Hellenistic gymnasium found in Egypt

After the death of Alexander the Great, his general Ptolemy became the ruler of Egypt and took the country into the Hellenistic world. As his empire grew, more and more Greek-speaking settlers moved to the newly founded city of Alexandria and generally to the entire Nile delta.

These newcomers mingled with the natives, and soon Greek sanctuaries arose next to existing Egyptian temples. Besides they also built monuments for their own comfort, like baths and gymnasiums. In the delta villages, these buildings were generally financed by wealthy Greek inhabitants and the men governing the institutions.

[Part of the gymnasium discovered at Watfa [Credit: Ministry of Antiquities]

In one such village, Watfa, situated five kilometers east of Qasr Qaroun in the Fayum area, the very first Hellenistic gymnasium in Egypt has been discovered. Well, this is what the media tell us. However, we should not forget that Egypt was much larger in antiquity since it also included modern Libya.  Over there, the city of Cyrene proudly shows its Hellenistic Gymnasium, also called Ptolemaion, in honor of Ptolemy VIII, who built it in the 2^nd century BC. When the Romans arrived in the first century AD, they paved the vast grounds and turned it into a Forum that was eventually called Ceasarion. (see: Cyrene, founded by the Greeks).

Watfa is the modern name for Philoteris, founded in the 3^rd century BC by Ptolemy II Philadelphus, who named the town after his sister/wife, Philotera. It is estimated that Philoteris counted approximately 1200 inhabitants in those early years, one-third of which was Greek-speaking.

The gymnasium of Philoteris is composed of the main building arranged around a courtyard, a large hall for meetings adorned with statues, and a dining hall. The running track met the standard racing distance of a stadium, i.e., about 180 meters. It is hard to imagine in this now desert landscape that the gymnasium was once surrounded by lush gardens. No measurements are given, but I assume they may come close to the impressive 85 x 96 meters of Cyrene.

In those days, such a grand building was a matter of prestige, for here, the young Greek upper class would meet not only to be trained in sports but also to learn to read and write and to enjoy philosophical discussions as was customary in their homeland.

Until now, the existence of gymnasia in the Egyptian countryside was known from inscriptions and papyrus documents only, but the find at Watfa is the icing on the cake. It also shows the considerable impact the Greeks had in the Egyptian countryside.