The Search for Alexander

Although Alexander the Great conquered virtually all the known world and laid the foundations of the Hellenistic civilization, from which our own culture derives, all objects related to the actual man have vanished. Thus, great excitement attended the discovery of a royal tomb at Vergina, possibly that of Alexander's father, King Philip II of Macedonia. Hailed by archaeologists as the most significant discovery since the treasures of Tutankhamun, the artifacts in the tomb bring us closer to Alexander, the man and the ageless hero.

Fifteen of the most important objects from the Royal Tomb were included in The Search for Alexander, an exhibition of more than one hundred antiquities from Greek museums that brings the Macedonian and Hellenistic world to life. Organized by the National Gallery of Art, with support from the National Bank of Greece and Time Incorporated, and with the cooperation of the Greek Ministry of Culture and Sciences, the exhibition began its tour in the United States in November 1980.

The illustrations in this photographic exhibition have been selected to convey the sense of life in Alexander's world in all its variety and complexity, just as it has been revealed in the major exhibition. Wherever feasible, the objects are reproduced at their actual size.

This exhibition has been made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, with the cooperation of the New Orleans Museum of Art, a host for the major exhibition. The text for the panels has been adapted from materials provided by the National Gallery of Art.


The Exhibition The Search for Alexander has been made possible by the National Bank of Greece and Time Incorporated, and with the cooperation of the Greek Ministry of Culture and Sciences.