P1:ILM/IKJ P2:ILM/SPH QC:ILM CB427-Venit-FM CB427-Venit April10,2002 13:36 CharCount=0 MONUMENTAL TOMBS OF ANCIENT ALEXANDRIA The Theater of the Dead marjorie susan venit UniversityofMaryland iii P1:ILM/IKJ P2:ILM/SPH QC:ILM CB427-Venit-FM CB427-Venit April10,2002 13:36 CharCount=0 publishedbythepresssyndicateoftheuniversityofcambridge ThePittBuilding,TrumpingtonStreet,Cambridge,UnitedKingdom cambridgeuniversitypress TheEdinburghBuilding,Cambridgecb22ru,UK 40West20thStreet,NewYork,ny10011-4211,USA 477WilliamstownRoad,PortMelbourne,vic3207,Australia RuizdeAlarco´n13,28014Madrid,Spain DockHouse,TheWaterfront,CapeTown8001,SouthAfrica http://www.cambridge.org (cid:2)C MarjorieSusanVenit2002 Thisbookisincopyright.Subjecttostatutoryexception andtotheprovisionsofrelevantcollectivelicensingagreements, noreproductionofanypartmaytakeplacewithout thewrittenpermissionofCambridgeUniversityPress. Firstpublished2002 PrintedintheUnitedKingdomattheUniversityPress,Cambridge TypefaceSabon10/13pt. SystemLATEX2ε [tb] AcatalogrecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary. LibraryofCongressCataloginginPublicationData Venit,MarjorieSusan. MonumentaltombsofancientAlexandria: thetheaterofthedead / MarjorieSusanVenit. p. cm. isbn0-521-80659-3 1.Tombs–Egypt–Alexandria. 2.Alexandria(Egypt)–Antiquities. 3.Alexandria (Egypt)–Socialconditions. 4.Art–Egypt–Alexandria. I.Title. dt73.a4v47 2002 932–dc21 2001037994 isbn0521806593hardback iv P1:ILM/IKJ P2:ILM/SPH QC:ILM CB427-Venit-FM CB427-Venit April10,2002 13:36 CharCount=0 CONTENTS ListofColorPlates page ix ListofIllustrations xi Acknowledgments xv Introduction 1 1 TheMonumentalTombsofAncientAlexandria:SettingtheScene 7 2 TheEarliestAlexandrianMonumentalTombsandTheirAntecedents 22 TheEasternCemetery 22 TheEarlyAlexandrianCemetery 24 TheEarliestMonumentalTombs 26 IllusionisminEarlyAlexandrianTombs 34 3 TheateroftheDead:TheatricalityinAlexandrianTombs 37 TheTombatSidiGabr 38 TheTombfromtheAntoniadisGardens 41 TheTombsatMoustaphaPasha 44 MoustaphaPashaTomb2,45 (cid:2) MoustaphaPashaTomb4,49 (cid:2) MoustaphaPashaTomb1,50 (cid:2) MoustaphaPashaTomb3,61 TheatricalityandtheTombsatMoustaphaPasha 65 4 TheTombsofPharosIsland:CulturalInterplayandEthnicIdentity 68 TheNecropolisatRaselTin 69 RaselTinTomb1,69 (cid:2) RaselTinTomb3,70 (cid:2) RaselTinTomb8,72 TheAnfushyNecropolis 73 AnfushyTombI,74 (cid:2) AnfushyTombII,77 (cid:2) AnfushyTombV,85 EthnicityonPharosIsland 90 TheGhirghisTomb,92 (cid:2) FortSalehTombI,93 (cid:2) TheEgyptian BrokenLintel,94 EthnicityinAlexandrianTombsofthePtolemaicPeriod 94 vii P1:ILM/IKJ P2:ILM/SPH QC:ILM CB427-Venit-FM CB427-Venit April10,2002 13:36 CharCount=0 viii CONTENTS 5 TheEmergenceoftheIndividual:theSa¯¯qiyaTombandtheNecropolis atWardian 96 TombsExcavatedbyAdrianiatMinetel-Bassal(Wardian)in1950/51 97 SectionA,Tomb1,97 (cid:2) SectionA,Tomb3,97 (cid:2) SectionB,98 (cid:2) SectionC,99 Riad’s1960ExcavationsatWardian 99 TombI,99 (cid:2) TombsIIandIV,101 (cid:2) TombIII:theSa¯qiyaTomb,101 TheSa¯qiyaTomb,Hellenism,andEgypt 118 6 TheUsesofEgyptinRomanAlexandria 119 EgyptianizingMortuaryScenesinRoman-PeriodTombs 120 HabachiTombA,120 (cid:2) RamlehTomb,122 (cid:2) Komel-Shoqafa: