The Roman Amphitheatre

The Roman Amphitheatre

The Roman Amphitheatre

The Roman Amphitheatre

The Roman Amphitheatre

The Roman Amphitheater was recently discovered in 1967 when work was ahead to construct modern building on its site. It is the only Roman Theater in Egypt and one of its kind. Built in the 2nd century AD in the Roman era, the theater has 13 semicircular tiers made of white and gray marbles imported from Europe. This can accommodate about 800 spectators. 2 of the marble columns are still standing by the theater.

Roman baths: To the north of the theater lies the Roman baths which was built in the 3rd century BC The baths retain the style of the Romans in constructing pools, pipes and the hypocaust.

The site has also other interesting things like a yet unexcavated habitation quarters, cisterns, a portico and the exquisite 'villa of the birds.' There is also a garden were some antiquated salvaged from sea are on display The 'villa of the birds' contains very beautiful ground geometric and animal mosaics featuring birds, panther and roses. The villa is now open to the public. This was originally a floor of a house that dates to the 1st or 2nd century AD, but fire destroyed it. The ground was particularly tiled in the era of Roman Emperor Hadrian (ruled 117-138). Some walls in the villa belong to the Byzantine era. Conservators had to clean the mosaics that had survived the fire, fill in the gabs and cover the whole ground for protection.

Villa of Birds:-

Nestled in the heart of Alexandria along the Mediterranean coast, the Kom el Dikka neighborhood houses some of Egypt’s best-preserved urban Roman ruins. An aptly named archaeological park covers nearly 40,000 square meters and slopes well below present-day street level. The park features an impressive array of residential and commercial remains primarily from Alexandria’s late Roman period - the fourth through seventh centuries CE - including a sprawling public bathhouse, a gymnasium and a theater with a central stage and seating in 13 tiered, carved marble rows.

Three villas, which sit in the park’s residential district along the eastern elevation, date to the early Roman period, the first through third centuries. Many of the villas’ materials were recycled over time, and the homes have little left of their original structures. However, at least one of the villas retained its mosaic floors and original floorplans over the centuries. In 1998, the American Research Center in Egypt - in collaboration with the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Polish-Egyptian Preservation Mission, the Polish Center of Archaeology and Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities - began work to conserve the mosaics in the residence known as the Villa of the Birds, named for the images of bird species in one of its more prominent mosaics. The mosaic’s artistic depiction of birds is a unique feature and one of the few figural mosaics from Alexandria’s Roman period to survive to the present day.

Although there had been regular large-scale excavation of Kom el Dikka since the 1950s, it remained crucial to conduct a focused re-excavation of the villa’s flooring and courtyard, as well as two adjoining late Roman/Byzantine buildings at the start of the project. The excavation cleared built-up debris that covered areas of the mosaics and revealed the extent of the decorated flooring. It also mapped the boundaries and wall joins of the original structure to provide a timeline of changes to the villa and determine the purpose of individual rooms. Excavation work officially began on May 1, 1998 and months later had uncovered a clearer picture of the original size of the villa and the functions of some of its rooms.