-1 101 Z Alexandria, on the western edge of the Nile delta, was the first of many cities founded by Alexander the Great and named after him. Founded around 331 BC, it was here that Alexander was buried in 323 BC. Under the rule of the Ptolemies, Alexandria became the administrative centre of Egypt and the commercial and cultural centre of the civilized world.
1 101 X The Serapeum was a smaller library located outside the city walls. It was connected to the Royal Library and housed a substantial 42,800 volumes.
#Serapeum
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#Hellenistic
3 101 X The Museum was founded by Ptolemy I as an institution of research and learning. Many of the greatest minds in the Hellenistic world were lured here through the generous patronage of the Ptolemies and the vast resources at their command. The Royal Library connected to the Museum contained over 70,000 volumes and was open to anyone.
# Museum
4 101 X The Heptastadion was a 5,000 ft (1,500 m) long mole or breakwater connecting the island of Pharos with the mainland and creating two fine harbours, back to back. The original mole has now silted up and become a broad isthmus.
#Heptastadion
5 102 A The Pharos lighthouse, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, was built in white marble or limestone by Sostratus of Cnidos and dedicated in 279 BC. A fire was maintained at the third level of the 300 ft polygonal tower and its light was directed out to sea by a system of mirrors.
#Pharos lighthouse
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#engineering technology
8 101 X The gymnasium was like an exclusive club. Its purpose was to foster Hellenism, and entrance into it was highly selective, with a long waiting list. Children from wealthy Greek families were put down for it at an early age. Only at the very end of the Ptolemaic period were some wealthy non-Greeks allowed to join.
#gymnasium
9 101 X The theatre at Alexandria was probably begun under Ptolemy I. Reused marble blocks discovered there date from the 2nd century BC. Twelve tiers of seats were also found there in 1960.
#theatre
11 101 X The royal palace of the Ptolemies and the associated grounds occupied between a quarter and a third of the whole area of Alexandria. Most of this area was taken up with shrines, gardens, fountains, statues and other works of art.
# royal palace
10 101 X Alexandria was connected to the Red Sea by the Nile and a system of canals which made it an outlet for Oriental trade in addition to its command of Mediterranean trade. When the Romans came to power in Egypt, the Alexandrians became fiercely anti-Roman. There were occasional riots, and conflict developed between the Jewish and Greek inhabitants of the city.
# Roman Alexandria
#-1 101 z Alexandria, on the western edge of the Nile delta, was the first of many cities founded by Alexander the Great and named after him. Founded around 331 BC, it was here that Alexander was buried in 323 BC. Under the rule of the Ptolemies, Alexandria became the administrative centre of Egypt and the commercial and cultural centre of the civilized world.
