An early example of a hypogeum is found at the
Minoan Bronze Age site of
Knossos on
Crete. Hogan notes this underground vault was of a beehive shape and cut into the soft rock. The
Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum in
Paola, Malta, is the oldest example of a prehistoric hypogeum, the earliest phase dating to 3600–3300 BC. It is a complex of underground chambers, halls and passages covering approximately on three levels, partly carved to imitate temple architecture and containing extensive prehistoric art. In
Larnaka, Cyprus, the
Lefkaritis Tomb was discovered in 1999. Hypogea were also found in
Dynastic Egypt, such as at the
Northern Mazghuna pyramid,
Southern Mazghuna pyramid and
Southern South Saqqara pyramid. The hypogea in ancient
Palmyra contained
loculi closed with slabs bearing sculptured
portrait reliefs, and sarcophagi with sculptured family banqueting scenes on their lids. The later Christians built similar underground shrines,
crypts and tombs, which they called
catacombs. But this was only a difference in name, rather than purpose and rituals, and archaeological and historical research shows they were effectively the same. Werner Jacobsen wrote: Hypogea were constructed across the
pre-Columbian New World during the first millennium AD. Some of these tombs were over 10 meters in diameter and contained two or three free-standing columns, ornamental
pilasters, and side chambers. The largest concentration of these hypogea are found in the
National Archeological Park of Tierradentro, a
UNESCO World Heritage Site in southwest
Colombia. ==Other subterranean constructions==