Originally crafted at the behest of Tsar Alexander II of Russia, it has also enjoyed intense popularity as the beverage of choice for rap stars and other musical luminaries.

FORBES: From Tsars to Rap Stars,The Story Behind Cristal Champagne

Along with the knight or nobleman's grave and skeleton, the excavation has revealed the exact location of the monastery, which was founded in 1230 by Alexander II (King of Scotland 1214-49) and destroyed during the Protestant Reformation in 1558.

BBC: Grave site

In 1894, Alexander III of Russia died and was succeeded by Nicholas II.

CNN: Saturday,

Though empires tend to fall after their Afghan skirmishes, he says, for the British this was largely down to World War II, for the Soviets, it was ideological crisis in eastern Europe and for Alexander the Great it was a failure to ensure the stable succession of his Asian empire.

CNN: Is Afghanistan really a 'graveyard of empires?'