The Roman Amphitheater in Alexandria is considered one of the most important and famous archaeological sightseeing in Alexandria. This amphitheater is unique in Egypt, but there are other examples of these Roman amphitheaters around the world, such as Greece, Italy, and Turkey.
It is located in the Kom El-Dekka area. The word Kom El-Dekka means, in the Arabic language, the hill of rubble or the hill of the benche.
The famous historian El Neweir called this city Kom El-Dekka, because, at the beginning of the 20th century, he saw many piles of sand and rubble formed there due to the excavation of the Mahmoudiya Canal. These piles were like benches, so he named it with that name.
Discovering the Roman Amphitheater in Alexandria:
This Amphitheater was discovered by chance in 1960. When workers went to clean this area to construct a government building, they found some solid columns, which made them continue excavating.
The Greco Roman Museum and the Polish Excavation Mission in Egypt began the excavations at the Kom El-Dekka site. After a short time, the discovery of the Roman Amphitheater was announced.
Roman Amphitheater design:
This Amphitheater was built in the second century AD and still was used until the seventh century AD.
This Amphitheater consists of 13 rows of white marble to accommodate 600 spectators. These rows are numbered with Roman numbers and letters to organize the seating of the audience.
The upper part of the Amphitheater is a portico. It is made of granite columns that were brought from Aswan. Also, in the upper part, there are 5 rooms to host the VIPs of the community at that time. The amphitheater is surrounded by a thick limestone wall.
This Amphitheater was used to hold concerts during the Roman period. Also, it was used as a hall for important meetings.
Archaeologists made some comparisons between the Roman Amphitheater in Alexandria and the Roman theaters in Italy and Greece. It was proved that the Alexandria Amphitheater was not built to be a theater because its small size accommodates just 600 people. They believe that it was built to house the meetings of VIPs or special performances for a limited number of audiences.
you can visit The Roman Amphitheater with Cairo and Alexandria Tour in 3 Days
