Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean (15.2003(2004))

TELL FARAMA

EGYPT

black soil, rich in organic material.
Potsherds embedded in this dump include
some Hellenistic forms, such as black
slipped bowls, Rhodian stamped amphora
handles, some Eastern sigillata, fragments
of terracotta figurines, and some Late
Roman pottery, all mixed and by no means
reflecting a corresponding stratigraphy.4*
Some pockets of clear sand on top mark the
disuse of the building even as a garbage
dump, and are followed with several levels
of loose bricks and white powdered plaster,
corresponding to operations of removing
the building material. The robber trenches
cut neatly into the compact dump and

contain in turn Late Roman pottery and
some poorly preserved coins, all apparently
not later than the 5 th century AD.
It was found that the stage was
flanked, as is common elsewhere, by two
larger, nearly square foundations (c. 12 by
14 m), that had once supported the
versurae, i.e., the buildings serving as the
backstage during performances. On each
side, the inner angle is cut off, forming
a narrow recess. In between, the stage
recedes even more, being only 7 m wide
between the front and a long corridor at
the back that runs parallel to the
building’s facade.

* * *

The theater at Farama is peculiar in more
respects than just being built in red brick.
It is striking that contrary to the norm, of
which I can recollect no exception, the
pulpitum floor is considerably lower (1.13
to 1.30 m) than the platform of the stage
and practically even with the threshold of
the parodos. This lower level is marked
already at the entrance by a narrow ledge
along the wall supporting the stage
building. The pulpitum itself was 3.10 m
wide, filling a narrow recess in the plat-
form, and extending all the way to the op-
posite entrance (Figs. 4, 5). It has a 40 cm
ledge along the inner side, which
corresponds to a similar ledge along the
central part of the platform: it could be
that wooden planks covered the distance
(some 5 m) between the two. However, the
area between the pulpitum and the stage
should be excavated first to determine the
level of the original floor. At present, it is

filled with a deposit of black soil and
covered with a thin layer of clean sand, just
as outside the pulpitum.
While the rows of seats in the cavea are
all gone (we can expect to find no more
than the foundations), parts of the original
surface of the pulpitum are still in place, and
so is the threshold of the entrance. In spite
of the lamentable state of preservation, it
should be possible to restore at least the
outlines of the monument and to suggest
its original appearance. However, an
extensive clearing operation is a pre-
requisite. This largely exceeds our own
means and we are counting on the
Egyptian party to proceed with it some
time later this year, so that our next season
could be entirely devoted to the restoration
project. The ancient level is found some
1.60 m below the present surface at the
entrance, and the pavement of the orchestra
should be at least as deep.

4) Cf. remarks by K. Jakubiak in this volume.

71