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The Roman Theater (Kom Al-Dikka)
We had only a limited amount of time in Alexandria and could only see a couple of the sights that it had to offer. Our first stop would be the ancient ruins of the amphitheater built by the Romans when they occupied the city. I know you might laugh, but it's kind of fun to walk among these ancient ruins and think of the people that lived during those times, especially those we are familiar with like: Julius Caesar, Marc Anthony and, of course, Cleopatra. You can't help but wonder if at some distant time in the past they stood where you are standing and enjoyed a Roman play on a beautiful summer night. No, it's nothing to get excited about and it certainly won't buy you a cup of coffee in any restaurant I know, but it's fun wondering what they experienced in those ancient times. I guess it's modern man's desire to walk in the steps of those that came before them and know what it was like to have lived in such a place so many centuries ago.
Alexandria had little to do with the old Kingdoms of Egypt as it was founded by Alexander the Great in 331 B.C. toward the end of the Pharonic period that we know so much about. They worked hard to make Alexandria the center of the Hellenistic world, of arts and learning, and insured that, with Rome, it was one of the two most important cities in antiquity. On its shores stood the lighthouse of Pharos, one of the original seven wonders of the world, and the great library at Alexandria was exceeded by none in its time. These great wonders were destroyed by earthquakes and fires long ago. After the death of Cleopatra in 30 B.C. Egypt became a Roman province. Today archaeologists are discovering much of ancient Alexandria under the seas off Alexandria.
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