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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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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 is symmetrical along its plan at an angle of 40° towards the southeast but varies by floor as a cross-section. The tomb would align with the sunrise in 1985 AD. In 300 BC, the angle of the site would be 3.54° less.
2,285 ÷ 1,000 = 2.285
2.285 × 1.55 = 3.54175
40 - 3.542 = 36.46°



Conclusion
The catacombs appear to have Roman, Greek, and Egyptian influences of the era, but they are likely copies of other sites with no real explanation for their meaning. Due to this, they could be dated to any era, including much more recently. There are Roman designs and stonework, but these are few and shared with other eras. The Romans were known to place their dead on slabs; this could have also been for slaves.
The Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa appear much more modern and as such could have been carved around Neapolitan times, late 1700s, early 1800s. Napoleon had a liking for Egyptian designs, and they were popular at that time.



Archeology77 ©

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