The next PCMA Seminar will focus on a child burial discovered at Kom el-Dikka in Alexandria. Epigrapher Prof. Adam Łukaszewicz (Faculty of Archaeology, University of Warsaw), bioarchaeologist Dr. Robert Mahler and archaeologist and director of excavations Dr. Grzegorz Majcherek will present various aspects of this unique find.
Abstract: ” A vessel containing the burial of a one-year-old child was discovered at the back of the auditoria, which were part of the late Antique “university” complex, in the heart of Roman Alexandria. An amphora, an import from Gaza, produced in the 4th or early 5th century CE, was used as a coffin. Its dating corresponds well with the reconstruction of this part of the city that took place in the 4th century CE. So far, no similar finds have been encountered in the Roman strata at the Kom el-Dikka archaeological site.
The burial evidently predates the establishment of the “university” complex at the site. An ostracon from the same horizon was found nearby, its content referring to the deceased child. The described finds, each so far unique in the scale of the site, provided the authors with a pretext for a broader discussion of child burials in the Roman period.”
The seminar will be held online, on Zoom, by exception, on Monday, 27th March, at 11:30 am CET. To receive the link, please write to pcma@uw.edu.pl .
Read more about PCMA UW research in Alexandria (LINK).