TheEgyptianizingNebengrab(“HallofCaracalla”),RoomE,Tombh,122 Aspectsofthe“DoubleStyle”inRoman-PeriodAlexandrianTombs 123 TheSieglinTomb,124 (cid:2) TheGreatCatacombatKomel-Shoqafa, 124 (cid:2) HallofCaracalla(Nebengrab)PersephoneTombs,145 (cid:2) The TigraneTomb,146 (cid:2) TheStagniTomb,159 CultureandGenderinAlexandrianFuneraryImagery 165 7 TheLegacyofAlexandrianTombs 168 DiffusionoftheAlexandrianTombTypeinEgypt 168 Plinthine,169 (cid:2) Marinael-Alamein,170 (cid:2) MarsaMatruh (Paraetonium),171 DiffusionoftheAlexandrianTombTypeOutsideEgypt 172 Libya,173 (cid:2) Cyprus,175 (cid:2) SyriaandCoeleSyria,175 DiffusionoftheAlexandrianTombTypeintheChristianWorld 181 ChristianTombsinAlexandria,181 (cid:2) ChristianTombsOutside Egypt,186 TheContributionsofAlexandrianTombs 186 AppendixA: AlexandrianTombsMentionedintheText 191 AppendixB: PartiallyFlutedColumns 201 ListofWorksCited,Abbreviations,andShortForms 205 Endnotes 223 Index 261 Colorplatesfollowpage112. P1:ILM/IKJ P2:ILM/SPH QC:ILM CB427-Venit-FM CB427-Venit April10,2002 13:36 CharCount=0 LIST OF COLOR PLATES Allphotographsthatarenototherwiseattributedinthecaptionsarethoseoftheauthor. PlateI: AnfushyI,Room1 PlateII: AnfushyII,Room2 PlateIII: AnfushyV,Room4 PlateIV: AnfushyV,Room5 PlateV: TheSa¯qiyaTomb:thewaterfowlinthepondinthesa¯qiyapainting PlateVI: TheSa¯qiyaTomb:theherm PlateVII: TheSa¯qiyaTomb:theextantslabfromtheklinechamberwitha malefigurerecliningunderanarbor PlateVIII: Komel-Shoqafa:theMainTomb PlateIX: TheTigraneTomb:thegorgoneionfromthecenterofthedome PlateX: TheTigraneTomb:thecentralfigurefromtheleftniche ix P1:ILM/IKJ P2:ILM/SPH QC:ILM CB427-Venit-FM CB427-Venit April10,2002 13:36 CharCount=0 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Allphotographsthatarenototherwiseattributedinthecaptionsarethoseoftheauthor. 1. Alexandria 2 2. TombsnewlydiscoveredatGabbari 3 3. TheAlabasterTomb 8 4. Marinael-AlameinTomb7 15 5. Alexandria19440,afalse-doorloculusslabexcavatedatHadrain1912 17 6. Chatbynecropolis:plan 23 7. AchambertombfromHadra 25 8. AcirculartombfromtheEzbetel-MakhloufsectionofHadra 26 9. HypogeumA:plan 27 10. HypogeumAuponexcavation 27 11. HypogeumAasitappearstoday 28 12. HypogeumA:reconstructionofthesouthwalloftheanteroom 29 13. HypogeumA:burialroomg 30 14. HypogeumA:thefacadeoftheentrancetotheklinechamberg(cid:3) 30 15. HypogeumA:thetwoklinaiinroomg(cid:3) 31 16. HypogeumA:BurialChambereuponexcavation 31 17. Hadrahydria 32 18. TombfromFortSaleh(Gabbari)fromRaid’sexcavationsof1965–1966 35 19. Alexandria24040,excavatedin1935atHadra:loculusslabwithgate 35 20. ThetombatSidiGabr:section 38 21. ThetombsatSidiGabratthebeginningofthetwentiethcentury 39 22. ThetombatSidiGabr:plan 39 23. SidiGabr:thefacadeoftheklineroom 40 24. SidiGabr:reconstructionoftheklinechamber 40 25. ThetombfromtheAntoniadisGardens 42 26. ThetombfromtheAntoniadisGardens:plan 42 27. ThetombfromtheAntoniadisGardens:vestibuleandklineniche 43 28. ThetombsatMoustaphaPashaexcavatedbyAdriani 45 xi P1:ILM/IKJ P2:ILM/SPH QC:ILM CB427-Venit-FM CB427-Venit April10,2002 13:36 CharCount=0 xii LISTOFILLUSTRATIONS 29. ThetombexcavatedatMoustaphaPashain1984 46 30. MoustaphaPashaTomb2:plan 