MOSAICS AND PAINTINGS

A series of mosaics, including that of the Medusa, have been discovered during the salvage excavtions in what was the Bruccheion district. At the same time, paintings, most notably an exceptional painted funerary bed, have been found in the Necropolis. The intrinsic interest in these discoveries is amplified by their precise contexts. They cover a wide time scale - from the 3rd century BC to the 2nd AD.

To these finds can be added the mural paintings recently revealed in the catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa through the use of ultra-violet lighting. According to the specialists in charge of the study, this ensemble is something new in the Alexandrian canon. The first publications of these paintings appeared in the "Bulletin de Correspondance Hellénique" and in "Etudes Alexandrines 1". This area of study should continue to develop over several years.

Central medallion of the Medusa mosaic, Diana Theatre site

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