2300年前，這個競技場有著繁茂的花園、一處跑道以及其他場所。（圖源：埃及國家文物部）
其他古希臘風格的城市也建有競技場，比如小亞細亞的帕加馬（Pergamon）【2】、米利都（Miletus）【3】，義大利的龐培（Pompeii）。Philoteris的競技場比其他大部分的都要小，但它表明希臘文化已經滲透到埃及鄉村了，Römer說道。
新發現的競技場與Philoteris唯一希臘建築相距很遠。文物部稱，在亞歷山大大帝東徵後，數千希臘移民被許諾的平靜和繁榮所吸引而搬至埃及。
Philoteris 附近的三角洲本來是受埃及居民歡迎的居住地，但它之後便成了希臘新移民的家。事實上，當Philoteris 建成時，約有1200名居民，其中三分之二是埃及人，三分之一是希臘語居民。文物部說道。
考古發掘表明許多像Philoteris那樣的村莊既有埃及神廟，又有希臘聖殿。希臘傳統的公共浴場也是如此,埃及人和希臘語居民都會去那兒。
Römer說，儘管新發現令人激動，但這並不太讓人驚訝。文物部門說：考古學家已經從銘文和莎草紙上得知埃及鄉村在託勒密王朝時期就有了競技場，文字資料上也有著競技場建造費用的證據和管理這些機構的人員的記錄。
注釋：
【1】託勒密二世（Ptolemy Ⅱ）：埃及託勒密王朝國王(公元前285—前246)。即位後採用法老舊制，娶其姊阿爾西諾伊二世，得綽號「愛其姊者」。重視手工業和商業，曾為此查勘上尼羅河，並沿紅海擴張勢力，進阿拉伯半島北部(公元前278年)。
【2】帕加馬（Pergamon）：小亞細亞西部一古城。約公元前230年後成為古希臘王國的都城，公元前133年末代國王臨死前將國土贈送給羅馬。
【3】米利都（Miletus）：古希臘城邦。位於小亞細亞西岸門德河(Maeander，今大門德雷斯河)口。臨近薩摩斯島。公元前11世紀由愛奧尼亞移民所建。為米利都自然哲學學派的發源地，「希臘七賢」之一泰勒斯為該派創始人。公元6世紀因港口淤塞，城市廢棄。
原文
Ancient Athletes: Greek-Style Gymnasium Unearthed in Egypt
The newly discovered gymnasium.Credit: Ministry of State for Antiquities
Archaeologists have discovered Egypt's first known ancient gymnasium, a building that once sported a racing track, gardens and meeting halls, according to the country's antiquities ministry.
The ancient Greeks built gymnasiums as workout spaces where athletes could train for games. After Alexander the Great conquered Egypt, Greek architecture and customs swept through the region. That included, apparently, this gymnasium.
The gymnasium was once a grand structure. It had a large hall, likely used for meetings, that was once adorned with statues. It also had a dining hall, a courtyard, bountiful gardens and a racetrack that was nearly 655 feet (200 meters) long, the ministry said in a statement shared on Facebook.
A German and Egyptian archaeological team unearthed the gymnasium in Philoteris, an ancient village named for Philotera, the sister of King Ptolemy II. He was the second king of the Greek-ruling Ptolemaic dynasty and founded the village in the 3rd century B.C. The village is located in present-day Fayum, a city about 90 miles (145 kilometers) southwest of Cairo.
It's likely that 2,300-year-old gymnasium was paid for by wealthy people who wanted their village to look more Greek, the excavation's leader, Cornelia Römer, said in a statement. The gymnasium was a place where young, upper-class men who spoke Greek could train in sports, learn to read and write, and debate philosophy, Römer said.
About 2,300 years ago, this gymnasium sported lush gardens, a racing track and more. Credit: Ministry of State for Antiquities
Other ancient Hellenistic cities also had gymnasiums, including Pergamon and Miletus in Asia Minor and Pompeii in Italy, Römer said. The gymnasium in Philoteris is smaller than most, but it shows that Greek culture had permeated into even the Egyptian countryside, Römer said.
The newfound gymnasium was far from the only Greek structure in Philoteris. After Alexander the Great's conquest, thousands of Greek settlers moved to Egypt, attracted by the promise of peace and prosperity, the ministry said.
The delta near Philoteris was already a popular residence for Egyptians, and it soon became a home for Greek newcomers. Indeed, when it was founded, Philoteris had about 1,200 inhabitants; two-thirds of them were Egyptians, and one-third of them were Greek-speaking settlers, the ministry said.
Archaeological digs show that many villages like Philoteris had both Egyptian temples and Greek sanctuaries, as well as public baths — a custom brought over from Greece that both Egyptian- and Greek-speaking denizens used.
While the new find is exciting, it wasn't a complete surprise, Römer said. Archaeologists already knew of inscriptions and papyri that indicated the Egyptian countryside had gymnasiums during the Ptolemaic period, the ministry said. There is also evidence of payments for the construction of gymnasiums and notes about the men who governed these institutions.