Experts say an attractive purple robe found in an ancient tomb in Greece belonged to Alexander the Great.

The venerated ceremonial garment, called ‘mesoleucon sarapis’, was discovered 47 years ago in one of the three tombs of Vergina, in northern Greece.

However, it was not found in the tomb of Alexander the Great himself, but of his half-brother, Philip III of Macedonia.

Scholars say that Philip III inherited the tunic after the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC, at the young age of 32.

Alexander the Great was king of Macedonia, a northern state of ancient Greece between 336 and 323 BC

Today, he is considered one of the most successful military commanders in history, having conquered almost every part of the world his people knew.

But sadly, the resting place of Alexander the Great himself remains a mystery.

It is generally accepted that he was originally buried in Egypt, but it is believed that his body was moved to prevent looting.

Colored illustration (after an engraving from ‘Vies des Savants Illustres’ by Louis Figuier, circa 1867) shows Alexander the Great (356-323 BC) (left) wearing the purple tunic while being taught by Aristotle (384-322 BC) C.)

The venerated tunic is in a fragmentary state and has many small pieces less than 6 cm (2.3 in). Shown here in a shot of its discovery at Vergina in 1977.

The new study was led by Antonios Bartsiokas, a professor of anthropology at the Democritus University of Thrace in Greece.

He believes the tunic from the tomb, found highly fragmented, matches the venerated purple and white ‘mesoleucon sarapis’ of Alexander the Great documented by history.

“The physical description fits exactly the description contained in ancient sources of the sacred Persian mesoleucon sarapis,” he says in your studio.

“It belonged to the pharaoh and King Alexander the Great and, as such, was the most precious object of antiquity.”

The tunic was found in ‘Tomb II’, one of three tombs discovered by archaeologists in Vergina, northern Greece, in 1977.

Professor Bartsiokas says the tunic was found at the time in a “fragmentary state” with many pieces smaller than 2.3 inches (6 cm).

Its new physical, chemical and microscopic analysis has revealed that it is made of a purple-dyed cotton fabric that was “only worn by the elite.”

The luxurious violet material sandwiches one or two layers of a whitish material made primarily of the mineral huntite.

The tunic was found in ‘Tomb II’, one of three tombs discovered by archaeologists in Vergina, northern Greece, in 1977.

Pictured is the facade of Tomb II in Vergina, Greece, including the marble door. Professor Bartsiokas says Tomb II contained Alexander the Great’s half-brother, Philip III of Macedon

In the decades since its discovery, other scholars have misinterpreted the robe fragments.

They thought it might be a mask, “but there is no mention of this in ancient literary sources,” he told MailOnline.

While Alexander the Great’s resting place is unknown, researchers discovered three tombs at Vergina in 1977, named Tombs I, II, and III.

Remains of the tunic were discovered in Tomb II along with several other artifacts, including a scepter, an oak crown, and a diadem, all made of gold.

Tomb II belonged to Philip III of Macedonia, half-brother of Alexander the Great, and not to Alexander the Great himself.

Professor Bartsiokas claims that the treasures were inherited by Philip III after the death of Alexander the Great in Babylon in 323 BC.

Meanwhile, Tomb I contained Philip II, the father of Alexander the Great, while Tomb III contained Alexander IV, the son of Alexander the Great.

Professor Bartsiokas’ previous study revealed that two of the three family members had been caught in a case of mistaken identity.

The forces of Alexander the Great (356-323 BC) are depicted fighting those of the Indian Rajah Porus (active 327-315 BC) on the banks of the Hydaspes River (now the Jhelum River in Pakistan).

He identified Tomb I as containing the father of Alexander the Great (Philip II) and Tomb II as containing Philip III of Macedonia, and not the other way around as previously assumed.

Tomb I also contained the remains of a woman and a baby, believed to be Cleopatra, the young wife of Philip II, and her newborn son.

Professor Bartsiokas agrees that this should have been a “revelation”, but instead academics were wrong about his identity for decades.

“They speculated that the female was Eurydice (Philip III’s wife), but offered no explanation for the newborn,” he told MailOnline.

“It is a well-established fact in ancient sources that Cleopatra was murdered along with her newborn son.”

Crucially, the documents reveal that Philip II of Macedonia suffered a severe traumatic injury to his left knee, which skeletal evidence corroborated.

Furthermore, it was known that Philip II had an eye injury that blinded him, but there were no signs of this in the remains of Tomb II.

Unfortunately, there was no sign of the damaged eye in Tomb I either, since that part of the skull has not been preserved.