Mosaic art

CAIRO – 19 July 2019: The remains of an enormous residential dominion was uncovered at Kom El-Dikka archaeological site in Alexandria by an Egyptian-Polish archaeological mission that houses archaeologists from the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology at the University of Warsaw.





A well-preserved multi-coloured mosaic floor was found as well inside one of the houses of the dominion.





Head of the Egyptian-Polish archaeological mission Grzegorz Majcherek said the excavation work focused on the study of the unknown residential architecture of Roman Alexandria between the 1st and 3rd centuries AD because the buildings of that period are famous with their honourable decoration.



Majcherek further added that the main square of the newly uncovered mosaic is consists of six hexagonal panels featuring lotus flowers, framed by a circular guilloche pattern. Lotus buds can also be seen in spandrels.



“Overall, the design of the mosaic, additionally equipped with a transversal field in front decorated with astragals and rosettes, is typical for the triclinia – the most imposing of the dining rooms in a Roman house,” said Majcherek.



The composition, featuring a circle inscribed into a square, exceptionally popular in Roman Egypt, is considered distinctive for Alexandrian style.







The uncovered mosaic floor show the richness of the residents of these homes and the popularity of mosaic art in Alexandria.



The head of the Ancient Egyptian Antiquities Sector, Aymen Ashmawi, explained that the newly uncovered residential settlement dates between the 4th and 7th centuries AD.



The settlement houses a small theatre, a grand royal bath and a group of 22 lecture halls which are the remains of an ancient university.



Kom El-Dikka has been excavated by the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology in cooperation with the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities.





