Let's jump ahead 700 years (I can't stress just how much history Egypt has) to another famous era: Ptolemaic Egypt. Alexander the Great conquered Egypt in 332 BCE, and after Alexander's death his close friend Ptolemy eventually consolidated power in Egypt and founded the Ptolemaic Dynasty. That's right, for three centuries Egypt was ruled by a Greek bloodline of pharaohs who adopted the Egyptian religion and customs. The Ptolemaic Dynasty ended in 30 BCE with the suicide of Cleopatra (technically Cleopatra VII), the last ever pharaoh, famous lover of both Julius Caesar and Marc Antony. After her death Egypt was under Roman(/Byzantine) rule for almost 700 years. It's strange to think that the popular parts of Egyptian history span such a long time that Cleopatra lived closer in time to us (~2,000 years) than to the construction of the pyramids (~2,500 years).
We took a day trip to Alexandria on a beautiful sunny day, with a cool breeze, picture-perfect clouds, and great air quality! Founded by Alexander the Great in 332 BCE (his lost tomb is somewhere here too), Alexandria was capital of Egypt until the Muslim conquest in 641 CE. Alexandria was a major center of Greek and Roman civilization: it was a trading port, a cosmopolitan city of many peoples, and briefly the largest city in the world.
1,000 years of Greek and Roman civilization means that there are lots of ruins to see! Unfortunately, several major earthquakes (the old royal palace sank into the ocean!), fires (the library burned!), and wars (four "Siege of Alexandria"s and two "Battle of Alexandria"s!) also mean that there are only ruins to see, all surrounded by the bustling modern city.
All that remains of the old Greek acropolis is a rubble-strewn, catacombed hill with Pompey's Pillar standing proudly and lonely. Once thought it was built to honor general Pompey, it was actually to commemorate Roman emperor Diocletian's victory over an Egyptian rebellion (it says so right on the base, all you had to do was read it guys). It's also not technically a pillar, so a more accurate name would be Diocletian's Column. It was also speculated that Pompey's head was in a jar atop the pillar (not true) so a pretty good example to not believe everything you hear.
The extensively excavated ruins at Kom Al Deka include an excellently preserved amphitheater, a university, baths, and villas.
We also saw the Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa (no photos allowed), rediscovered by a donkey-archaeologist in 1900. In my research now I'm learning that it's also considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Middle Ages? I'm not sure I'd consider it Wonder material, but the tomb carvings are an excellent example of the fusion of Greek and Egyptian cultures.
Speaking of Wonders, Alexandria was once home to the Pharos (lighthouse) of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the original list by Herodotus that's spawned so many additional lists. I'd heard of the Pharos before, but didn't realize how impressive it's 1) size and 2) longevity once were. It's thought to have stood over 100 meters tall: check out the depiction on coins of the era, plus modern archaeologists' interpretations. Ptolemy I commissioned it ~300 BCE and it stood for centuries, progressively damaged by earthquakes in 796, 950, and 1303 until earthquakes in the 1320s finished it off and it toppled into the sea. The remaining stones and foundation of the Pharos were used in 1480 to build the fortress of Qaitbey's Citadel, the airiest and breeziest castle I've ever seen.
My favorite place in Alexandria was the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the modern re-imagining of the Library of Alexandria. The original library was established by Ptolemy II (so, sometime 286-243 BCE) to be a collection of all knowledge. The library contained an estimated 40,000-400,000 scrolls, and every ship entering the harbor had to surrender any scrolls it had to be copied. The library also supported a staff of full-time international scholars, philosophers, poets, and researchers. Famous discoveries here include Archimedes' invention of the Archimedes Screw and Eratosthenes' calculation of the circumference of the Earth. The library had a slow decline after Ptolemy VIII expelled foreign scholars in 140 BCE. It's scholars and collections dispersed to other libraries, it suffered a fire in 48 CE, and was probably finally destroyed by war in 272 or 297 CE.
The new library was finished in 2002 in partnership with UNESCO and is an international center of learning and culture. It has museums, art galleries, a planetarium, conference facilities, a manuscript restoration center, and the first backup of the Internet Archive project. The curved facade is carved with letters from 150 different scripts. Check out the gorgeous photos/diagrams by international architect SnΓΈhetta. Everything is stunningly inspirational and gorgeous, a true modern temple to learning. The library is full of busy young Egyptians, and if I lived in Alexandria this is were you'd find me.
