Nikola Gruevski’s love affair with statues began with Alexander the Great. In 2011, much to the consternation of Greece, the Macedonian prime minister had the world’s largest sculpture of the warrior king installed in Skopje’s central square. Now, after peppering the capital with grandiose bridges, a gargantuan triumphal arch, concert halls, theatres, new government buildings and artworks great and small, the premier has gone a step further.

Upping the ante in what has become one of the west’s more unlikely disputes, Gruevski instructed that waxworks of Alexander, his father, Philip II of Macedon, and his mother, Olympias, be given pride of place in a new archaeological museum. “All these exhibits … are of priceless value for our country and represent a part of our cultural heritage,” Gruevski pronounced as he opened the museum last month.

Built in Greek-revival style, the monumental edifice is the latest in an array of controversial works that have transformed the face of a city that even by the standards of communist-era former Yugoslavia was famously drab. Gruevski claims that the makeover – among the most ambitious in Europe, costing as much as €500m (£390m) – will help lift the spirits of his countrymen. With nearly 30% of the nation out of work and more than a third living beneath the poverty line, Macedonians are among the poorest people in Europe.

But officials do not deny that the building project has another purpose: to score points in the long-running battle over the name of Macedonia. The Greeks have long argued that their neighbour’s desire to lay claim to the nomenclature – and use of symbols associated with it – implies territorial ambitions over their own adjacent province of Macedonia. True to Balkan form, the row has its roots in ancient history.

In the 23 years since the landlocked state proclaimed independence, Alexander the Great has dominated the dispute. Athens says the Greek-born general is irrefutable proof of Macedonia’s Hellenic credentials; Skopje says he is an inherent part of local identity as the leader of an empire that incorporated the region and extended as far as India.

As the row has intensified, Greece has blocked its neighbour’s bids to join Nato and the EU. Greek officials insist that the country be referred to internationally as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, the provisional name with which it was admitted to the UN, even if it is formally recognised as the Republic of Macedonia, its constitutional name, by more than 130 states.

Gruevski’s decision to move the goalposts – just as Greek archaeologists are excavating a burial mound in northern Amphipolis in Macedonia province that some believe could contain the tomb of one of Alexander’s relatives – has inflamed passions on both sides of the border. And Macedonians themselves are at odds over a scheme that many say not only smacks of megalomania but has turned Skopje into a mini Las Vegas.

“I don’t see why the Greeks should be offended. We are offended,” said Sasho Ordanoski, a political analyst and outspoken critic of Gruevski’s overtly nationalist policies. “Skopje has become the capital of kitsch in Europe in architectural and political style. The whole thing reeks of bad taste and has been a huge financial disaster. We both share the same territory of the historic empire of Alexander the Great and we have built the highest monument to Alexander in the world. If anything, Athens should be pleased.”

The Greeks are no less prone to politicking on the issue. A statue of Alexander on a steed – carved almost two decades before Macedonia’s own mounted warrior came to grace Skopje’s central square – has been hauled back to a warehouse because officials are undecided about which public space the sculpture should be erected in.

In Athens, politicians privately say the time is ripe to settle the dispute. A compromise solution of “Upper Macedonia” is among those thought to have been proposed by Greek officials. The UN has announced that envoys from the two states will meet in New York on Wednesday for a new round of negotiations.

But the omens do not look good. Skopje’s foreign minister, Nikola Poposki, declared before the talks: “We are further away from a solution than we were a few years ago.”

Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) are nowhere near a solution to the name dispute, the Balkan statelet’s foreign minister, Nikola Poposki, said on Saturday.

“We are further away from a solution than we were a few years ago. I wish I were in a position to say that we are close to leaving this issue behind us, but reality mandates that we remain particularly cautious,” Poposki told Skopje’s Faktor website.

In the same interview, the FYROM official blamed the government in Athens for lack of progress in the negotiations, while adding that he was still waiting for a fresh proposal from United Nations special mediator Matthew Nimetz.

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ATHENS (Reuters) - Archaeologists unearthed the missing head of one of the two sphinxes found guarding the entrance of an ancient tomb in Greece's northeast, as the diggers made their way into the monument's inner chambers, the culture ministry said on Tuesday.

The tomb on the Amphipolis site, about 100 km (65 miles) from Greece's second-biggest city Thessaloniki, has been hailed by archaeologists as a major discovery from the era of Alexander the Great. They say it appears to be the largest ancient tomb to have been discovered in Greece.

The marble head, slightly damaged on the nose, has curls falling on the statue's left shoulder and traces of a reddish color.

"It is a sculpture of exceptional art," the ministry said, adding that fragments of the two sphinxes' wings were also found.

