Chatby Tombs, Alexandria (must see)

The Chatby Tombs are among the earliest surviving burial sites connected with the Hellenistic city founded after Alexander the Great’s arrival in Egypt. Dating mainly from the late 4th to early 3rd century BC, the cemetery reveals the lives of the city’s first settlers, from artisans and officials to soldiers, mercenaries, and migrants from across the Greek world.

The tombs reflect a society shaped by movement, military service, and cultural exchange. Carved stelae found at the site show figures such as armed soldiers, horsemen, teachers, mothers, children, and family groups, giving the cemetery a personal and social character. These images present the buried as members of a real community, from soldiers linked to early Ptolemaic military circles to ordinary families remembered through scenes of grief, status, and daily life.

Archaeological finds from the site add another layer to its meaning. Among the discoveries were Hadra-type hydriae, ceramic funerary urns often used for cremated remains, including those of foreign visitors, officials, soldiers, and travelers who died far from home. Tanagra figurines, glass objects, coins, pottery, small sculptures, and gravestones reveal burial customs and daily tastes. The tombs are mainly Greek in form, but the entrance sphinxes show the early use of Egyptian protective symbolism.

The cemetery was used for roughly a century before the expanding ancient city overtook its original edges. Some unfinished tombs were later reused as temporary shelter, showing how quickly the city expanded. After years of neglect, the site was restored and reopened as an open-air archaeological park. For visitors, its carved chambers and burial objects offer a close look at early Hellenistic life.