There have been many explanations for Alexander’s death, including alcoholic liver disease and strychnine poisoning, however, there is little information to support this as the cause of his death. Some historians have even suggested that he could have died by assassination from one of his rivals.

It’s most likely that he died from malaria or typhoid fever, which were both widespread in ancient Babylon. The description of his final illness from the royal diaries is consistent with typhoid fever or malaria, but is most characteristic of typhoid fever.

In one theory, a scholar and practicing clinician suggests that Alexander may have suffered from the neurological disorder Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS), which caused his death. She also argues that people might not have noticed any immediate signs of decomposition on the body for one simple reason – because Alexander wasn’t dead yet.

While historians have long speculated over what exactly killed Alexander, Dr Katherine Hall, a senior lecturer at the Dunedin School of Medicine at the University of Otago, New Zealand, has debated over the timing of his death, suggesting he might not even have died when people thought he did.

During those times, doctors relied on the presence or absence of breath, rather than a pulse, to determine whether a patient was alive or dead. Hall believes Alexander might have been falsely declared dead before he actually died.

In a statement from the University of Otago, she said: “I wanted to stimulate new debate and discussion and possibly rewrite the history books by arguing Alexander’s real death was six days later than previously accepted.

“His death may be the most famous case of pseudothanatos, or false diagnosis of death, ever recorded.”