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ALEXANDRIA
EGYPT
datedtothe11th-13thcenturiesADand
afragmentoffunerarystelefoundnorthof
graveM357(reg.no.5066).
Theexplorationoflevelstrappedunder
thefallenbackwalloftheporticoprovided
somechronologicalclues.Thewallsealed
somegravesoftheLowerNecropolis;its
fallcouldbeattributed,therefore,toape-
riodnotearlierthanthe8thcenturyAD.
Thescantyceramicassemblageretrieved
fromlayerstrappedunderneathwas
composedprimarilyofLateRoman
amphorasherdsalongwithafewfrag-
mentsofcookingpots.Mostoftheartifacts
canbesafelyattributedtothe7th-8th
centuriesAD.
Pre-medieval
strata
were
reached
directlyunderneath.Theareawasclosed
fromthesouthandfromthenorthwith
regular-masonrywalls(1.10mwide)
abuttingthePorticobackwalland
formingalargehall(11.50by5.50m),
apparentlytoaccommodateanauditorium
(M)(Fig.6).
Insimilaritytopreviousdiscoveriesof
thesamenature,thelecturehallwas
equippedwiththreewingsofbenches
placedalongthewalls,withaprominent
chairingseatconstructedinthemiddleof
thesouthernendoftheroom.Theinner
faceofthesouthernwallwasnotaligned
withtheback-wallpiers;toovercomethe
architecturalproblemscausedbythis
irregularity,thesouthbenchhadtobe
builtslightlyaskewtomakeupforthe
recessingwall.Thisisclearlyvisibleinthe
caseofthetopmostrowofbenches.The
resultinggapwasnotcompletedwith
Fig.6.AreaM.AuditoriumM,lookingsouth
(PhotoG.Majcherek)
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