Ancient historians documented that Alexander the Great's body mysteriously failed to decompose for six days after his death, which modern scientists now believe means he was tragically buried alive.

A closer look

Ancient historians documented that Alexander the Great's body mysteriously failed to decompose for six days after his death, which modern scientists now believe means he was tragically buried alive. Researchers suspect the legendary Macedonian conqueror actually suffered from Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that caused a severe ascending paralysis, slowly shutting down his motor functions while leaving his mind perfectly conscious. His doctors, operating with incredibly primitive ancient medical knowledge, likely mistook his severely depressed breathing and total paralysis for actual death while he laid there completely aware of his impending funeral. Being the most successful military commander in human history feels a lot less glamorous when you realize your grand finale involves being silently entombed while listening to your generals steal your empire