| Catacombs
of Kom El Shoqafa |
|
| Alexandria,
Egypt |
| |
| 7
Medieval Wonders of the World |
| |
| |
| |
The Kom As-Shouqafa Catacombs
were accidentally discovered in
1900 when a donkey and cart fell
through the ground revealing the
underground chambers and tombs.
|
| |
The
Catacombs of Kom es-Shoqafa[2]
Courtesy of Hotels-Egypt-Booking.Com |
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 both 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.[1]
Catacombs
Catacombs are ancient,
human-made underground passageways
or subterranean cemeteries composed
thereof. Many are under cities and
have served during historic times
as a refuge for safety during wars[citation
needed] or as a meeting place for
cults[citation needed]. The first
burial galleries to be referred to
as catacombs lie beneath San Sebastiano
fuori le mura, in Rome. The derivation
of the word itself is disputed and
it remains unclear if it ultimately
derives from the cemetery itself or
from the locality in which it is found.
There is no doubt however that the
San Sebastiano catacombs are the first
to be referred to as such.
The word now refers
to any network of caves, grottos,
or subterranean galleries that were
used in medieval times as refuges
during wars, as worship places, or
for burial of the dead.[3]
Catacomb decorations
Catacombs although most notable for
the underground passage ways and cemeteries
are also the home of many decorations.
There are thousands of decorations
in the centuries old catacombs of
Rome, catacombs of Paris, and other
known and unknown catacombs, some
of which include inscriptions, paintings
and statues among other things such
as ornaments which were placed in
the graves over the years. Most of
these decorations were used to identify,
immortalize, and to show respect to
the dead.
Inscriptions
Although thousands of inscriptions
were lost as time past, they still
serve as an indication of the social
rank or the job title of its inhabitants;
most of the inscriptions simply indicate
how loving a couple was, or the love
of parents and such.
Paintings
Paintings can also be seen throughout
the burial chambers on the walls and
ceilings. The paintings conveyed the
same ideas as the inscriptions found
throughout the catacombs.[3]
