The Founding of Alexandria

Echoes Through Time

Post Alexandrian Age

The Founding of Alexandria

A Beacon of Hellenistic Culture

The founding of Alexandria in 331 BCE is a significant historical event marking the legacy of Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic era. Alexander, during his extensive conquests, recognized the strategic importance of the site located on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt. He envisioned Alexandria as a cosmopolitan city that would serve as a beacon of Greek culture, thought, and commerce.

The city was established on the shores of Lake Mareotis, benefiting from access to the sea and fertile land. Its design was attributed to the architect Dinocrates of Rhodes, who implemented a grid layout to facilitate urban planning. Alexandria quickly became a crucial hub for trade, attracting merchants and scholars from various regions, thus enhancing its position as a cultural melting pot.

One of the city’s crowning jewels was the Library of Alexandria, which aimed to collect knowledge from across the known world, preserving and advancing significant works in literature, science, and philosophy. This intellectual center became a gathering place for thinkers like Euclid and Archimedes, profoundly influencing future generations.

Alexandria’s cultural and economic prosperity continued through the Ptolemaic dynasty, established by one of Alexander’s generals, Ptolemy I Soter. The city maintained its status as a center of learning and culture throughout the Hellenistic period and beyond, merging Greek and Egyptian traditions.

Overall, the founding of Alexandria laid the groundwork for a city that would endure through the centuries as a symbol of knowledge, culture, and the lasting impact of Alexander the Great’s vision for a unified world.

About the Post Alexandrian Age Period

The period known as the Post Hellenistic era (323-146 BC) occurred between Alexander the Great’s passing in 323 B.C.E and the Roman triumph in Greece in 146 B.C.E. signifying a period of extensive cultural and intellectual growth and exchange. After Alexander’s military campaigns and conquests Greek culture spread across to regions far as India and China in the East where it blended with indigenous customs and gave rise to a diverse society. That era witnessed progress in fields such as artistry, scientific discoveries and philosophical thoughts. Art from this period emphasized emotion and realism, seen in works like the Winged Victory of Samothrace. Cities in the period such as Alexandria flourished as centers of culture with libraries and a strong emphasis on intellectual pursuits. This pivotal time had an impact on the Mediterranean region, leaving a lasting influence on Roman society. Ptolemaic Alexandria emerged as the city of its time. At the Museum of Aristotle University, a group of 72 scholars undertook the task of translating the Old Testament into common Greek dialect. The Bibliotheca Alexandrina stood as a beacon of knowledge for a millennium, housing a collection of manuscripts that were diligently studied and preserved.

Echoes Through Time