lecture room in Alexandria?

At the retreat this weekend, our Associate Provost had an interesting historical tip. (He’s a sort of historical polymath.)

Perhaps the most complete set of ancient ruins in Alexandria (it has relatively many fewer than you would expect and hope) is an old Roman theater right across from the train station. The area is fairly large, and like everyone else who comes to Alex reasonably often, I’ve been in there a good 5 or 6 times.

Next to the theater are some intact rooms. Given their proximity to the theater, I had always just assumed that they were bathhouses or some other pleasure- or leisure-related facilities. But our Associate Provost explained (with convincing evidence) that they are actually lecture rooms.

For obvious reasons, that makes the site a lot more exciting than before. Plotinus and Origen could have sat in those rooms; Ammonius Saccas could have taught in them. (They are probably the wrong period for Hypatia.)