The location of the tombs or burial sites of the greatest names in history have long been lost, forgotten or, in some cases, deliberately hidden. Here are some of the world’s most prized lost tombs.
Legendary lost tombs
Alexander the Great
Topping the list of most sought-after tombs of the ancient world is Alexander the Great. The Macedonian king had conquered much of the ancient world by 326 BC before passing away in Babylon in 323 BC, possibly from illness, excessive drinking, or even poisoning. His body was preserved in honey and taken to Egypt, where is was first buried in Memphis and later in two tombs in Alexandria. However, much of Alexandria was destroyed in the fourth and fifth centuries AD, leaving the location of his tomb unknown.
Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan built a vast empire stretching from modern Ukraine to China before dying in 1227 at around 67 years old. The Mongol leader’s cause of death is unknown, with theories ranging from illness to battle wounds. Marco Polo later claimed that Khan died from an infected arrow wound and that 20,000 people were killed to keep his the location of his tomb secret. Today, archaeologists believe his tomb may be hidden in the Ordos region of northern China.
Cleopatra and Mark Antony
The location of the remains of one of history’s most famous pair of lovers, Cleopatra VII, the last queen of Egypt, and the Roman general, Mark Antony, remains unknown. After Julius Caesar’s assassination, Antony allied with Octavian but later rebelled, seeking control over Egypt and Rome’s eastern territories. They lost the Battle of Actium in 31 BC, and Cleopatra, facing defeat, reportedly killed herself via a snake bite in 30 BC. Antony, then took his own life with a sword. Their final resting place remains unknown, though some believe they were buried together.
Attila the Hun
Attila, leader of the Huns, built a powerful empire in Eastern and Central Europe during the fifth century AD. Feared by both the Eastern and Western Roman Empires, he ruled from 434 until his sudden death in 453, reportedly on his wedding night. Attila is said to have died from severe bleeding, though some speculate he was poisoned by his wife, Ildico. Attila was supposedly buried with great riches in Hungary, but legend says the servants who buried him were killed to keep the tomb’s location secret, similar to Genghis Khan. The whereabouts of Attila’s tomb remain unknown.
Nefertiti & Akhenaten
Nefertiti, a famous Egyptian queen, became even more renowned after a painted wooden bust of her was discovered in 1912. She lived from around 1370 to 1330 BC and was the wife of Pharaoh Akhenaten, who introduced monotheism to ancient Egypt through worshipping the sun god, Aten. Some believe Nefertiti acted as a co-ruler, as many carvings depict her alongside Akhenaten. There has been speculation about her burial site, but her royal tomb and mummy have never been found.
Like his wife, the tomb of Pharaoh Akhenaten has never been found, though some believe his reburied mummy was discovered in the early 20th century. Originally named Amenhotep IV, he changed his name to Akhenaten to honor the sun god Aten. His religious reforms, which promoted the monotheistic worship of Aten, were short-lived. After his reign from 1349 to 1336 BC, his son Tutankhamun restored the worship of Egypt’s traditional gods. Akhenaten remains a controversial and mysterious figure in Egyptian history.
Moctezuma II
Moctezuma II was one of the last emperors of the Aztec Empire in central Mexico before the Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortés arrived. He famously attempted to appease the invading Spaniards by offering them gold. His death in 1520 is shrouded in controversy, with differing accounts suggesting he was either betrayed by the Spanish or fatally injured by his own people in retaliation. Some reports indicate that he was cremated shortly after his death, but his remains have never been found. This mystery adds to the tragic narrative of Montezuma’s reign during the Spanish conquest.
Christopher Columbus
The location of Christopher Columbus‘ remains remains a subject of dispute. After his death in 1506, Columbus was initially buried in Valladolid, Spain, but his body was later exhumed and reburied in Sevilla. It is believed that his remains were then moved to Santo Domingo, in present-day Dominican Republic. Both Sevilla and Santo Domingo claim to hold Columbus’s bones, but the true resting place of the explorer is still unknown. This uncertainty adds to the intrigue surrounding Columbus’s legacy as the first European to cross the Atlantic and initiate the colonization of the Americas.
Leonardo da Vinci
The artist, engineer, and proto-scientist Leonardo da Vinci may be the most famous figure of the Italian Renaissance, but no one is quite sure where his bones are. He died in France in 1519 and was buried for a time in a church at the Château d’Amboise in the Loire Valley. But the chateau was heavily damaged during the French Revolution and was demolished in 1802; several graves at the site were destroyed or their contents were relocated, and the whereabouts of da Vinci’s remains are now unclear.