At the front of the tomb, there are two columns topped with Egyptian composite anta capitals . These columns support an architrave, above which the viewer will find a relief of a central winged sun disc flanked by Horus falcons. Above the central winged sun disc is a simple circle (also presumably a sun disc). The area behind the columns functions much like an antechamber, where the outer façade of the principal tomb can be found. The antechamber forms a rectangle: the Egyptian columns are parallel with the outer façade, with female and male statue niches on each side. The façade functions as the entrance into the inner tomb. Above this entrance is another relief of a central winged sun disc. An agathodaemon (a benevolent spirit) in the form of a snake is carved on the left and right side of the entrance façade. Each snake wears the Double Crown of Egypt and is wrapped around a thyrsus and caduceus staff. A gorgoneion on a shield (reminiscent of Athena’s shield or aegis) can be found above each snake carving.
The interior side of the entrance façade is flanked by two Anubis reliefs dressed in soldier uniform, one of which is part snake . The inner chamber’s three sides are composed of three sarcophagi and their associated relief panels . Each sarcophagus is carved in the limestone rock. In other words, these sarcophagi were not brought in from another location. They are Roman in style, decorated with garlands and the heads of gorgons and an ox skull. The primary difference among the three sarcophagi is that the central sarcophagus is also adorned with a woman reclining on a couch. Above each sarcophagus is a relief panel. The central panel shows Anubis mummifying a body that is lying on a lion bed. The head of the lion sports the Atef crown (or the crown of Osiris). Below the bed are three canopic jars, and at the head and foot of the bed are the gods Thoth and Horus, respectively. The side panels of the mummification scene show divinities and a priest reading a document. The main panels of the other sarcophagi show the Apis bull receiving a gift, with their respective side panels showing gods in mummified forms.. Two images (side by side) showing the Anubis reliefs.
Another important motif associated with the inner sanctuary is the “mound of creation” seen as the birthplace of a god. In this manner, sites like the Temple of Edfu are often seen as representations of the cosmos.
. Also, notice the similar central winged sun disc above the columns. The principal tomb’s similarity to a temple recalls the role of Egyptian temples as representations of the cosmos. The ditch that surrounds the outer walls of the principal tomb resembles that of a shallow moat and would have been used to help with flooding on the second underground level. Besides the previously mentioned practical purpose of the ditch (to keep the elevated area dry), one could also argue the apparent elevation of the principal tomb might call to mind notions of the “mound of creation”. This space would conjure up cosmological images in the minds of later visitors, even if elements (like the mound) were not purposely designed by the tomb’s original creator.
the site might have started flooding after a rather large tsunami hit Alexandria in 365 CE,27 and the sea level has been steadily rising for the past 2,000 years
The tomb also contains stagnant water in the lower loculi of the second underground level (not to mention the bottom of the access shaft, the rotunda, and the last third level as a whole). If long rituals took place in the catacombs on a consistent basis, there were almost certainly health implications, particularly respiratory issues.
Because the catacombs are three-storied, the fastest and easiest way to move the dead bodies would be through the center of the access shaft,
In antiquity, however, it would not have been possible to look inside the loculi. The openings of many of these loculi, if not all, were originally covered by a limestone slab on which the name of the deceased would be written with red paint
As expected, the catacombs were originally used for tombs. Historians believe that the site may have only been used by one wealthy family originally. This family is believed to have practiced an ancient pagan religion. However, the catacombs soon grew and became a mass burial site.
The Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa are one of the last major structures related to the ancient Egyptian pagan religion. Additonally, the direct influence of many other cultures present here is remarkable.
According to the Amduat, the sun god enters the night in an old and weak state, but he returns rejuvenated with the sunrise.
According to the Book of Gates, the sun god is essentially raised from Nun each morning.
These Underworld Books were still in use during the Roman period and, therefore, remain relevant at this time.
The catacombs could almost be described as cave-like, and Greeks and Romans associated cave imagery with an entrance into the underworld, or the underworld itself.
Additionally, the darkness associated with caves would have paralleled that of the underworld. Regarding Egyptian mythology in particular, one of the most consistent underlying themes is the war between order and chaos. The swampy, primordial waters of chaos existed before the order that came with creation in Egyptian creation myths. Evidence suggests that ancient Egyptian temples were even modelled after these myths, with part of the sanctuary representing a swamp and bundles of papyri represented on the columns surrounding the naos or inner sanctuaries.
other Egyptian tombs as well. The gorgoneia on the principal tomb façade serve a protective function as well. Because they are placed on shields, we can make the assumption that they are related to the aegis shield and are therefore meant to thwart evil.
