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Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa

Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa The Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa are located in Alexandria, Egypt. Half a kilometer to the northeast is the Serapeum of Alexandria, which is another archaeological site in the area. The Serapeum of Alexandria is considered to have been built by the Greeks in the 3rd century BC. Coordinates 31.178942, 29.893170 Description The site is thought to date to the Hellenistic period, and Roman, Greek, and Egyptian cultural attributes can be found throughout. The site is considered to have three levels dug into the rock, being up to 35 meters deep. The Catacombs consist of a triclinium, dining room, rotunda, Hall of Caracalla, and sarcophagi. The entrance is from the southeast side near the staircase at a 40° angle. The Catacombs' size is 25 metres by 50 metres. It is thought the site was an earlier burial ground where visitors brought clay pots of food for themselves, leaving the pots as they departed. Hence, this is where the name derived from. Analysis The tomb...
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Dwarfie Stane

Dwarfie Stane














Dwarfie Stane is a carved tomb on the island of Orkney. It is considered Neolithic, from about 5000 years ago, and is located at the end of a 500-metre path. The site is currently managed by Historic Scotland.


Coordinates 
58.884460,-3.314228


Description
Dwarfie Stane was most likely carved in situ. It is a weather-worn slab of rock which resembles signs of coastal erosion. It may have slid down from the surrounding mountainsides during an earthquake or ice age, as similar rocks appear there.
The rock was carved slightly off-center, and local descriptions demonstrate this, with labels of items 1-7.
1,Blocking stone
2,Entrance passage
3,Post-medieval hole in the roof paired in 1972
4,Pillow-shaped ledge



Folklore 
The Dwarfie Stane is haunted by stories of dwarfs and giants, tales that were brought to Hoy by medieval Norse settlers. One such legend tells of a giant who punched his way out after being trapped inside the boulder by a rival.
Norse dwarfs were a mythical race of smiths about the right height to live within the tomb. Sir Walter Scott wrote that it was home to the evil dwarf Trolld in his 1822 novel The Pirate.
(Quoted from the site)



Analysis
The rock is currently 6-7° from north towards the west. Measuring 12 foot wide by 30 foot long. The rock is comparable to other rocks on the island.


Conclusion 
Other sites exist on the island of Orkney. Of these sites, there is the Ring of Brodgar, dated to 1563 BC, and Skara Brae, a village possibly dating to 2500 BC. These are Bronze Age, so Dwarfie Stane would fit into a Neolithic setting.
The style is quite unusual and not like Skara Brae, a part-stone and part-dirt dwelling, which was common in this era and continued into the Viking era, where brochs were built. This could suggest that it is either Neolithic, as stated, and a unique build, or it was carved more recently by settlers on the island possibly 1700 or 1800.









Archeology77 ©

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