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An Egyptian team working in the northern area of Alexandria has uncovered the remains of a residential villa and circular public baths. The villa, dating to the Roman Period, had mosaic floors in a variety of styles, reflecting the diversity of artistry in Alexandria at the time. It also had a bathing pool, which was connected to the villa by a sophisticated water management system. The nearby circular baths date to the late Ptolemaic Period and were built in the style of a Greek tholos, with a domed roof. Other finds include statues of deities (such as Bacchus and Asclepius), and a headless statue thought to be the Greek goddess Minerva, as well as pottery, amphorae, coins, and lamps. These discoveries shed new light on urban development in the city at this time, and support the theories of the 19th-century Egyptian engineer Mahmud Ahmad Hamdi al-Falaki, who created the first scientific map of Alexandria’s urban layout.
Text: Sarah Griffiths / All images: Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities
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