I lived for 10+ years in a different Alexandria, so I relished every opportunity tell the locals that I, too, was from Alexandria. I forgot to bring my library card though.
One final goodbye photo of Alexandria's oceanside corniche:
-Peter
We took a day trip to Alexandria on a beautiful sunny day, with a cool breeze, picture-perfect clouds, and great air quality! Founded by Alexander the Great in 332 BCE (his lost tomb is somewhere here too), Alexandria was capital of Egypt until the Muslim conquest in 641 CE. Alexandria was a major center of Greek and Roman civilization: it was a trading port, a cosmopolitan city of many peoples, and briefly the largest city in the world.
1,000 years of Greek and Roman civilization means that there are lots of ruins to see! Unfortunately, several major earthquakes (the old royal palace sank into the ocean!), fires (the library burned!), and wars (four "Siege of Alexandria"s and two "Battle of Alexandria"s!) also mean that there are only ruins to see, all surrounded by the bustling modern city.
All that remains of the old Greek acropolis is a rubble-strewn, catacombed hill with Pompey's Pillar standing proudly and lonely. Once thought it was built to honor general Pompey, it was actually to commemorate Roman emperor Diocletian's victory over an Egyptian rebellion (it says so right on the base, all you had to do was read it guys). It's also not technically a pillar, so a more accurate name would be Diocletian's Column. It was also speculated that Pompey's head was in a jar atop the pillar (not true) so a pretty good example to not believe everything you hear.
The extensively excavated ruins at Kom Al Deka include an excellently preserved amphitheater, a university, baths, and villas.
We also saw the Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa (no photos allowed), rediscovered by a donkey-archaeologist in 1900. In my research now I'm learning that it's also considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Middle Ages? I'm not sure I'd consider it Wonder material, but the tomb carvings are an excellent example of the fusion of Greek and Egyptian cultures.
Speaking of Wonders, Alexandria was once home to the Pharos (lighthouse) of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the original list by Herodotus that's spawned so many additional lists. I'd heard of the Pharos before, but didn't realize how impressive it's 1) size and 2) longevity once were. It's thought to have stood over 100 meters tall: check out the depiction on coins of the era, plus modern archaeologists' interpretations. Ptolemy I commissioned it ~300 BCE and it stood for centuries, progressively damaged by earthquakes in 796, 950, and 1303 until earthquakes in the 1320s finished it off and it toppled into the sea. The remaining stones and foundation of the Pharos were used in 1480 to build the fortress of Qaitbey's Citadel, the airiest and breeziest castle I've ever seen.
My favorite place in Alexandria was the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the modern re-imagining of the Library of Alexandria. The original library was established by Ptolemy II (so, sometime 286-243 BCE) to be a collection of all knowledge. The library contained an estimated 40,000-400,000 scrolls, and every ship entering the harbor had to surrender any scrolls it had to be copied. The library also supported a staff of full-time international scholars, philosophers, poets, and researchers. Famous discoveries here include Archimedes' invention of the Archimedes Screw and Eratosthenes' calculation of the circumference of the Earth. The library had a slow decline after Ptolemy VIII expelled foreign scholars in 140 BCE. It's scholars and collections dispersed to other libraries, it suffered a fire in 48 CE, and was probably finally destroyed by war in 272 or 297 CE.
The new library was finished in 2002 in partnership with UNESCO and is an international center of learning and culture. It has museums, art galleries, a planetarium, conference facilities, a manuscript restoration center, and the first backup of the Internet Archive project. The curved facade is carved with letters from 150 different scripts. Check out the gorgeous photos/diagrams by international architect SnΓΈhetta. Everything is stunningly inspirational and gorgeous, a true modern temple to learning. The library is full of busy young Egyptians, and if I lived in Alexandria this is were you'd find me.
I lived for 10+ years in a different Alexandria, so I relished every opportunity tell the locals that I, too, was from Alexandria. I forgot to bring my library card though.
One final goodbye photo of Alexandria's oceanside corniche:
-Peter
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