| The Roman Theater (Kom Al-Dikka)
Over 30 years of excavation have uncovered many Roman remains including this
well-preserved theatre with galleries, sections of mosaic-flooring, and marble seats for up to
800 spectators. In Ptolemaic times, this area was the Park of Pan and a pleasure garden. The
theater at one point may had been roofed over to serve as an Odeon for musical
performances. Inscriptions suggest that it was sometimes also used for wrestling contests. The
theatre stood with thirteen semi-circular tiers of white marble that was imported from Europe.
Its columns are of green marble imported from Asia Minor, and red granite imported from
Aswan. The wings on either side of the stage are decorated with geometric mosaic paving.
The dusty walls of the trenches, from digging in the northeast side of the Odeon, are layered
with extraordinary amounts of potsherds. Going down out of the Kom, you can see the
substantial arches and walls in stone, the brick of the Roman baths, and the remains of Roman
houses.
Design, Layout and Graphic Art by Jimmy Dunn, an InterCity Oz, Inc. Employee |