Royal Mausoleion

Veneration of ancestors and the worship of divine royalty were common in the ancient world. Ancestors were commonly worshipped even in the meanest houses, while temples and great tombs were constructed to remember dead rulers. In Egypt the Ptolemaic rulers followed this useful tradition after the death of Alexander the Great. All great tombs and temples were a memorial to the greatness of the rulers who built them. Alexander was first entombed in Memphis on the order of the first Ptolemy, after his mummified remains were diverted from Babylon. His body was then taken to Alexandria and put in two tombs, the second one having members of the Ptolemaic dynasty alongside as a statement of status. Julius Caesar and Octavian both visited Alexander’s tomb to pay their respects, as such a pious display was a good way of demonstrating their own claims to greatness.