The simultaneous depictions of an Egyptian protector and a Graeco-Roman protector combine to form the best line of defense against the perils that await during the journey to the underworld. Additionally, during this time, apotropaic power was sought out for both the living and the dead, particularly against demons. The deceased inside the sarcophagi of the principal tomb would have been safeguarded by these images. The principal tomb’s depiction of the mummification scene, as well as depictions of Persephone’s abduction in the Hall of Caracalla, evoke images of the netherworld in both Egyptian and Graeco-Roman visual languages, respectively. Certainly, the importance of katabasis (a descent into the underworld) cannot be underestimated in ancient Egyptian religion. Jan Assmann argues that this descent is emphasized in other tombs as well, “visually and architectonically actualized by a descent into a crypt decorated with cosmographic representations”. Here, Assmann is discussing this movement in the context of New Kingdom tombs, which often depicted scenes from the underworld. I argue that Kom el-Shuqafa draws from these more ancient Egyptian elements for a new and more culturally “hybridized” era.
the demand for loculi even attracted businesspeople, who were looking to turn a profit by selling available spots (or moving old bones aside to create availability).
Another possibility was that these loculi were used by members of a collegium. Those in collegia often shared the same occupation and lived in the same region, and they offered burials for members lacking family or money. A rather unfortunate activity that occurred at the catacombs and at various tombs in Egypt’s history was robbing. Compared to the visitor, businessman, ormaintenance person, the tomb robber’s intentions are malicious. His interest lies not in the tomb, but in what the tomb contains
. If the deceased were to be buried according to Greek practice, then before the ekphora (or the funerary procession), the body must first go through a cleaning and oil-anointing process called prothesis. After the ekphora, the body was interred or cremated. If the deceased were to be buried according to Roman practice, two large components of a Roman funerary ritual involved a procession and a feast. If the deceased were to be buried according to Egyptian practice, the body would be mummified, then there would be a recitation of spells (like the Books of Breathing), and then a burial with specific grave goods
family would come back during the year to feast again in honor of their dead relatives. In Roman tradition, lamps would be lit in tombs at certain points in the year.80 The tradition of “picnicking” at a cemetery goes back to Pharaonic times. During the older Egyptian tradition of the Beautiful Feast of the Valley, it was customary to become drunk at the tombs and participate in an event that blurred the line between the living and the dead. Images in New Kingdom Theban tombs also depict similar drunken festivities in the context of New Year festivals. 83 Turning more specifically to Kom el-Shuqafa, amphorae and drinking vessels were discovered in the triclinium, showing evidence for both eating and drinking. These ritual traditions were a way to retain a connection with ancestors and ancestral memory. Additionally, the “triclinium” arrangement in the principal tomb is emblematic of the symbolic nature of the klinē to which Venit alludes in her discussion of the first century BCE Antoniadis Garden Tomb in Alexandria. 86 Venit specifically uses the term “emblematic,” referring to the fact that the Antoniadis Garden Tomb triclinium did not serve a functional
Some archaeologists have argued that at a later point in time, possibly the fourth century, the catacombs were utilized by Jews or Christians. Although it is assumed that Christians might have hid in catacombs along the Nile during Diocletian’s scourge, there is no direct evidence of their staying at the Kom el-Shuqafa catacombs specifically. Rowe and Empereur believe that flower-like symbols on the ceilings of some of the rooms represents the Greek letters Iota Chi, an early symbol of Christianity. However, we cannot say for certain if Christians actually worshipped at the site. Between late antiquity and the site’s rediscovery in 1901, the catacombs were robbed for valuables. Robbing, as I mentioned above, is one of the more unfortunate uses of the site. Archaeologist Giuseppe Botti had excavated other portions of the site starting in 1892, and grave robbers had known about Kom el-Shuqafa prior to Botti’s research. Additionally, Alan Rowe noted that the stones placed behind the female and male statues were not originally there, and, at some point, were placed in that location to form niches that looked like pharaonic doorways.
Today, the catacombs no longer serve a ritualistic, funerary purpose, and we can only see the remnants of the rituals that may have taken place here. Kom el-Shuqafa is not only a site visited by tourists; it is also a site of continued excavation research. Excavation is simply another activity, albeit modern, that is occurring here. Currently, a small team of archaeologists is working on an area at the site designated as the “Keep Out” section, located on the southwestern tip of the plateau the complex sits on . One of the archaeologists, Mikaël Pesenti, was kind enough to give me a tour. In the current excavated area exists evidence of plaster, a large space with stacked loculi (the likes of which can also be found in the Hall of Caracalla), a niche in the far side of the loculi-filled room, and a large collection of ceramics. These ceramics are currently being catalogued. In addition to excavation and the touristic use of the catacombs, contemporary activities at the site include ongoing restoration and stabilization efforts. Concerning the flooding problems of the site, there have been reports concerning possible installation of additional groundwater lowering systems at Kom el-Shuqafa, with help from the Ministry of Antiquities, USAID, and ARCE.97 Although the catacombs are no longer utilized for their original purpose, they will nevertheless continue to perpetuate the interaction between the living (whether that be the tourist, the archaeologist, or the water utility engineer), and the (now empty tombs of) the dead
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