Who chose the site of this famous Egyptian city and when?
Alexander the Great, 331 BC
What are the six things that he found in this area west of the mouth of the Nile River?
agricultural land, fine harbor, good anchorage, healthy climate, freshwater, limestone quarries
What was his architect told to create?
to build a city which was to be the new center of trade and civilization
Did the leader see his city completed?
No
What happened to him?
body was buried in a tomb there; died when city was unfinished
What family ruled Alexandria next and for how long?
Ptolemy, 300 years
Who was the last in that line?
Queen Cleopatra
When did Egypt become a Roman province?
30 AC
How did Alexandria compare to Rome in first century AD?
As large and splendid as Rome itself
Why was Alexandria such a successful place for trading on a large scale?
place in between great trade routes
What four things did Alexandria offer merchants and businessmen?
safe harbors, lots of dockworkers to handle cargo, warehouses for storage, busy market
When arriving in Alexandria from as far away as 70 miles (88 kilometers), what was the first thing one would see?
a beacon from Pharos
From what did this item receive its name?
the island it stood on
What was this structure's distinction in the ancient world?
3-tiered marble face
How did it guide thousands of ships to port?
light was cast out with a lantern and system of mirrors so ships could see at night
What was the plan of the city?
a city with streets like a grid system
What was the main street in Alexandria?
Canopus street
What was so amazing about it?
it's size
How did the main street compare to what Quintus had known in Pompeii?
4x the size
What was the Royal Quarter?
area of more than one square mile with palaces, temples, offices, gardens
What was the Caesareum? Who began its construction?
a shrine to honor Marc Anthony (started by Cleopatra and finished by Augustus as a temple for himself)
Whom was it first intended to honor?
Marc Anthony, a roman general
Who eventually finished it only to dedicate it to himself?
Emperor Augustus
What were the items that originally stood in front of the Caesareum?
obelisk: tall, narrow pillar cut from a single slab of granite and pointed at the top
From where did the two come?
from an ancient Egyptian temple and put into position by a Roman engineer
Where are they now? What are they called?
London, Central Park; Cleopatra's Needles
What was another major aspect of Alexandria?
the university
What was the Museum?
a university
Where is it located?
The Royal Quarter
What was so special about it?
largest library in the world
What six types of subjects were researched there?
math, astronomy, anatomy, geography, literature, language
What did Euclid and Aristarchus produce while there?
geometry textbook, theory about sun
What six nationalities were found in Alexandria?
Greeks, Jews, Egyptians, Romans, Africans, Indians
Who were the most powerful?
Greeks
What seven advantages did they have or enjoy?
privileges, wealth, language, ran the city, ran the city previously, planned the city, built the city
What did their position cause in the city?
jealously
Because of this situation, what did the Emperor Claudius once have to do?
write a letter to Alexandria