Colossal tomb tied to Alexander the Great revealed by officials: 'Unique and magnificent'

Greece's Ministry of Culture announced the news in a statement on May 11.

Greek officials said restoration work at the Kasta Tomb in Amphipolis has uncovered the site's full enclosure for the first time, revealing the massive scale of the ancient Macedonian monument.

The enclosure, built in the fourth century B.C., measures roughly 1,630 feet in circumference. It surrounds a burial mound spanning more than 20 acres, as Cover Media reported.

Officials removed older metal supports to make the monument's interior fully visible, and future plans include installing the tomb's monumental double-leaf Macedonian marble door and restoring parts of the sphinx sculptures that once guarded the entrance.

"The Kasta Tomb is a unique and magnificent Macedonian monument, which, through the completion of the work of restoring its geometry, but also revealing the entire enclosure, now clearly highlights its historical importance and its value," Lina Mendoni, Greek minister of culture, said in a translated statement.

Amphipolis is "associated with major figures of the Kingdom of Macedon, such as the three generals of Alexander the Great, Nearchus, Hephaestion and Laomedon, who resided in the city," according to the Ministry of Culture's website.

"After Alexander's death, the city's garrison remained loyal to his mother Olympias and only agreed to surrender the city to Cassander, one of Alexander's successors, on her orders," the website notes.

"Cassander imprisoned Alexander's wife Roxana and his son Alexander IV in Amphipolis and ordered their murder."

He defeated the Persian Empire - then the dominant superpower of the ancient world - before dying at age 32 under mysterious circumstances, despite never losing a battle.

Researchers believed Kasta Tomb was "built for someone very close to Alexander the Great," such as his mother, one of his wives or one of his friends, National Geographic reported in 2014.

The latest excavation isn't the only recent archaeological project tied to the legendary Macedonian ruler.

The city, called Alexandria on the Tigris, is located near the Persian Gulf in southern Iraq. It was founded in the fourth century B.C.