Situated in the center of modern Alexandria, Kom el-Dikka occupies a natural mound that once lay within the ancient city’s grid. Systematic excavation began in the 1960s under the Polish–Egyptian archaeological mission directed by Kazimierz Michałowski and later by Grzegorz Majcherek. The exposed architectural remains date mainly from the 2nd to the 6th centuries CE and reflect the gradual shift of this district from a prosperous residential area in the early Roman period to a major cultural and educational complex in late antiquity.

Covering roughly 40,000 square meters, the archaeological park comprises a Roman theatre or odeon, a large bath installation, clusters of domestic structures, a unique complex of auditoria, and the mosaic-rich Villa of the Birds. Together these remains form a rare, coherent urban sector that illuminates the social life, architectural aesthetics, and civic functions of ancient Alexandria.

circa 100 CE-

Residential Quarter / Houses
Kom el-Dikka preserves one of the most complete sequences of domestic architecture in Alexandria, illustrating the city’s transformation from the Early Roman Empire period through the Late Roman–Byzantine periods. Excavations have revealed early Roman houses dating from the 1st to 3rd centuries CE, making this quarter one of the few areas where residential architecture of this era is extant. These dwellings display a distinctively Alexandrian hybrid of Greek oikos traditions and Roman peristyle planning, adapted to the orthogonal layout of the city. Architectural features include characteristic local cornices and capitals, painted wall plasters in the First Pompeian style, and richly decorated mosaic pavements. Notable examples include hexagonal panels with lotus motifs framed by guilloché borders, indicating their placement in formal reception or dining spaces. In the western sector, three villas have been preserved, among them the Villa of the Birds, which is particularly renowned for its multicolored geometric and figural mosaics. Many structural elements from this period were lost during the 3rd-century CE destruction and through subsequent pilfering, though floor mosaics survived, offering valuable evidence of domestic wealth and artistic taste.

Kom el-Dikka’s occupation continued uninterrupted from Ptolemaic times into Late Antiquity, extending through the 3rd–7th centuries CE. The Early Roman villas were gradually supplanted in the Late Roman–Byzantine period (4th–7th century CE) by a denser and more standardized domestic quarter. New houses were simpler in form but often incorporated the foundations or walls of earlier buildings, creating a layered architectural record. This later period also saw the emergence of vernacular complexes that combined domestic, industrial, and commercial functions. Typical designs, exemplified by House D, featured central corridors with multiple rooms serving as small workshops, producing goods in bronze or glass, while street-facing rooms functioned as shops trading these wares. Over time, the growing demand for living space caused buildings to encroach upon the street, narrowing previously broad thoroughfares into alleys and reflecting an early transition toward medieval urban patterns.

Together, the Early and Late Roman layers of Kom el-Dikka illustrate the dynamic evolution of an urban residential district over six centuries. The continuity and transformation of the quarter—from luxurious, villa-style dwellings to standardized multi-purpose houses with integrated workshops and shops—provide a rare window into the social, economic, and architectural life of ancient Alexandria.

circa 100 CE

Villa of the Birds
The Villa of the Birds, constructed in the early Roman period and occupied into late antiquity, represents the finest example of a wealthy urban villa among the Roman houses of Alexandria. Most of its mosaics were laid during the reign of emperor Hadrian (CE 117–138), a period of notable prosperity for the city. The villa derives its modern name from a suite of nine mosaic panels depicting finely rendered birds—including pigeons, peacocks, quails, parrots, and waterfowl—executed in marble, limestone, and glass paste tesserae. The use of glass beads for details such as eyes demonstrates a high degree of technical and artistic sophistication.

The villa’s decoration underwent multiple phases of renovation and redecoration. The earliest known mosaic, dating to circa CE 100, is the floor featuring a panther centerpiece. A rosette mosaic, dated after CE 133, followed, and in the second century the bird panels and the dining room’s opus sectile mosaics were laid. This technique, a preferred decorative style in Alexandrian homes, uses larger, shaped pieces of marble or stone rather than small tesserae to form intricate patterns and pictorial compositions.

The villa was destroyed by fire in the late third century CE, yet many mosaics survived. Between approximately CE 450 and 550, Byzantine-period houses, storerooms, and workshops were constructed atop the ruins. Remnants of walls from these later structures remain visible above the Roman courtyard.

A comprehensive conservation program, initiated in the late 1990s, has restored the Villa of the Birds for public access. Conservators removed soot and fire-related discoloration, repaired damage caused by collapsing walls, and reconstructed missing mosaic sections. An overhead protective cover and an underground aeration system now safeguard the mosaics, allowing visitors to observe them in situ while preserving their historical and artistic integrity.

circa 200 CE

Cisterns
The large cistern was purpose-built to supply water to the adjacent baths and underwent multiple phases of reconstruction and substantial modification over the centuries. Its superstructure rose markedly above ground level in order to maintain sufficient hydraulic pressure for the channeling of water to the bathing facilities. In its initial configuration, a series of sizable, brick-built, vault-covered tanks was arranged atop the cistern. These were supported by massive exterior walls reinforced with heavy buttresses designed to withstand the considerable weight of the stored water.

