|
Home |
During the second half of the 19th century, when archaeology made its appearance as a discipline, we do have some attempts of excavation aimed at unearthing evidence about the Soma. Schliemann waited for some time in Alexandria hoping to obtain official permission to dig around the mosque of Nabi Danial.
While waiting, he did some digging near the seashore at Ramleh and discovered a Ptolemaic necropolis. Schliemann, however, made it clear that the only place he felt the Soma could be found was in the vicinity of the Nabi Danial Mosque and the digging of Ramleh was undertaken only so as not to remain idle while waiting for the permission, which was never granted61. Botti reports that Ioannides discovered in 1893 a cemetery of the last century of the Ptolemies while searching for the Tomb of Alexander62. Neroutsos63 writes that in 1874, while digging the foundations of two houses for Kattaoui Bey and a third in front of the mosque of Nabi Danial, parallel to the street, large granite columns were found as well as others of marble fallen nearby and one of these columns is still there, in situ. Botti mentions that he saw opposite the Kattaoui building, columns lying seven metres under the level of the ground. Botti64 also refers to an early Christian church near Kom el Dick, called the church of Alexander. Adriani however proved that most of the remains can be associated with the ancient colonnade of street R5, whose part has been excavated and exhibited to public. See: A. Adriani, Repertorio, Serie C, op. Cit. No.46, pl. 24, fig. 89. Hogarth undertook a number of digs near Kom el Dick at the end of the 19th century65. More excavations were carried out in the first half of the 20th century by Breccia66, Thiersch67, Adriani68, Gaindor69, Victor Guirguis70 and Wace71. An important work on Alexandria was also written By Alexandre Max de Zogheb72. All theses excavations revealed the existence of groups of huge ancient ruins around Kom el Dick hill and not far away from the Nabi Danial mosque. It must be said that until the middle of our century the Egyptian authorities were reluctant to grant permission for excavations in the vicinity of the mosque of Nabi Danial, not only on religious grounds but also because some of the members of the reigning dynasty were buried nearby. After the abolition of the monarchy in 1953, the authorities became less sensitive and more open to scientific excavation in the area. Thus, in 1960, we have for the first time a methodical dig by the Polish archaeological expedition, which is still in progress73. The Polish excavations continued for some 30 years and brought to light burials of the Arab period74, a well preserved small Roman theatre, remains of a late Roman bath, many other constructions and a vast quantity of material from large ancient buildings75. In the area of the theatre the Polish archaeologists found a small marble head of Alexander, probably datable to the second century AD. Zsolt Kiss, who published this "New Portrait of Alexander", believes that this modest sculpture shows the Macedonian deified hero, with the hair arranged as a Zeus76. A water cistern under the Nabi Danial mosque was also investigated. However, no evident remains of the Soma were brought to light, although the excavations took place in the immediate vicinity of its supposed location. The excavations have added much to our knowledge of the topography of ancient and medieval Alexandria without answering the question of the location of Alexander's tomb77. They finally proved that the region around the Kom el Dickhill, situated in the very close neighbourhood of Nabi Danial Mosque, had been used as residential and recreation part of the city from the Ptolemaic, through the Roman, till the early Islamic period. No traces of the Ptolemaic Necropolis - Soma - have been spotted there. See: M. Rodziewicz, "Alexandrie" vol. III, op. Cit. But the hope of the discovery of the tomb of the Macedonian hero has also lured non-scientists who persist in searching for the splendid Tomb. A typical case is that of a stubborn Alexandrian Greek waiter, Stelios Koumoutsos, who has spent over three decades trying to persuade the Egyptian and the Greek archaeological authorities to let him excavate at a secret location which holds Alexander's remains78. The other case is more original and concerns an attempt using "psychic archaeology" made in the late 70's in a "search for Alexander the Great's tomb". It is reported that with the assistance of an Egyptian archaeologist a hole was opened from inside the crypt of the Nabi Danial mosque through a brick wall in an attempt to confirm a "psychic vision" claiming the existence of a subterranean tunnel. However as in three previous cases - Scilitzis', Falaki's and the mason's - at the last moment the investigation was stopped and orders were given to close up the opening79. But the mystery of the tomb of Alexander the Great, far from having been elucidated, remains80. It is a vivid example of a deeply rooted veneration of a deified hero of the Greco-Roman world that survived Christianity and found, later, a continuity in the Arab tradition. HARRY E. TZALAS
ABBREVIATIONS USED
Notes:
Note by the author : I am greatly indebted to Prof. M. Rodziewicz who kindly read this text and made valued comments.
|