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ALEXANDRIA
EGYPT
andE9A).Thisinitselfwasmostunusual
andcontradictorytoestablishedIslamic
burialtradition.Inbothinstances,the
coffinswereplacedontopofearlierburials
inalreadyexistinggraves.Onepossible
explanationisthatthebodiesofthe
deceasedwerebroughtfromelsewhereto
beburiedinfamilytombs.Thecoffins,
althoughmadeasfairlysimpleboard
boxes,
show
some
signs
of
skilled
carpentry.Theboardsweredressed,
carefullyassembledandnailedtogether.
Cornerswereadditionallystrengthened
withverticalmembers.Inonecaseatenon
jointwasusedtoexpandthewidthofthe
board.Thetypeoftimberusedforthe
coffinsisyettobeidentified4).
Thetrenchwasexpandedwestwardsfor
another5-6m,clearinggraveswhichwere
alsogroupedandenclosedbyperimeter
walls.Twosuchenclosurescametolight.
Thelargeronetothesouthgroupedeight
graves(E41-E48)andthesmalleroneto
thenorthcomprisedfourgraves(E49-
E52)(Fig.1).Thissectionofthecemetery
Fig.2.FunerarystelafromneartombE114
(reg.no.5070)(DrawingM.Redlak)
overlyingthePorticostylobateisscheduled
forexcavationinthenextseason.
Seventeengraves(E100-E118)ofthe
MiddleNecropolis(9th-10thcenturiesAD)
werefoundimmediatelybelowtheUpper
phase.Theywerebuiltaslargerectangular
structures(c.2by2.5m)of2-3rowsof
limestoneblocks,occasionallyplastered.
Theyusuallyaccommodatedseveralburials,
someofthemassimpleinternments,others
enclosedinmasonryboxes.
Oncetheburialgroundhadbeen
abandoned,itwasturnedintoalarge
dumpinggroundandsealedbyquickly
accumulatinglayersofurbanrefuse.The
associatedlayersyieldedtheusualbroad
rangeofassortedfinds,largelysimilarto
thatrecordedpreviouslyinmedievalstrata
overlyingthecemetery.Severalfragments
offunerarystelaebearingQuranicversesin
Kuficscriptwerefoundindifferent
locations:reg.no.5070ingraveE114
(Fig.2)andno.5068closetograveE7
(Fig.3).Theartefactualcorpusoffinds
fromthegraveyardalsoincludedan
Fig.3.FunerarystelafromneargraveE7
(reg.no.5068)(PhotoG.Majcherek)
4)Formoredetails,seecontributionbyI.Zychinthisvolume.
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