The Village Gymnasium at Philoteris/Watfa in the Fayum

Peter Kopp; Cornelia Römer; Rita Hartmann; Cäcilia Fluck; Mary F. Ownby; Daniela Rosenow

doi:10.34780/k07xr378

The Village Gymnasium at Philoteris/Watfa in the Fayum

https://doi.org/10.34780/k07xr378

Authors

List of Contributors

Peter Kopp [Author] https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6723-7892 German Archaeological Institute Cairo
Cornelia Römer [Author] https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2333-1796
Rita Hartmann [Chapter Author] https://orcid.org/0009-0005-6512-5167 Austrian Academy of Sciences
Cäcilia Fluck [Chapter Author] Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
Mary F. Ownby [Chapter Author] https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0530-7354 University of Arizona
Daniela Rosenow [Chapter Author] https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8300-3674 University of Oxford

Synopsis

The gymnasium excavated in the ancient village of Philoteris in the Fayum Oasis is the first building of its kind attested in the archaeological record in Egypt. It is thus unique and provides novel and deeper insight into one aspect of the communal life of Egyptian settlers and Hellenised immigrants in Egypt in the 3ʳᵈ century B.C. up to the Roman Period.

It has long been known, but until now only from textual sources, that gymnasia had been established throughout Egypt in those places where the first Ptolemaic kings had settled Hellenic soldiers during the 3ʳᵈ century B.C. Particularly in the Fayum Oasis, thousands of people from across the Hellenised Mediterranean region came together. Apparently, many in these villages wanted to emphasise their cultural background by privately founding and funding gymnasia. The majority of the population, mainly comprising indigenous Egyptians, was presumably excluded from membership in these club-like institutions.

The excavated gymnasium was probably founded in the second half of the 3ʳᵈ century B.C. and abandoned when Roman rule in Egypt in the 1ˢᵗ century B.C. restricted gymnasia to the large cities.

The building construction consists of a central courtyard with surrounding structures, including a large assembly hall, a dining room, and probably at least one small lecture hall. The complex is surrounded by a mudbrick wall and was entered through a limestone gate, giving the gymnasium the appearance of an Egyptian temple from the outside. Next to it was the racecourse, which was more than 180 m long, in line with the Olympic stadium. All of this was within sight of the village but distinctly separated from it by a large canal.

Keywords:

Hellenistic Egypt, first gymnasium ever excavated in Egypt, village life in the Fayum Oasis, multicultural society

Chapters

Preface

Peter Kopp, Cornelia Römer
1. General Introduction

Peter Kopp, Cornelia Römer
2. Introduction to the Archaeology of the Gymnasium

Peter Kopp, Cornelia Römer
3. The Preceding Building(s)

Peter Kopp, Cornelia Römer
4. The Entrance Gate (R01)

Peter Kopp, Cornelia Römer
5. The Entrance Corridor (R02)

Peter Kopp, Cornelia Römer
6. The Loutron (R15)

Peter Kopp, Cornelia Römer
7. The Auditoria (R03 and R14)

Peter Kopp, Cornelia Römer
8. The Central Courtyard = the Palaestra (R04)

Peter Kopp, Cornelia Römer
9. The Main Hall = Exedra (R10)

Peter Kopp, Cornelia Römer
10. The Banquet-Hall (R09)

Peter Kopp, Cornelia Römer
11. Other Yards and Rooms (R05, R07)

Peter Kopp, Cornelia Römer
12. The Racetrack

Peter Kopp, Cornelia Römer
13. The Water Conduit from Canal I

Peter Kopp, Cornelia Römer
14. Building Techniques and Materials

Peter Kopp, Cornelia Römer
15. Architectural Elements Not Found In Situ

Peter Kopp, Cornelia Römer
16. A Greek Inscription Dating to the Reign of Trajan

Cornelia Römer
17. Lamps

Rita Hartmann
18. Textile Remnants

Cäcilia Fluck
19. Various Small Finds

Cornelia Römer
20. Glass Vessel

Daniela Rosenow
21. Hand Mill

Peter Kopp
22. The Pottery Inventory of the Gymnasium at Philoteris/Watfa

Rita Hartmann
23. Petrographic Analysis of Ptolemaic and Early Roman Pottery from Philoteris/Watfa

Mary F. Ownby
Bibliography
Image Credits