Water was elevated from deep wells by a mechanical lifting system composed of large wooden wheels operated by draft animals. These wheels drove continuous-loop ropes fitted with ceramic pots, functioning in a manner analogous to the traditional Egyptian sāqiya employed for irrigation.

Following severe damage caused by an earthquake in the 6th century CE, the cistern complex underwent comprehensive reconstruction. Several of the wells were abandoned, and the original upper-level storage tanks were taken out of use. In their place, a smaller set of reservoirs was constructed at a slightly higher elevation. The reduced storage capacity corresponds to significant changes in Byzantine-period bathing practices, particularly the discontinuation of the large frigidarium pools that had characterized earlier phases of the installation.

circa 350 CE

Roman Theater
The Roman Theater (المسرح الروماني) at Kom el-Dikka is the only known Roman-period structure of its type preserved from ancient Egypt. Originally constructed in the 4th century CE, it continued in use for nearly three centuries, falling into ruin only after the end of antique Alexandria. Its initial design comprised a semicircular audience space, intended as a small theatre or odeum for musical performances and possibly oratory. The seating consists of thirteen terraces, the first row carved from red Aswan granite, while the remaining seats employ white and grey marble, some bearing Roman numeral inscriptions. Certain blocks were salvaged from an earlier, larger architectural structure, including examples of seats made from finely carved cornices, displayed at the top of the auditorium.

Although traditionally described as an amphitheatre, the building more accurately resembles an odeon. Archaeological evidence suggests that it originally featured a domed superstructure to enhance acoustics. In the early 6th century CE, the theatre underwent substantial alterations to meet changing public needs. The semicircular hall was reshaped into a horseshoe-shaped auditorium and covered with a large dome. Access was provided from the west via a tripartite vestibule, which replaced the demolished stage building. Two pedestals remain in this entrance area, originally supporting tall columns that formed a large arcade beneath the dome. Greek graffiti and drawings on the seats and pedestals, celebrating victors in chariot races, indicate that the space was used for public assemblies. These modifications, however, appear primarily related to its integration into the nearby academic complex, transforming the small theatre into a larger auditorium suitable for lectures, gatherings, and other civic or ceremonial functions.

circa 350 CE

Bath Complex
North of the theatre stands the extensive public bath complex, constructed in the 4th century CE and rebuilt following earthquake damage in 447 CE and again in 535 CE. The installation follows the canonical layout of Roman thermae, including a changing room, cold, warm, and hot rooms, steam chambers, a destrictarium, a large pool, and service areas such as storerooms and furnace rooms. A notable feature is the above-ground cistern that supplied the complex, a comparatively unusual solution within Alexandria.

Earlier phases employed brick construction, while later restorations exhibit mixed brick-and-block techniques. Over time, shops and domestic units were integrated into parts of the structure, demonstrating the dynamic and evolving relationship between the baths and the surrounding neighborhood.

circa 350 CE

Auditoria
Among the most remarkable finds at Kom el-Dikka is the complex of late antique auditoria—approximately twenty lecture halls arranged in two groups along a monumental portico. Built from the 4th century onward, they represent some of the earliest purpose-built educational spaces known from the Mediterranean.

These rooms are typically oriented north–south and equipped with stone benches set either in U-shaped arrangements or along the walls. Individual halls could accommodate about twenty to thirty students, while the entire complex likely supported several hundred. Their architectural design and concentration strongly suggest that Kom el-Dikka functioned as a center of advanced learning, perhaps forming part of the intellectual landscape of late antique Alexandria, long famed for its rhetorical, philosophical, and legal instruction.

A unique group of 22 lecture halls from the 5th through 7th centuries CE stretches along g monumental, colonnaded portico traversing the site from north to south. The auditoria that have been excavated so far are all of different size, yet they share a similar orientation and layout. Most are rectangular, although in a few cases one long end took on the form of a semicircular exedra. Stone benches are the most important interior furnishing. They are present in all of the halls, lining the walls in two or three rows. Tiered seats could hold from 20 to 30 students, sitting on alternate steps.

A distinctive feature is an elevated seat for the lecturer at the shorter end, preserved in almost all of the halls. The best example, a real cathedra, can be seen in auditorium K. Opposite the main seat there is always a low stone pedestal, most probably marking the place from which students read their texts or delivered speeches. There is little doubt that all these halls served education purposes.

The complex is unparalleled anywhere in the Mediterranean world. Taking into consideration the scale of our complex and its location in the urban space, one can assume that these auditoria best reflected the role of Alexandria as aleading centre of learning and education in Late Antiquity.