Catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa
About
A three-level tomb complex cut 35 meters down into the bedrock, mixing pharaonic funerary scenes, Greek columns, and Roman portrait busts in the same burial chamber. What began as one wealthy family's vault grew into a communal necropolis for hundreds of Alexandrians. Archaeological dating puts its start in the second quarter of the 2nd century CE, so this tomb hadn't been dug yet in 117 CE — it was rediscovered by accident in 1900 when a donkey cart broke through its roof.
What happened here
The dead are outside the walls because the law requires it, so the approach to every town is lined with them. Tombs face the road in rows, grand ones in front and simpler markers behind, all of them addressed to the passer-by. Burial clubs let ordinary people and slaves pay a monthly subscription for a place in a communal vault and a decent funeral; the alternative is a pit. Families come out on anniversaries and at the February festival, eat at the graveside, and pour wine into a pipe set into the ground. Undertakers, stonecutters and letter-cutters work nearby and compete on price. Ground is bought by the foot, and the frontage on the road costs the most.
Sources
Nearby
Roman Maps shows the empire frozen at 11 August 117 CE, the day Trajan died — its moment of greatest territorial extent. Explore the full map →