Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean (16.2004(2005))

ALEXANDRIA

EGYPT

torium {Fig. 3]. It has proved the smallest
of the excavated halls, measuring roughly
5.10 x 6.70 m. Three rows of benches ran
straight along the three walls. The southern
end was higher, accom-modating a seat for
the lecturer. The benches (0.30-0.35 m
high) survived almost intact in the southern
and eastern part of the hall. Of those lining
the western wall, the topmost row is gone,
but the dismantled stones have left clearly
visible imprints. The inner face of the
southern wall was not aligned with the
portico back wall buttress, which is recessed
by 0.70 m. This irregularity caused some
problems in planning the benches on the
south. The resulting recess was filled with
rubble and plastered, creating a kind of
platform that ran even with the topmost

row of benches. The floor was made of
regular, carefully laid limestone pavers.
Nearer to the door, again almost in the
middle of the hall, there was a small hexa-
gonal limestone block rising conspicuously
above floor level. As in the case of Hall J, it
is likely to have something to do with the
oratorical function of the room. Yet another
puzzling installation was noted next to the
north wall. It was a small, elongated basin
(0.80 x 2.65 m), its walls lined with
waterproof plaster. There was neither a solid
bottom nor an outlet. The purpose of this
basin remains enigmatic, especially in view
of the assumed function of the hall.
It is still unclear when the auditoria
were built. The ceramic and numismatic
evidence recovered to date is ambiguous to


Fig. 4- Auditorium N. View from north
(Photo G. Majcherek)

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