BIBLE HISTORY DAILY

Greco-Roman Tombs Uncovered in Alexandria

Bible and archaeology news

Excavations in Alexandria recently uncovered two-story tomb remains in the city’s Hellenistic and Roman-era necropolis. Discovered during a routine excavation before the creation of an urban construction zone, the tombs would have held the remains of the city’s non-elite populace. Nearby excavations in 1998 uncovered 37 additional tombs in another section of the cemetery, including one with an elegant bed-shaped coffin. Despite being partially submerged under water, the newly-discovered tombs feature well-preserved engravings that will provide insights into the Hellenic burial practices in the Egyptian city. The Greek historian Strabo described Alexandria’s necropolis as a network of tombs when he visited the city in the first century B.C.E., suggesting that there is more to be uncovered.

A recent study provided an astronomical insight into Alexandria’s urban design. Read more in Bible History Daily.

Read J. Harold Ellens, The Ancient Library of Alexandria for free in Bible History Daily.