Excavations, which began in 2012, have not yet determined who is buried in the tomb. They have uncovered an intricate mosaic depicting the god Hermes as the conductor of souls to the afterlife. Made up of colored pebbles, it covers the floor of a room thought to be the antechamber to the main burial ground.

Culture ministry officials have said that the monument appears to belong to a prominent Macedonian from the 300-325 B.C. era.

(Reporting by George Georgiopoulos; Editing by Larry King)

The impressive mosaic depicting the Abduction of Persephone by Pluto that was recently revealed in the Amphipolis tomb has fascinated and stunned archeologists for its unique detail and colors. According to the statement issued by the Ministry of Culture, the mosaic in Amphipolis appears to have been inspired by a similar wall painting depicting that was found in the so-called Tomb of Persephone, in the royal tomb in Vergina.

While the identity of the person for whom the tomb was constructed still remains a mystery, the archeological team undertaking the efforts believes that it probably belongs to an important figure. The head of the archeological dig, Katerina Peristeri, told journalists that the person entombed was “without a doubt extremely important”.

When further pressed by journalists, Mrs. Peristeri stressed that it was too early to determine whether the tomb in Amphipolis belong to a member of the royal Macedonian family, but pointed out that the tomb’s importance increased with the discovery of the mosaic. As for the circular gap in the middle of the mosaic, Mrs. Peristeri noted that the damage does not appear to have been caused naturally, without further elaborating.

The general secretary of the Ministry of Culture Lina Mendoni reassured journalists that the findings would remain in the area, dispelling rumors that they were to be transferred to other museums. Mrs. Mendoni added that the Ministry’s policy is to return artifacts to the area where they were discovered, even from older digs.

The municipal council of Setter recently voted in favor of creating museums to house the findings, one in Amphipolis and another in Serres.

According to a report in the Skopje-based Sloboden Pecat newspaper, American diplomatMatthew Nimetz, the UN’s special representative and mediator in the FYROM naming dispute with Greece, is about to submit a new proposal.

The newspaper cites “well-informed sources” claiming that Mr. Nimetz will suggest the name “Republic of Upper Macedonia” for the former Yugoslav country, while the domestic language would be referred to as “Macedonian” and the citizens as “people of Upper Macedonia”.

The report also stresses that FYROM’s constitution would not change, meaning that the international name would not be used domestically. Skopje appears to be pleased with its language being referred to as “Macedonian”, but is troubled by the “people of Upper Macedonia” name. Mr. Nimetz is said to present his latest proposal first to Greece, before pressuring the FYROM government into an agreement.

Another Skopje-based newspaper, Utrinski Vesnik, has also reported that Mr. Nimetz had taken the initiative to resume negotiations between Greece and FYROM in October, however this has been postponed, giving the impression that neither side is in a rush. Rumors suggest that efforts may unofficially be made prior to the EU summit in December.

A team of Greek researchers has confirmed that bones found in a two-chambered royal tomb at Vergina, a town some 100 miles away from Amphipolis's mysterious burial mound, indeed belong to the Macedonian King Philip II, Alexander the Great's father.

The anthropological investigation examined 350 bones and fragments found in two larnakes, or caskets, of the tomb. It uncovered pathologies, activity markers and trauma that helped identify the tomb's occupants.

Along with the cremated remains of Philip II, the burial, commonly known as Tomb II, also contained the bones of a woman warrior, possibly the daughter of the Skythian King Athea, Theodore Antikas, head of the Art-Anthropological research team of the Vergina excavation, told Discovery News.

The findings will be announced on Friday at the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki. Accompanied by 3,000 digital color photographs and supported by X-ray computed tomography, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray fluorescence, the research aims to settle a decades-old debate over the cremated skeleton.

Scholars have argued over those bones ever since Greek archaeologist Manolis Andronikos discovered the tomb in 1977-78. He excavated a large mound -- the Great Tumulus -- at Vergina on the advice of the English classicist Nicholas Hammond.

Among the monuments found within the tumulus were three tombs. One, called Tomb I, had been looted, but contained a stunning wall painting of the Rape of Persephone, along with fragmentary human remains.

Tomb II remained undisturbed and contained the almost complete cremated remains of a male skeleton in the main chamber and the cremated remains of a female in the antechamber. Grave goods included silver and bronze vessels, gold wreaths, weapons, armor and two gold larnakes.

Tomb III was also found unlooted, with a silver funerary urn that contained the bones of a young male, and a number of silver vessels and ivory reliefs.

Most of the scholarly debate concentrated on the occupants of Tomb II, with experts arguing that the occupants were either Philip II and Cleopatra or Meda, both his wives, or Philip III Arrhidaeus, Alexander's half-brother, who assumed the throne after Alexander's death, with his wife Eurydice.

King Philip II was a powerful fourth-century B.C. military ruler from the Greek kingdom of Macedon who gained control of Greece and the Balkan peninsula through tactful use of warfare, diplomacy, and marriage alliances (the Macedonians practiced polygamy).

