The deep sound of the aulos, a double-reed flute, echoes across the Roman amphitheater, where a crowd of Egyptians and Romans, clad in the best linen and togas, admiringly sit in silence. Upon the end of the last note, a wave of deafening applause ensues. Alexandria’s ancient citizens make way to their homes, mere streets away, while some playfully make way to late-night taverns. In many history books, there are descriptions of architecture and key monuments, but the human experience of the people that lived in these households and structures during that period is not studied enough; this also applies to how architecture can affect the way humans communicate, live, and interact Though there isn’t much archaeological evidence to form a full and clear picture of how Egyptians lived during Graeco-Roman periods, papyri (ancient writings) from urban and rural sites along with a few archaeological remains of houses, buildings, and schools have helped researchers to go beyond the focus of tombs and temples of royal ancestors, but also how ordinary populations lived. One way to explore the relationship between the Egyptians and the Romans is by looking at housing. Just…
Cities and Villages of the Past: Living as an Egyptian During Greco-Roman Times
September 15, 2022
