Espaço funerário em Alexandria: tumba principal de Kom elShoqafa, séculos I e II d.C

Abstract

Alexandria, the political center of the Ptolemies and capital of the province of Egypt during the Roman period, was marked by the cosmopolitan aspect of its population and culture. Although there was an overvaluation of Greek culture, the Egyptian tradition had a great influence in this city. Religious aspects are the most notable, especially regarding to funeral beliefs. This research seeks to investigate the cultural interactions that took place in the funerary space, having as object of study a tomb located in the archaeological site of Kom el-Shoqafa, situated in Alexandria, whose construction dates between the first and second centuries AD. By analyzing the architecture and the iconography present in this tomb, we defend the idea that the Egyptian, Greek and Roman cultures were integrated in a process of entanglement, a concept created by archaeologist Phillip Stockhammer (2012). This process reflects the cultural and social diversity of Alexandria in the Roman period, deriving from the contact with the Egyptian culture throughout the centuries of Ptolemaic domination.