46 31. MoustaphaPashaTomb2:viewtowardtheburialchambers 47 32. MoustaphaPashaTomb2:detailoftheklineinRoom5aspreserved 48 33. MoustaphaTomb2:reconstructionoftheklinefromRoom5 48 34. MoustaphaPashaTomb4:plan 50 35. MoustaphaPashaTomb1:plan 50 36. MoustaphaPasha1:viewdownintothecourt 52 37. AnglepierinthecourtofoneofthetombsexcavatedatMoustapha Pashain1984 53 38. MoustaphaPasha1:theeastsideofthecourt 54 39. MoustaphaPasha1:walltreatmentinRoom6 55 40. MoustaphaPasha1:thesouthfacadeofthecourt 56 41. MoustaphaPasha1:theright-handdoorwayofthesouthfacadeofthecourt 57 42. MoustaphaPasha1:paintingoverthecentraldoorwayofthesouth facadeofthecourt 57 43. MoustaphaPasha1:viewtothenorthofthecourt 59 44. MoustaphaPasha1:thewellroom(Room2) 60 45. MoustaphaPasha1:thesystemofbasinsinRoom3 61 46. MoustaphaPashaTomb3 62 47. MoustaphaPasha3:reconstructionofthecourt,thestage,thealtar,andthe klineroombeyond 63 48. MoustaphaPasha3:viewtothenorthaspreserved 64 49. MoustaphaPasha3:reconstructionofthescenaefrons 64 50. MoustaphaPasha3:detailoftheklineaspreserved 65 51. MoustaphaPasha3:reconstructionofthekline 66 52. RaselTinTombs1–3 69 53. RaselTinTomb1:arcosolium 70 54. RaselTinTomb3:Heraklesandthehoopoeinsitu 71 55. RaselTinTomb8:klineroom 72 56. TheAnfushyTombs 74 57. AnfushyTombI 74 58. AnfushyTombI:lightfunneloverthedoorinthecourt 75 59. AnfushyI.2:thejackal 76 60. AnfushyTombII:plan 77 61. AnfushyII:paintingontheupperlandingofthestaircase 78 62. AnfushyII:reconstructionofthenicheinthecourt 80 63. AnfushyII:southsideofcourt 80 64. AnfushyI.1:theredecoration 81 65. AnfushyII.1:schematicdrawingoftheredecorationoftheroom 81 66. AnfushyII.1theEgyptianizingphaseaspreserved 82 67. AnfushyII:theEgyptianizingdoorframebetweenRooms1and2 83 68. AnfushyII.2:theEgyptiannaiskos 83 69. AnfushyII.2:thepaintedstructuralelementsoftheceiling 84 70. AnfushyV:planandsection 86 71. AnfushyV.1:viewtowardRoom2 87 72. AnfushyV.2:detailsofthetreeandpierdecorationofRoom2 87 73. AnfushyV.4:loculus-closingslabintheformofanEgyptiannaos 88 74. AnfushyV.4:reconstructionoftheclosingslabinRoom4 89 P1:ILM/IKJ P2:ILM/SPH QC:ILM CB427-Venit-FM CB427-Venit April10,2002 13:36 CharCount=0 LISTOFILLUSTRATIONS xiii 75. AnfushyV.5:thelargeloculus 90 76. TheGhirghisTomb:wallbehindthekline 92 77. TheFortSalehTomb 93 78. Minetel-Bassal,SectionA:plan 97 79. Minetel-Bassal,SectionA,Tomb3:doorwaybetweenthecourtandRoom4 98 80. Minetel-Bassal,SectionB:loculusslabwithstandingmale 98 81. WardianTombI:plan 100 82. WardianTombII:plan 101 83. WardianTombsIIIandIV:plan 101 84. WardianTombIII:theSa¯qiyaTomb:plan 102 85. TheSa¯qiyaTombslabintheGraeco-RomanMuseum 103 86. TheSa¯qiyaTomb:thesa¯qiyalandscape 104 87. TheSa¯qiyaTomb:thewaterwheel 104 88. TheSa¯qiyaTomb:theherm 105 89. TheSa¯qiyaTomb:theherdsman 105 90. TheSa¯qiyaTomb:thezone-stylewall 106 91. TheSa¯qiyaTomb:thepaintedsarcophaguswiththeba-bird 106 92. TheSa¯qiyaTomb:theright-handarcosoliumintheklinechamber 107 93. TheSa¯qiyaTomb:thescenefromthebackwalloftheklinechamber 107 94. ThesacrificeofIsaacfromthedomeoftheTombofPeaceatBagawat inKhargaOasis 111 95. Alexandria19439:theloculusslabofHelixoexcavatedatHadrain1912 112 