Roman Gymnasium of Syracuse
The Monumental Complex of Syracuse , mistakenly identified as Roman gymnasium , probably dates back to the second half of the 1st century AD. The identification of the complex is still uncertain today, it is also believed that it could be a sanctuary of oriental cults , specifically, a sanctuary in honor of Serapis , on the basis of a passage by Cicero which mentions its existence.
The complex was found shortly after the mid-nineteenth century and today it is largely invaded by the water due to the rising sea level .
The Roman gymnasium is enclosed within a quadriporticus , whose floor is raised above that of the courtyard and which is accessed via a staircase. The main entrance to the quadrangle was on the east side, along which three bases of statues are still visible. In fact, during the excavations, several statues were found belonging, above all, to male togal characters; the only female statue found is attributable to the late Flavian age. The statues, which were most likely arranged inside the portico, are now preserved in the Paolo Orsi Regional Archaeological Museum. western side of the gymnasium. Inside the temple there is a room, with a vaulted roof, with a well. In the area in front of the temple you can see a second well and an altar. In the rear part, however, there is a theatrical cavea, with the steps originally covered in marble.
Along the northern side of the portico, a road runs parallel to it, perhaps identifiable with a stretch of the Via Elorina, which runs from Syracuse led to the subcolony of Eloro.
