Ever since a tomb full of gold artefacts was discovered in Vergina, Greece, in the 1970s, experts have been trying to prove it belongs to Alexander the Great’s father.

Now new analysis has confirmed that the remains found inside are that of Philip II of Macedon together with a Scythian princess, and paint a picture of how they lived, almost 2,400 years ago.

Marks on the male skeleton match descriptions of the warrior king’s battle wounds and injuries to the princess’ bones show she was equally tough.

Fresh analysis of remains found inside a gold larnax (pictured) in a tomb discovered in the 1970s confirms they belong to Philip II of Macedon who ruled the kingdom from 359 to 336BC and was ᴀssᴀssinated

Philip II ruled Macedon from 359 to 336BC and was ᴀssᴀssinated in the town of Aegae, which is now known as Vergina, leading to his son, Alexander, becoming king at the age of 20.

His bones were cremated and placed inside a gold larnax in a marble sarcophagus, which was discovered in 1977 along with another similar larnax in what is now known as tomb two, inside the richly decorated mound.

Gold wreaths, silver and bronze vessels, weapons, amour and gold caskets, hinted that the tomb belonged to a member of a royal family.

Researchers Theodore Antikas and Laura Wynn-Antikas used computed tomography and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) techniques to look closely at the bones of the two individuals between 2009 and 2014.

With the aid of 4,500 digital pH๏τos and the scans, they documented each bone, tooth and fragment’s weight and dimensions, cracking patterns and colours and materials on their surfaces to amᴀss evidence that would give them clues about the individuals’ lifestyles.

Marks on the male skeleton match decryptions of the warrior king’s battle wounds. Analysis of the male skeleton’s skull and pelvis shows the man was between 40 and 50 years old when he died, which fits with historical accounts of the king’s life. An ancient coin bearing Philip II’s image is pictured

Based on circumstantial evidence, they are sure the remains belong to Philip II and the daughter of King Atheas, who killed in battle against Philip II in 339 BC, Forbes’ Kristina Killgrove reported.

Analysis of the male skeleton’s skull and pelvis shows the man was between 40 and 50 years old when he died, which fits with historical accounts of the king’s life.

The experts found evidence in the form of slipped disks in the lower back, that he was a keen horseman, as well as marks showing the had developed muscles used for riding.

Their location indicates he spent a long time on a horse, instead of doing manual labour.

Trauma to one of the bones of the king’s palm is the only injury that the experts found that accurately matches historical accounts, but this is probably because his older wounds healed well, or were superficial.

The palm wound is befitting of a warrior and was likely cause by carrying a weapon.

‘The incised wound on the metacarpal is the only documented of Philip’s four known traumas – eye, clavicle, hand and leg, cited by Demosthenes,’ the experts wrote in their study, published in the Journal of Osteoarchaeology.

They said that any cut marks were caused by daggers and remain recognisable after the bones were burned.

But the experts didn’t find evidence of trauma near the eye as expected from historical accounts. 

Gold wreaths, silver and bronze vessels, weapons, amour (pictured left) and gold caskets, hinted that the tomb belonged to a member of a royal family. Experts found evidence of trauma to the king’s hand, which could have occurred during battle. A sculpture made between 350 and 390 BC of the king is shown right

This this may because there was only damage to soft tissues and no nicks and notches were left on the bone. A small deformation nearby is thought to have been caused by fracturing in the funeral pyre, rather than in battle.

The researchers found evidence of bone growth in the facial sinuses, which may relate to an old injury to the face which the warrior king might have sustained.

This could have been the result of an arrow that hit Phillip II in the right eye and blinded him at the siege of Methone in 354 BC.

The study explains: ‘Spiculated new bone growth mainly found on the right maxillary and both frontal sinuses indicate chronic infections which could be the effect of endophthalmitis (inflamation of the eye) following facial trauma rather than the effects of upper respiratory disease or environmental factors such as pollution.’

As well as the injuries, the experts are sure the remains belong to Philip II because they were cremated with such care.

A second larnax was found in the tomb, located in Vergina and is thought to include the remains of Philip’s seventh wife, the daughter of King Atheas of Scythia. Marks on the bones show she was also good at horse riding and suffered an accident, causing one of her legs to shorten

Made up of 350 fragments and weighing 2.2kg, barely any of the king’s remains were not collected.

Melted gold droplets were also discovered on the left shoulder blade, which probably came from a gold crown during the first stages of cremation.

The presence of the woman also bolsters the claim that the remains are the king’s.

While the study is the most compelling so far that the tomb belongs to Philip II, DNA tests cannot be used. An image of Vergina archaeological site is shown

While not as complete as the first, the remains in the second larnax belong to a woman who was aged between 30 and 32 when she died.

Slipped disks in her mid-back suggest she also rode horses regularly.

‘Schmorl’s nodes on her lower thoracic vertebrae indicate riding yet some may have resulted from a bad fall that caused her leg fracture,’ the study says.

The fracture was severe and ended up shortening one of her legs, according to the new research, which is backed up by the discovery of two uneven greaves – shin armour – found in the antechamber of the tomb.

‘Shortening, atrophy, lameness, pseudoarthosis and knee disfiguration affirm the shorter/narrower left greave in the antichamber is hers,’ the researchers write, speculating that the armour must have been specially made for her and she continued to live an active lifestyle despite her accident.

‘Bone remodelling, new bone growth and pseudiarthrosis formation show that her tibia may have been fractured several years prior to death,’ the study says.

The woman’s age, the weaponry found – such as gold-plated quiver and arrowheads – and her skills as a rider, led the experts to claim that she was Philip’s seventh wife, the daughter of King Atheas of Scythia.

‘No other Macedonian king is known to have had relations with a Scythian king at the time,’ the study says.

While the research is the most compelling so far that the tomb belongs to Philip II, DNA tests cannot be used, meaning that no one can be completely certain of whom the bones belong to.