96. LoculusslabfromacemeteryeastofChatby,depictingasceneofthe underworld 112 97. Gearingofasa¯qiya 114 98. Asa¯qiyaasseenfromabove 114 99. HabachiTombA:drawingofthebackwallofthesarcophagusniche 121 100. HabachiTombA:drawingofthefrontofthesarcophagus 121 101. Komel-Shoqafa:Nebengrab,Tombh 123 102. Komel-Shoqafa:SieglinTomb 124 103. Komel-Shoqafa:sectionoftheoriginalpartoftheGreatCatacomb 125 104. Komel-Shoqafa:planoftheoriginalpartoftheGreatCatacomb 126 105. ReconstructionofthefunerarychapelofTomb6atMarinael-Alamein 127 106. Komel-ShoqafaMainTomb:reconstructiondrawingofthetriclinium 128 107. Komel-ShoqafaMainTomb:theanteroom 130 108. Komel-ShoqafaMainTomb:thestatueofthemale 131 109. Komel-ShoqafaMainTomb:thestatueofthefemale 132 110. Komel-ShoqafaMainTomb:detailoftheheadofthemale 133 111. Komel-ShoqafaMainTomb:detailofthewoman’shead 134 112. TheGrandCatacombatWardian(Mex) 135 113. Komel-ShoqafaMainTomb:thesarcophagusofthecentralniche 135 114. Komel-ShoqafaMainTomb:therightniche 136 115. Komel-ShoqafaMainTomb:backwallofcentralniche 137 116. Komel-ShoqafaMainTomb:leftwallofcentralniche 138 117. Komel-ShoqafaMainTomb:therightwallofcentralniche 139 118. Komel-ShoqafaMainTomb:thebackwallofleftniche 139 119. Komel-ShoqafaMainTomb:theleftwallofleftniche 140 120. Komel-ShoqafaMainTomb:therightwallofleftniche 140 121. Komel-ShoqafaMainTomb:theleftwallofrightniche 141 P1:ILM/IKJ P2:ILM/SPH QC:ILM CB427-Venit-FM CB427-Venit April10,2002 13:36 CharCount=0 xiv LISTOFILLUSTRATIONS 122. Komel-ShoqafaMainTomb:therightwallofrightniche 142 123. Komel-ShoqafaMainTomb:AnubisasaRomanlegionary 144 124. TheStagniTomb:Anubis 144 125. Komel-ShoqafaMainTomb:theanguipedAnubis 145 126. Komel-Shoqafa:HallofCaracalla(Nebengrab),PersephoneTomb2 146 127. TheTigraneTomb:plan 147 128. TheTigraneTomb:view 148 129. TheTigraneTomb:thedome 149 130. TheTigraneTomb:theleftentrywalltotheburialchamber 150 131. TheTigraneTomb:detailoftherightentrywall 150 132. TheTigraneTomb:thebackwallofcentralniche 151 133. TheTigraneTomb:thebackwallofleftniche 153 134. Alexandria3215:aloculus-closingslabfromGabbari 154 135. TheTigraneTomb:thebackwallofrightniche 155 136. TheStagniTomb 160 137. TheStagniTomb:detailofthefrieze 161 138. TheStagniTomb:theleftpier 162 139. TheStagniTomb:therightpier 162 140. TheStagniTomb:theHorusfalcons 162 141. StagniTomb:nicheonthebackwall 164 142. StagniTomb:Isis-Aphrodite 165 143. PlinthineTomb1 169 144. Plinthinepaintedloculusslab 170 145. Plinthinecarvedloculusslab 170 146. Marinael-Alamein:Tomb6:plan 171 147. Marinael-Alamein:Tomb7 172 148. MarsaMatruh:Tomb1 173 149. Alexandria24863:MarsaMatruhcarvedloculusslab 173 150. Zawanitomb 174 151. MarisaTombI:plan 176 152. MarisaTombII:plan 176 153. MarisaTombI:theklineroom 177 154. MarisaTombI:detailofthefriezeonthesouthwall 178 155. MarisaTombI:detailofthefriezeonthesouthwall 178 156. Tyrehypogeum:detailofthepaintedfrieze 180 157. Hadra:thetriangularlyplannedChristiantomb 182 158. Komel-Shoqafa:theWescherTomb 184 159. Komel-Shoqafa:theWescherTomb–theexedrapainting 185 160. VolosMuseum55:thesteleofChoirile 189 P1:GEM/SPH P2:GEM/UKS QC:GEM/UKS T1:GEM CB427-Int CB427-Venit March18,2002 17:24 CharCount=0 INTRODUCTION