His efforts -- he reformed the Macedonian army and proposed the invasion of Persia -- later provided the basis for the achievements of his son and successor Alexander the Great, who went on to conquer most of the known world.

The overlord of an empire stretching from Greece and Egypt eastward across Asia to India, Alexander died in Babylon, now in central Iraq, in June of 323 B.C. — just before his 33rd birthday.

His elusive tomb is one of the great unsolved mysteries of the ancient world.

Analyzed by Antikas' team since 2009, the male and female bones in Philip II's tomb have revealed peculiarities not previously seen or recorded.

"The individual suffered from frontal and maxillary sinusitis that might have been caused by an old facial trauma," Antikas said.

Such trauma could be related to an arrow that hit and blinded Philip II's right eye at the siege of Methone in 354 B.C. The Macedonian king survived and ruled for another 18 years before he was assassinated at the celebration of his daughter's wedding.

The anthropologists found further bone evidence to support the identification with Philip II, who being a warrior, suffered many wounds, as historical accounts testify.

"He had signs of chronic pathology on the visceral surface of several low thoracic ribs, indicating pleuritis," Antikas said.

He noted that the pathology may have been the effect of Philip's trauma when his right clavicle was shattered with a lance in 345 or 344 B.C.

It is up to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) to make the “next steps” needed to solve its name dispute with Greece, said Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos after meeting his counterpart from the neighboring country, Nikola Poposki, in New York late on Friday.

Sources said that during the meeting Venizelos impressed upon Poposki that Skopje should show it is ready to compromise and not expect any initiatives from Greece or other European Union members. The Greek foreign minister said Athens is keen for the new round of talks between the two sides, mediated by Matthew Nimetz of the United Nations, to begin as soon as possible.

Speaking to FYROM media, Poposki described Greece as having “little interest” in solving the name dispute at the moment.

The two men also discussed energy issues, with Poposki asking Venizelos to confirm that Greece is willing to agree to connect the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), which will carry Azeri natural gas to Italy, with FYROM’s energy network.

Venizelos said Athens is willing to do so and talks on this matter can progress regardless of where talks on the name issue stand.

The discovery of an enormous tomb in northern Greece, dating to the time of Alexander the Great of Macedonia, has enthused Greeks, distracting them from a dire economic crisis.

Who, they are asking, is buried within.

In early August, a team of Greek archaeologists led by Katerina Peristeri unearthed what officials say is the largest burial site ever to be discovered in the country. The mound is in ancient Amphipolis, a major city of the Macedonian kingdom, 100km (62 miles) east of Thessaloniki, Greece's second city.

The structure dates back to the late 4th Century BC and the wall surrounding it is 500m (1,600ft) in circumference, dwarfing the burial site of Alexander's father, Philip II, in Vergina, west of Thessaloniki.

"We are watching in awe and with deep emotion the excavation in Amphipolis," Greek Culture Minister Konstantinos Tasoulas told the BBC.

"This is a burial monument of unique dimensions and impressive artistic mastery. The most beautiful secrets are hidden right underneath our feet."

Ancient and modern guardians


Inside the tomb, archaeologists discovered two magnificent caryatids. Each of the sculpted female figures has one arm outstretched, presumably to discourage intruders from entering the tomb's main chamber.

The caryatids' modern counterparts are sitting in a police car, some 200m (650 feet) from the tomb's entrance.

The dig site is protected 24 hours a day by two police officers.

Their mission is to keep away the scores of journalists and tourists who arrive here by a winding dirt road from the nearby village of Mesolakkia.

An imposing no-entry traffic sign serves the same purpose.

Amphipolis site

• 437 BC Founded by Athenians near gold and silver mines of Pangaion hills
• 357 BC Conquered by Philip II of Macedon, Alexander the Great's father
• Under Alexander, served as major naval base, from which fleet sailed for Asia
• 1964 First official excavation began, led by Dimitris Lazaridis

The excavation team has made no statement regarding the identity of the tomb's occupant.

But this has not prevented the media, archaeologists and laypersons alike from becoming embroiled in an often heated guessing game.

Archaeologists agree that the magnificence of the tomb means it was built for a prominent person - perhaps a member of Alexander's immediate family; maybe his mother, Olympias, or his wife, Roxana -or some noble Macedonian.

Others say it could be a cenotaph.

But only the excavation team can give definitive answers, and progress has been slow since the workers discovered a third chamber that is in danger of collapse.

Experts have not reached a verdict, but for the few hundred inhabitants of modern-day Amfipoli and Mesolakkia, the two villages closest to the burial site, there is no doubt: interred inside the marble-walled tomb unearthed near their homes is none other than Alexander the Great.

