The City of Alexandria Alexander the Great founded

The City of Alexandria -Alexander the Great -founded 331

The City of Alexandria • • • Good anchorage Healthy climate Fresh water Nearby limestone quarries Alexandria was intended to be a center of trade and learning!

Ptolemy- his dynasty ruled Alexandria for 300 years

Importance as a Center of Trade -as big as Rome (1, 000) meeting place of trade routes Offered: -safe harbors -dockworkers to handle cargo -warehouses to store goods -busy market to sell goods

Imports and Exports Imports • Luxury Goods (bronze statues, fine wine) • Raw materials (wood, marble) Exports • Wheat • Papyrus • Glassware

-Pharus- both island lighthouse -440 feet tall -3 tiers, faced with marble -light could be seen 70 miles away

Great Harborin front of city Western Harbor- in front of city Lake Harborbehind the city

Lake Harborconnected by canals to Nile River, Red Sea, and eastern trade routes

-Alexandria- built on a grid system Canopus Street- more than 100 feet wide Royal Quarterarea with palaces, temples, gov’t buildings

Cleopatra Caesareumshrine/ temple Marc Antony Augustus

Cleopatra’s Needles -obelisks erected in 1500 BC by Pharoah Thutmosis III -brought to Alexandria from Heliopolis by Cleopatra -one given to Britain in 1819 - banks of Thames in London -one given to America in 1881 - Central Park, NY

Alexandria- center of education and study Museum- University with largest library

Library of Alexandria Located in the Royal Quarter

• • • Mathematics Astronomy Anatomy Geography Literature Languages • Mapping techniques improved • Euclid wrote famous geometry textbook The Elements • Aristarchus- theorized that the Earth revolved around the sun

Problems in Alexandria • Many ethnic groups (Egyptians, Jews, Romans, Africans, Indians, Greeks) • Greeks- most powerful – Planned and built city – Greek was official language – Greeks had great wealth and special privileges • RESULTS – Frequent riots, jealously between ethnic groups – the Romans kept close watch on the provincemanaged directly by the emperor – Rome needed to ensure a steady supply of grain travelled from Egypt to Italy