A pretty purple tunic found in an ancient tomb in Greece belonged to Alexander the Great, experts say.

The revered ceremonial garment – ​​called “mesoleucon sarapis” – was discovered 47 years ago in one of three tombs at Vergina in northern Greece.

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

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

Alexander the Great was a 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 known to his people.

But unfortunately, the resting place of Alexander the Great himself still 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.

The colorized illustration (from an engraving taken from “Vies des Savants Illustres” by Louis Figuier, circa 1867) represents Alexander the Great (356-323 BC) (left) wearing the purple tunic as Ensign Aristotle (384-322 BC)

The venerated tunic is in a fragmentary condition and contains numerous small pieces less than 6 cm (2.3 inches). It is pictured here in a photo of its discovery in 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 revered purple and white “mesoleucon sarapis” of Alexander the Great documented by history.

“The physical description exactly matches the description contained in ancient sources of the sacred Persian mesoleucon sarapis,” he says in his study.

“(It) belonged to the Pharaoh and King Alexander the Great and, as such, it was the most valuable 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 measuring less than 6cm.

His new physical, chemical and microscopic analysis revealed that it was a purple-dyed cotton textile that was “used only for the elite.”

The luxury purple material sandwiches one or two layers of a whitish material composed 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 claims that Tomb II contained Alexander the Great’s half-brother, Philip III of Macedon

In the decades since their discovery, the tunic fragments have been misinterpreted by other scholars.

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

Although the resting place of Alexander the Great is unknown, researchers discovered three tombs in Vergina in 1977 – called Tombs I, II and III.

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

Tomb II belonged to Philip III of Macedon, half-brother of Alexander the Great, rather than 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’ earlier study found that two of the three family members had been involved in a case of mistaken identity.

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

He identified Tomb I as containing Alexander the Great’s father (Philip II) and Tomb II as containing Philip III of Macedon – not the other way around as previously thought.

Tomb I also contained the remains of a woman and a baby, who he believes are Philip II’s young wife, Cleopatra, and their newborn child.

Professor Bartsiokas agrees that it should have been a “gift”, but researchers have been confused about its identity for decades.

‘They assumed the female was Euridice (the wife of Philip III), but they provided no explanation for the newborn,’ he told MailOnline.

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

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

Additionally, it was known that Philip II suffered from an eye injury that left him blind, but there was no sign of this in the remains of Tomb II.

Unfortunately, there was no sign of a damaged eye in Tomb I, as this part of the skull was not preserved.