China – a country representing one of the most important ancient civilizations – could not but become interested in the course of excavations in Amphipolis. It is indicative that the front-page of the international edition of China Daily of 14 November 2014 extensively dealt with the skeleton found in Alexander-era tomb. The Chinese newspaper published an AFP story that archaeologists were holding their breath after the skeleton was found. China
Daily placed emphasis on the main question asked by archaelogists and ordinary citizens as to who the bones belong to. Historian Miltiade Hatzopoulos, a specialist on the period, told that all this suggested it contained a member of the Macedonia’s famously fratricidal royal family. In previous weeks the interest shown by Chinese media in the excavations of Amphipolis was equally high. In mid-September, for example. Xinhua reported on the ‘beautiful Caryatids’ and the ‘spectacular sphinxes’ which had come to light elaborating on scenarios regarding the people buried in the ‘magnificent tomb’.