Ancient Roman Amphitheatre – The splendor of Roman art is scattered throughout the countries

Where exactly is the Ancient Roman amphitheater?

This question is somewhat inaccurate because Roman theaters were not built in just one place or country. They were scattered throughout the Roman Empire, with theaters in Alexandria, Egypt, Libya, Italy, and other locations.

When were these theatres founded?

These theaters were built during the era of the Romans and the era of their control and power. The Ptolemies participated in building many as well, as the Ptolemaic era began with Alexander the Great within three centuries BC. The Roman era continued for several centuries AD as well, and during this period theaters and whatnot were built. It is called a circus and many relics have been discovered recently.

 

The Ancient Roman Amphitheatre in Alexandria

The Roman Amphitheater in Alexandria is one of the signs of the Roman rule of Egypt and one of the most famous tourist attractions recently. At this time, Alexandria was the capital of Egypt (since the era of Alexander the Great, who named it after himself). Alexandria was the ideal place to build the monuments and architectural splendors for which the Romans were famous.

Architectural Marvel

The Ancient Roman amphitheater, in general, was a way to gather a large number of people in one place to watch the same thing. It sounds familiar, right? Like a football stadium, for example, but with more ingenuity in architecture, without green grass, and a referee. The referee there was the audience itself when watching, whether a show, a circus, or whatever was being shown in front of them.

The Roman amphitheater was built in a circular or oval shape with many steps lined up next to each other, rotating in a way that expresses architectural intelligence.

For example, although researchers claim that the ancient Roman theater in Alexandria was built in the fourth century AD, it disappeared under the rubble and was rediscovered in the twentieth century, specifically in the year 1960 AD, when workers were present in this area to build another building. They discovered it, and it was a wonderful discovery that reminded us of what has passed.

Historical Rediscovery

The Ancient Roman Theater located in Alexandria is one example of many Roman theaters in form and construction. It is neither the most famous nor the largest of them, but it consists of the same components: marble and granite intertwined in the construction, with granite columns, marble terraces, and limestone rooms.

The granite used in building the columns of this theater is taken from the City of Gold, Aswan, located in the southernmost part of Egypt. Aswan is an Egyptian city distinguished by its treasures and its stones.

The stands reportedly accommodated about 600 spectators, which indicates their popularity and people’s love for the idea and the shows.

Design and Features

The Roman Amphitheatre, as we mentioned above, had five rooms, and it is said that these rooms were compartments for the royal family so that they could enjoy the show as the common people did.

The theater had a large roof to protect the audience from sunburn in summer or, on the other hand, from rain in winter, which indicates the engineers’ intelligence and their keenness to avoid the smallest details that might be annoying if they were not avoided.

 

Kom El-Dikka – Home of the Roman Amphitheater

The theater is located in Alexandria in an area called Kom El-Dikka, which means a pile of sand or a pile of rubble. It is said that this was due to the digging of a canal near this place to connect it to the Nile River, and the area resembled huge seats covered with sand (the area was not discovered during this period). The theater is still there, as this name was given in the 19^th century, and theater was discovered in the 20^th century.

 

The Sixth-Century Earthquake

In the sixth century AD, suddenly something strange and unusual happened in Egypt, which was the earthquake that struck Alexandria and caused the disappearance of some valuable antiquities and the demolition or breaking of some other antiquities. For example, the Ancient Roman amphitheater is currently not complete, but the effects of the earthquake are prominent and clear, but it is still standing. It expresses that it is resistant to earthquakes and the elements of time.

 

Roman Egypt – The Roman Era in Egypt

In the late Ptolemaic era in Egypt, and after the suicide of the last queen, Cleopatra VII, after the famous battle between her and Octavius, Egypt fell under Roman control for several centuries until the Islamic era of Egypt, and Roman and Ptolemaic ruins remain until now.

 We study the history of this period and study their terrific monuments and their love for the ancient Egyptian civilization.  Tourists come from all around the world and visit these monuments as well as  Egyptians who come to visit these ancient monuments dating back to the era of the Ptolemies and the Greeks, as Alexandria was the most important city in Egypt at that time and is still unique in its antiquities from this period, in addition to its natural and geographical splendor.

 

Ancient Roman Amphitheaters Around the World

As we mentioned, the Ancient Roman amphitheater era lasted for several centuries and was widespread in several countries, such as Italy, the point of origin, Egypt, Libya, Greece, Turkey, and others. The Romans built many architectural monuments that were considered new at this time and a turning point for entertainment, such as theaters, circuses, and so on. They built them in all the lands that they controlled, as we mentioned above, and therefore their theaters spread in several countries, such as

• El-Djem: In the country of Tunisia in North Africa, it has a capacity of more than 35,000 spectators.

 

• Verona Arena: is one of the largest remaining arenas and can seat more than thirty thousand spectators.

 

• The Pula Theater: in Croatia, built in the first century AD, is considered one of the best-preserved theaters and can accommodate more than 26 thousand spectators.

 

• The Leptis Magna arena in Libya: is also one of the Roman buildings in Africa. The arena can seat more than 16,000 spectators.

 

And now with the largest, largest, and most beautiful of them, which is a Roman theater in Rome, Italy. It can seat more than 50,000 spectators and was built over four years, from 76 AD to 80 AD, so that the Italians produced for us one of the most wonderful monuments that can be seen.

There are also theaters in France and Tunisia other than the Alexandria Theater, and what was mentioned is that the Romans established more than 230 theaters.

 

Conclusion

The Ancient Roman amphitheater are considered among the best engineers mentioned in history, and their remaining monuments bear witness to them until now. Even their monuments that were demolished by an accident or by natural disasters, such as the theater of the city of Pompeii, which was swallowed by the volcano, are still recorded in history as a sign of the splendor of their architecture (the theater, not the volcano, of course). And the Romans in Egypt, even though they were colonizers of Egypt and several other countries, as we mentioned above, left us traces and new places for us to study, talk about, and admire, whether in Egypt, Italy, or whatever. We hope that their traces will remain so that future generations can Knowing and admiring it.