticized for investing not in graves for Greek soldiers who fell in the war against Persia — but for his hetairai. In Ancient Greece, the process of cremation did not turn a body to ash, but rather left bones behind. Christine Rousselle is a lifestyle reporter with Fox News Digital.
The tomb was discovered in 2019 alongside "strange grave goods" during a salvage expedition in Jerusalem's Talpiot neighborhood, said Haaretz.