Ancient City Lined Up With Sun on King's Birthday

Alexander the Great got quite the birthday present every year, archaeologists say. They think the main road from ancient Alexandria aligned perfectly with the sun on that day, reports LiveScience. The theory, backed up by computer simulations of the sun's position in the 4th century, would explain why the layout of the city seems slightly off in some ways—the main east-west road isn't exactly parallel to the coast, for example.

"Aligning the city to the sun in the day of birth of Alexander was a way to embody in the architectural project an explicit reference to his power," says a scientist in Milan involved with the study. The best part: The discovery could shed more light into how the entire city was laid out—and thus lead archaeologists to Alexander's long-lost tomb. (More archaeology stories.)