Alexander the Great started the city of Alexandria in 332 B.C. on the site of an older fishing village. In the more than 500 years that it has been around, it has grown and served as the capital of Egypt several times. At the time, the Egyptian culture was very important, so many Greek intellectuals and philosophers went to Alexandria to learn more about it. The Ptolemies built a lot of roads to connect the city to the nearby ports and islands. During this time, a lot of the buildings we know today as historic landmarks were built.
The Ptolemaic dynasty and several Roman emperors may have built the lighthouse, the library, and Pompey’s pillar, among other important buildings in Alexandria. The Roman Amphitheatre of Alexandria is one of the city’s most well-known landmarks. This article will talk about it both in terms of its historical importance and its architectural merits.
The Roman amphitheatre of Alexandria:
The ancient Greeks used the word “amphitheatre” to talk about big outdoor spaces that were great for putting on all kinds of shows. Greek amphitheatres were usually shaped like circles or ovals and had many levels of seating for the crowd. When the Romans were taking over places like Italy, Turkey, Jordan, and Greece, arenas were set up everywhere. These arenas were more like open-air events. In 1960, the amphitheatre of Alexandria was found by accident.
In the kom El Dekka area, one of the workers found a solid column under the mud and sand that the engineers had brought in to prepare for building one of the Egyptian government’s buildings. A team of excavators was sent to the site right away to learn more about what had been found. When the Roman theatre was found in the 20th century, it was seen as a big step forward in the field of archaeology. Building theatres happened during the Roman, Byzantine, and Islamic times, from the fourth century after the common era to the seventh century.
Roman theatre Alexandria design:
The Roman theatre that is still standing in the city of Alexandria is a good example of a classic Roman theatre. It stands out because its audience section is made of marble and its aisles and pillars are made of granite. It also has five separate chambers and solid limestone walls. The theatre could hold 600 people, which made it perfect for weddings and other big events. The 13 rows of seats were made of white marble, and the columns were made of granite from the city of Aswan in southern Egypt. At the very top of the seating area, there are five private boxes, which were likely set aside for VIP guests like royalty and other important people.
The dome-shaped ceilings that rested on granite columns kept the audience safe from the weather. Most of these buildings were destroyed by an earthquake in the sixth century A.D., so now only ruins remain. The Romans were very good at building, as these artefacts show.
Roman sites in Egypt:
When the Romans took over Egypt in 31 B.C., they turned many of the country’s most important landmarks into thriving commercial centres. Archaeologists in Egypt have found more than 700 Roman buildings, such as roads, villages, forts, and gold mines. Egypt was a popular place for Romans to visit because they were interested in Egypt’s history and culture. Their devotion to Egyptian religion is shown by the fact that they were buried in tombs that looked like those of the pharaohs and that images of Egyptian gods and goddesses were found all over their cemeteries.
Before the sad deaths of Queen Cleopatra, the last Greek-born pharaoh, and Mark Antony, Egypt was ruled by enough emperors for them to leave their mark on the land, along with the Ptolemaic dynasty’s Greek-style buildings. After this disaster, Egypt had a number of rulers, and each of them left their mark on the kingdom. Along with the Roman temples, the Greek temples of Philae and Dendera are some of the best examples of Greek architecture in Egypt. With the help of our travel operation specialists, you can plan your trip to include stops at any of the above.
