Group Unearths Part of Ancient University

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Group Unearths Part of Ancient University

 

Wed May 26, 2:59 PM ET Add Science - AP to My

 

 

By MAGGIE MICHAEL, Associated Press Writer

 

CAIRO, Egypt - Polish archaeologists have unearthed 13 lecture halls

believed to be the first traces ever found of ancient Egypt's

University of Alexandria, the head of the project said Wednesday.

 

 

 

 

 

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"This is the oldest university ever found in the world," Grzegory

Majderek, head of the Polish mission, told The Associated Press.

 

 

The lecture halls, with a capacity of 5,000 students, are part of

the 5th century university, which functioned until the 7th century,

according to a statement from Egypt's Supreme Council of

Antiquities.

 

 

"This is the first material evidence of the existence of academic

life in Alexandria," Majderek said. Knowledge of earlier

intellectual pursuits in the Mediterranean coastal city came through

historical and literary documents and materials.

 

 

Ancient Alexandria was home to a library, which was founded about

295 B.C. and burned to the ground in the 4th century. Ruins were

never found, but Alexandria was an intellectual center where

scholars are thought to have produced the Septuagint, the Greek

translation of the Old Testament, and edited Homer's works.

 

 

The auditoriums were found near the portico of the Roman Theater in

the eastern part of the ancient city.

 

 

All the lecture halls are of identical dimensions. Each contains

rows of stepped benches in a form of semicircle and an elevated seat

apparently for the lecturer, the Antiquities Department statement

said.

 

 

Alexandria has tried to recapture some of its intellectual glory,

building a $230 million library on the city's renovated seaside

promenade with help from around the world.

 

 

The new library, which opened in 2002, contains about 240,000 books,

a planetarium, conference hall, five research institutes, six

galleries and three museums.