Remains of Alexander the Great's father finally found after historians looked in the wrong tomb

By examining dusty bones pulled from the bottom of an ancient tomb, researchers say they've identified the remains of King Philip II of Macedon, the father of Alexander the Great, in a tomb in Vergina, Greece, along with his wife and a child.

The remarkable discovery, described in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, corrects a decades-long case of mistaken identity.

"A nearly 40-year-old mystery concerning the Royal Tombs of Vergina has finally been solved that puzzled historians, archaeologists and physical anthropologists," the team of European researchers wrote.

Philip II was assassinated in 336 BC, and his young wife and newborn son were killed shortly thereafter, according to hist-orical accounts, but it has been unclear what happened to the king's remains.

In 1977 and 1978, the skeletons of two men were excavated from the Royal Tombs II and I in Vergina. At the time, researchers said the Tomb II skeleton was probably that of Philip II, an idea that persisted even though this skeleton didn't appear to match the description of Philip II in at least one very significant way.

Three years before his death, the king was famously wounded in the leg by a lance that left him lame, according to historical accounts.