JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.
A PHENOMENOLOGICAL APPROACH TO THE KOM EL-SHUQAFA CATACOMBS

Author
Shipley, Laryssa Antoinette
Abstract
The Catacombs of Kom el-Shuqafa are one of the best-preserved Alexandrian necropolis complexes from the Roman period. A modern tourist can descend into the catacombs much like an ancient visitor would have, allowing today’s visitor a shared experience with the past. Because Hypogeum I of the site is known primarily for its mixture of Egyptian, Greek, and Roman decorative elements, scholarship on the site is primarily descriptive, focusing on the visual components of the site that show evidence for cultural mixing or “hybridity”. A multi-sensorial approach, however, has yet to be taken. Due to its relatively well-preserved nature, as well as the lack of written evidence at this site, I argue that we can use a phenomenologically-oriented methodology to gain insight on ancient visitor experience, ultimately discovering that ancient visitors would have seen the descent into the catacombs as a descent into the underworld.
Date Issued
2018-05-30Subject
Phenomenology; Egypt; Alexandria; Catacombs; Kom el-Shoqafa; Kom el-Shuqafa; North African studies; Archaeology; Art history
Committee Chair
Barrett, Caitlin Eilis
Committee Member
Alexandridis, Annetta
Degree Discipline
Archaeology
Degree Name
M.A., Archaeology
Degree Level
Master of Arts
Type
dissertation or thesis