Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean (16.2004(2005))

MARINA EL-ALAMEIN

EGYPT

BOX TOMB T 30

A tomb of the box type comprising five
loculi, dated to the lst/2nd century AD,
was discovered in the northwestern part of
the necropolis, 3-02 m north of box Tomb
27 and 22.80 m southeast of Hypogeum-
Tomb 7 [Fig. I'].3 The main structure, which
faces east, was rectangular in plan and con-
sisted of three loculi oriented E-W. An ex-
tension of two additional loculi, also orien-
ted E-W, was added onto its northern side.
One more loculus tomb, oriented N-S, was
built onto the back of the main structure,
the entrance to it facing north.
The main tomb was 2.95-3.03 m long
(E-W) with a fagade that measured 2.98 m
(N-S). The walls of the tomb rose to a height
of c. 0.70 m; the slabs covering the loculi
had an average thickness of 0.25 m. At the
highest preserved point, at the west end,
the total height of the tomb was 1.04 m
[Figs. 2,3]. The space inside the structure
was divided with two stone partition walls,
forming loculi from 0.54 to 0.70 m wide,
and all 0.70 m high inside; the opening of
the central one was effectively decreased to
just 0.40 m by a block built into the en-
trance on ground level. The southern and
northern loculi of the main part had the
closing slabs in place. The two northern-
most loculi that were found closed had an
additional set of stones and slabs leaning
against the blocked openings; they were
set in sand some 15-30 cm above the ori-
ginal ground level, additionally blocking
the openings to the burial niches [Fig. 4].
Once the northern extension with two
loculi was added, the total length of the
tomb fagade reached 4.66 m. The two loculi
were 2.80 m long (N-S). The covering slabs,
an average 0.13-0.14 cm thick, made use

of a ledge left for this purpose on the wall
of the main part of the tomb. The southern
loculus of the two was 0.70 m wide, the
northern one 0.69 m; both were 0.70 m
high. A low step, 0.12 m wide and about
0.10 m deep, was introduced in front of
the entire extension, presumably to com-
pensate for the difference in bedrock level.
The ground in front of the two northern
loculi was leveled even with the top of this
step with crushed lime debris and sand
mixed together. Both openings were also
blocked secondarily with slabs and stones
in the same manner as the loculi of the
main part of the tomb.
On top of the slabs covering the north-
ernmost loculus, there was a row of upright
slabs, 0.26 m high and 0.15 m thick,
lining the northern and western edges. The
total height of the tomb with the enclosure
slabs at the west end was 1.09 m. Inside
the enclosure, a skeleton burial of a juve-
nile was discovered directly on top of the
covering slabs of the loculus. The skull was
missing, but otherwise the bones were
found in anatomical order, the body laid
out in supine position with left hand on the
pelvic area and right one extended away
from the body.
The western extension, added on to the
main part of the tomb and making use of
a ledge left on the back wall of the tomb to
support the closing slabs, was of the same
length as the width of the main tomb, that
is c. 3.00 m; its width ranged from c. 1.03 m
at the northern end and c. 0.95 m at the
southern one. The height of the loculus
was 0.66 m [Fig. 3]. (The difference in the
width was due to the west wall of this
tomb being doubled, the space in between

3 Cf. PAM IV. Reports 1992 (1993), 29; PAM V. Reports 1993 (1994), 29-31.

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