The Cemetery of Al-Kulah at Bahariya Oasis

Summary This paper focuses on the results of the excavations conducted by the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) at the hill of Al-Kulah at Bahariya Oasis between 2012 and 2014. The rock hill is located approximately one kilometre south-east of the Youssef Selim site and covers an area spanning approximately 4 km2. The site, which is a cemetery dating from the Late Period to the Greco-Roman Period had not previously been investigated. Excavations were undertaken in three areas of the hill; in the northeast, in the middle and, in the south-west. All burials noted were hewn in the shale of the hill for mass graves or family tombs. The variety of burial types and periods represented includes pit-graves, shaft graves, and multichambered tombs, the interiors of which contained coffins and skeletal remains. Some of them were originally coated with a layer of lime plaster of decorated gypsum. This study will provide examples of the architectural layout of some tombs with a particular focus on the anomalies depicted in polychrome Tomb No. 1. These can be considered rare and have never been found before in the extant mortuary landscape of Roman Egypt or among traditional Egyptian scenes. The tomb features two symmetrical mourning goddesses, who are believed to represent Isis Dolente or Electra, and two hybrid creatures, seahorses standing on their tails, holding the deceased’s arms. Notable details include a ritual dance by two bearded men and a farewell scene by two living relatives. Comparable funerary portraits are found in Etruscan tombs in Italy from the 2nd to 1st century BC onwards, yet the portraits in this tomb differ from those examples.