"Only Alexander merits such a monument," says farmer Antonis Papadopoulos, 61, as he enjoys his morning coffee with fellow villagers in a taverna opposite the Amfipoli archaeological museum.

"The magnitude and opulence of this tomb is unique. Common sense says he is the one buried inside."

Archaeologists and the Greek ministry of culture warn against such speculation, especially since Alexander the Great is known to have been buried in Egypt.

"We are naturally eager to learn the identity of the tomb's resident, but this will be revealed in due course by the excavators," Mr Tasoulas, the culture minister, says.

Alexander the Great

• Born 356 BC in Pella, son of Philip of Macedon and Olympias, educated by Aristotle
• Became king of ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon at age 20
• Military victories in Persian territories of Asia Minor, Syria and Egypt - "great king" of Persia at 25
• Founded 70 cities and empire as far east as the Indian Punjab
• Died 323 BC of fever in Babylon

The discovery, made after two years of digging, was announced during a visit to the site last month by Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, who described it as "very important".

Since that announcement, Amfipoli and Mesolakkia have been teeming with people, who have disturbed the slow rhythms and tranquillity of village life.

"Journalists and visitors suddenly started pouring in from all over Greece and abroad. We used to walk by the site every day, working the fields. We knew something was there, but we did not expect the magnitude of this discovery," says Athanasios Zournatzis, head of Mesolakkia's community.

A Belgian couple from Liege pass by and tell me they came to visit after reading about the tomb in the newspaper at home.

The discovery has given rise to a wave of Greek pride and patriotism, and has helped the nation put its economic predicament to one side - temporarily at least.

• Amfipoli resident Giorgos Bikos believes news of the tomb "has thrown Greeks a lifeline"
• Leading daily Kathimerini suggested people were naturally looking for good news amid a "constant barrage of doom and gloom"
• Culture Minister Mr Tasoulas says it is a reminder that Greece is the "cradle of an unsurpassed civilisation and a country that deserves, with this unique [cultural] capital and its present-day accomplishments, to claim its return to progress and prosperity"

The residents of Amfipoli and Mesolakkia are hoping this feel-good factor will last long enough to make their villages tourist attractions and give them a much-needed economic boost.

At Mesolakkia, the meeting point of visitors and journalists is a traditional kafenio, or cafe, with a dominating platanus tree providing protection from the warm September sun.

Mr Zournatzis says the villagers are "hoping they have won the lottery".

Father Konstantinos, a 92-year-old priest, says he is following developments and "shares the excitement".

Villagers say they have already been approached with offers to sell their land. Most could use the money, but they are holding off until archaeologists make an official announcement.

"Before the discovery, land here was worth close to nothing. But now no one is selling," says Mesolakkia resident Menia Kyriakou.

A group of six women drinking their morning coffee at a nearby table explain that following latest developments is not straightforward.

Balkan Studies graduate Eleni Tzimoka, who recently moved back to the village from Thessaloniki, says they are waiting at the cafe for the phone company to install an internet connection.

"We know the tomb story is big, but without access to the web, it is hard to keep up."

Archaeologists have uncovered the expertly crafted robes of two female stone statues standing guard at the entrance of a huge Macedonian tomb, dating back to the era of Alexander the Great, under excavation in Greece.

Excavators got their first glimpse of the wavy-haired statues — known as caryatids — last weekend, when the stone heads and torsos were unearthed at the ancient burial complex at Kasta Hill in Amphipolis, 65 miles (104 kilometers) east of Thessaloniki. Archaeologists had to remove a wall of sealing stones to reveal the rest of the statues' bodies.

Gaze Into the Face of a Caryatid

Anyone who has visited the Acropolis in Athens and stood in front of the Erechtheion would be familiar with caryatids, or female statues that take the place of columns or pillars. Though carved from stone, the diaphanous robes of the caryatids at Amphipolis have "exceptional" folds, officials with the Greek Ministry of Culture said in a statement Thursday. [See Photos of the Alexander-Era Tomb Excavation]

"The right arm of the western caryatid and the left arm of the eastern one are both outstretched, as if to symbolically prevent anyone attempting to enter the grave," the ministry said.

The ongoing excavations at Amphipolis have been watched with excitement over the past several weeks. Two headless sphinxes were uncovered at the entrance of the huge burial mound, which is enclosed by a marble wall measuring 1,600 feet (490 meters) around the perimeter,

Lead archaeologist Katerina Peristeri has said the team believes the tomb dates back to the fourth century B.C. and was built by Dinocrates, Alexander the Great's chief architect. The excavators have been tight-lipped about who they think might be buried inside. Some say the tomb might belong to one of Alexander's generals or family members. But it almost certainly doesn't contain the body of Alexander the Great himself — historical accounts indicate he was buried in Alexandria, though his remains have never been found.