July 13, 2015 <Back to Index>
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The Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa (meaning 'Mound of shards' or 'Potsherds') is a historical archaeological site located in Alexandria, Egypt, and is considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Middle Ages. The necropolis consists of a series of Alexandrian tombs, statues and archaeological objects of the Pharaonic funeral cult with Hellenistic and early Imperial Roman influences.
Due to the time period, many of the features of the Catacombs of Kom el
Shoqafa merge Roman, Greek and Egyptian cultural points; some statues
are Egyptian in style, yet bear Roman clothes and hair style whilst
other features share a similar style. A circular staircase, which was
often used to transport deceased bodies down the middle of it, leads
down into the tombs that were tunneled into the bedrock during the age
of the Antonine emperors
(2nd century AD). The facility was then used as a burial chamber from
the 2nd century to the 4th century, before being rediscovered in 1900
when a donkey accidentally fell into the access shaft. To date, three sarcophagi have
been found, along with other human and animal remains which were added
later. It is believed that the catacombs were only intended for a single
family, but it is unclear why the site was expanded in order to house
numerous other individuals. The Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa is,
according to some lists, also one of the seven medieval wonders of the
world. One of the more gruesome features of the catacombs is the so
called Hall of Caracalla. According to tradition, this is a mass burial
chamber for the humans and animals massacred by order of the Emperor Caracalla. |