Shatby Necropolis: An Early Hellenistic Burial Complex in Alexandria, Egypt
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.2
- Popularity
- Very Low
- Country
- Egypt
- Primary era
- Classical
- External website
- Open
- Eras represented
- Classical
- Civilizations
- Ptolemaic, Roman
- Site type
- Burial
- Remains
- Necropolis
On this page10 sections
History
Shatby Necropolis is an ancient burial complex in Alexandria, Egypt, associated with the Greek foundation of the city during the Hellenistic period. Its broad chronological range extends from about 331 BC to AD 641, while the principal necropolis has been dated more specifically to around 320 BC, the last quarter of the fourth century BC, and the beginning of the third century BC. It formed part of Alexandria’s eastern cemetery and offers evidence of the city’s early and culturally diverse population.
Alexandria’s Early Cemetery
The burials are associated with people from Macedonia, Thessaly, Crete, Asia Minor, Athens, Sidon, and Megara. The complex has also been interpreted as a burial place for mercenaries serving the Ptolemies, the Macedonian-Greek dynasty that ruled Egypt after Alexander’s conquests, although that interpretation remains uncertain. The range of communities connected with the cemetery reflects the mixed population of early Alexandria.
Jewish tombstones from the site, probably inscribed in the third century BC, are important evidence for the study of Aramaic. Greek funerary inscriptions were also used in the tombs, showing the coexistence of different epigraphic and cultural traditions within the cemetery.
Discovery and Archaeological Work
Searches and discoveries began between 1892 and 1904 in the area between Shatby and Ibrahimia. Alexander Max de Zogheib found vessels, small statues, lamps, and coins, while Giuseppe Botti and Evaristo Breccia encountered tombs in 1893 and 1904. Breccia, the second director of Alexandria’s Graeco-Roman Museum, began systematic exploration during the first decade of the twentieth century.
Excavations continued from 1907 to 1928, with especially active campaigns in 1912 and 1916. Breccia did not complete the work, and parts of the complex remained unexplored. An international project resumed investigations in 2020 under Mona Haggag of the University of Alexandria and the Archaeological Society of Alexandria, Kyriakos Savvopoulos of the University of Oxford, and Professor Hussein Abd El Aziz. Conducted with Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities, the Cyprus Institute, and the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, the Alexandria Necropolis Project concluded in 2023 after documenting and restoring the site and adapting it as an archaeological park.
The 2020 to 2023 investigations clarified the form of Hypogeum A, an underground funerary complex, and identified its ancient southern facade. They also recovered skeletons and numerous portable archaeological finds in good condition, adding new evidence to the interpretation of the cemetery.
Remains
Shatby Necropolis lies on the Mediterranean shore in Alexandria’s Shatby district, extending toward Mustafa Kamel and forming part of the eastern cemetery. The tombs are north of Collège Saint Marc on the seafront and east of the Selsela area, identified with ancient Lochias. Four archaeological tombs occupy different depths. The principal subterranean remains include the multichambered Hypogeum A and the smaller Hypogea B and C, while stepped towers above ground were interpreted as bases for funerary stelae or altars placed over pit tombs.
Subterranean Tombs
Hypogeum A and the Tomb of the Soldiers
The principal tomb complex contains four halls with burial openings arranged in superimposed rows. Each row could include up to four openings, decorated with painted ornament and Greek funerary inscriptions. The first tomb, known as the Tomb of the Soldiers, has a courtyard with two rock-cut Doric columns. Doric is one of the principal orders of ancient Greek architecture, recognized by its relatively plain columns and capitals. The tomb has a vaulted roof, and two burial openings contained the remains of more than ten people. Several layers of wall plaster show that the space was used repeatedly in different periods.
Lamps, perfume bottles, and other vessels were recovered from the Tomb of the Soldiers, many in good condition. A Hadra vase, used to contain the ashes of a cremated person, was found in a rock-cut niche sealed with stone slabs. Some slabs were painted, while others carried Greek writing in red ink. The vase bears funerary scenes and the deceased person’s name in Greek.
Deeper Tombs
The third and fourth tombs lie below the level of the first. One is positioned to the north and the other to the south, and both contained numerous archaeological objects, including lamps and pottery vessels.
Marble Sarcophagi and Burials
Ibrahimia Sarcophagi
The second tomb, known as the Ibrahimia Sarcophagi, contains large marble sarcophagi decorated with motifs associated with Alexandria. One sarcophagus was found at the junction of Shedia and Canopus streets, while two others came from a street near Mykerinos Street. They date to the second half of the second century AD.
Eight rock-cut steps descend from north to south to an entrance facing east. Each sarcophagus stands before a decorated space with two projections and three broad levels carved in relief with flowers and fruit. Large grape clusters hang from festoons linked by bow-shaped ribbons, which are attached to four male figures standing on cubic bases.
The interior decoration includes two nude youthful figures with differing poses. One leans to the right and the other to the left, with their feet set apart. Two smaller youths occupy the corners, one turning outward and the other inward. Each wears an ankle-length, long-sleeved Attis costume, including trousers, a garment tied at the neck, and a Phrygian helmet. Attis was a figure of ancient Anatolian and Greek religious tradition commonly shown in eastern-style clothing and a Phrygian cap.
A Gorgon, or Medusa, head occupies the center of each festoon. In ancient Greek art, the Gorgon’s head commonly served as a protective image. It is flanked by the head of a man carrying a wreath of fruit and flowers and by a woman’s head. Other festoons beside the sarcophagi rest on skulls, with Gorgon heads placed in their concave spaces.
Southern Burials
Two uncoffined bodies, a young child and the child’s mother, were found in the southern part of the site. A Greek-inscribed gravestone accompanied them, together with thirty-four gold sheets shaped as vessels, genital organs, and fingers. Three gold rings lay at the bottom of the burial area. A mosaic dating to the third century AD was also discovered in the necropolis.
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