Death and burial in ancient Alexandria: the Necropolis of Moustapha Pasha

Abstract

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] As study of the Alexandrian monumental rock-cut tombs in the eastern necropolis of Moustapha Pasha, leads to a re-examination of their artifacts, architectural features, and function. Cut into the limestone bedrock and entered by means of a staircase, the monumental rock-cut tombs in Alexandria were composed of numerous chambers arranged around a centralized courtyard open to the sky, where Alexandrians performed funeral rituals. These tombs are an important tool for understanding the burial practices and funeral rites of people living in ancient Alexandria. Previous studies of these tombs have not acknowledged the importance of over five hundred artifacts recovered during excavations, leading to an incorrect chronology for the tombs as well as an incomplete understanding of the funeral rites performed therein. This analysis of the artifacts from the tombs extends their period of use well into the Roman period.