Alexandriaisthecrownofallcities... –AmmianusMarcellinusXXII.16.7 DespiteAmmianusMarcellinus’boast,ancientAlexandria inhabited one of the most influential cities of the ancient exactedlittleinterestin1985whenIbeganmystudyofthe world.Alexandria’smonumentaltombsarethesingleclass city’smonumentaltombs.Bythelate1990s,however,the ofmonumentsthatcanbestprovideasocialhistoryofthe venerable city had achieved a renaissance. A symposium ancientcity. at the J. Paul Getty Center in 19931 refocused scholarly Foundedin331byAlexandertheGreatonthenarrow attentiononthecity,whichconcurrentlywasblossoming stripoflimestonethatborderstheMediterraneanjustwest with renewed excavations and flowering in the popular oftheCanopicbranchoftheNile,Alexandriabecameone press.TheNationalGeographicspotlightedAlexandriaas of the most important cultural and economic centers of the paradigmatic city at the turn to the first millennium theHellenisticworld.Atthebeginningofthesecondcen- ce,2andnewspaperandmagazineaccountsofrecentfinds, tury ce, Dio Chrystostom (Discourse 32) could say that televisiondocumentariesandtheirassociatedvideos,and AlexandriawassecondonlytoRomeofallcitiesunderthe coffee-table volumes in at least three languages3 directed sun;untiltheArabconquest,Alexandriawasnumberedas attentiontotheancientcityanditsmonumentaltombs.Re- oneofthegreatcitiesoftheChristianEast. portsofdiscoveriesofcolossalEgyptianstatuesinthehar- None of the fabled monuments that distinguished an- borofAlexandrianeartheIslandofthePharosfiredpublic cientAlexandriaremains.Theroyalpalacesthatlinedthe imagination (see Figure 1 for Alexandrian topography),4 shore, the museum and library that conferred the city’s as did continued media devotion to the undersea blocks culturalhegemony,andthelighthouse–oneoftheseven designated the “Palace of Cleopatra.”5 If the sensational wondersoftheancientworld–arestilllost.8Survivingthe “discovery” of the “Tomb of Cleopatra” in the Western destruction of the Roman Empire to become one of the Desertdisappointedthosewhoreadbeyondinitialnewspa- greatcentersofChristianity,Alexandriafinallyfellbefore peraccounts,6theFrenchsalvageexcavationofaboutfifty the victorious army of ‘Amr-ibn-el-‘As¯ı, who conquered relativelymodestmonumentaltombsinthewesternregion Egyptin639/40andfoundedFustat(laterCairo)andwho ofAlexandriacalledGabbari(Figure2)–documentedin delightedinprovidingobviouslyinflatedbutnevertheless populararchaeologymagazines,apicturebook,anexhi- tellingfiguresforthecityhedestroyed:“Ihaveconquered bition,andavideo7–permittedaninternationalaudience acitythatIcannotdescribe;butIhavefoundthere4,000 aglimpseofancientAlexandria’sordinarypeople. palaces[orquarters]with4,000publicbathsand40,000 ForofallAlexandria’sancientmonuments,monumen- tribute-payingJews,and400placesofamusementforthe tal tombs are the best recorded and preserved and the kings.”9 ones,oncurrentevidence,thatbestaddressthecity’san- Alexandria’s monumental tombs embody the most ar- cientpast.Theyaffordeloquentwitnesstothefameand ticulatetestimonytothisvanishedglory.Theyprovidema- gloryofancientAlexandriaandthediversecommunitythat terial evidence for the innovative and iconoclastic spirit 1