Alexandria

Alexandria is a Mediterranean Port city, and the third largest city in Egypt. It was famous in Antiquity for holding the Great Library of Alexandria and the Pharos of Alexandria.
It was founded in 322 BCE under the Ptolemaic Dynasty, and became the Capital of the Roman Province of Egypt after 31 BCE.

Alexandria National Museum
- It is located at 131 El-Shaheed Galal El-Desouky, Bar Sharqi.131 El-Shaheed Galal El-Desouky, Bab Sharqi, Alexandria.
- It holds 1,800 Artefacts and Art objects found in Alexandria. The collection includes statues, jewllery and coins.
Greco-Roman Museum
- Located at Al Mesallah Sharq, Al Attarin, Alexandria.
- The museum holds a collection of Artefacts covering Alexandria’s period under the Greek Ptolemies and the Roman Empire from 332 BCE onwards. It includes Mummies, Sarcophagii and Statues.

The Population of Alexandria in 40 BCE was said by Diodorus Siculus to be 300,000.
By 100 CE, it had become the second largest city in the Roman Empire with a population between 500-750,000. (Rome had a population of one million).
Egypt had its own currency, the Alexandrian Tetradrachm.
The Port was home to the Alexandrian Grain Fleet, and it was the Naval Base of the Classis Alexandrina.
Alexandria had harbours on the Mediterranean Sea and also on Lake Mareotis behind the city. A navigable canal from Alexandria connected Lake Mareotis to the Nile at Cairo.
The Trade with India arrived in Alexandria, after having been shipped down the Nile from Coptos and the Red Sea port of Berenice. Goods paid Duty in Egypt, partly documented by the Alexandrian Tariff (54 items). The Coptos Tariff, which lists all the road Tolls, reveals what People and Goods travelled to and from the Red Sea.
In 365 CE Alexandria was devastated by the Crete Earthquake and Tsunami of 21 July 365 CE. Ships were left beached miles inland.

Alexandria was the greatest Port in the Roman Empire covering an area of 60 hectares.
Its Lighthouse was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Pharos of Alexandria, which could be seen up to 50 miles away. It was built on an island, connected to the mainland by a causeway.
The harbour was divided into two, with the western harbour for commercial vessels, and the eastern harbour where the Roman Navy was based.

Founded by Ptolemy I Soter (323-283 BCE).
The Great Library of Alexandria was the most important Library in the Ancient World, followed in second place by the Library of Pergamon.
The Great Library was part of a complex of buildings which included the Musaeum of Alexandria an Institute, where Greek scholars could study, using the Library.
In 391 CE the Great Library was then destroyed by the Coptic Christian Patriarch Theophilus.

Alexandria was the home port of the Classis Alexandrina, the Roman Navy in Egypt.
They partly escorted the Alexandrian Grain Fleet towards Italy and patrolled the Nile.

The Harbour was the home of the Alexandrian Grain Fleet which sailed to Rome with 20 million Modii of Egyptian grain twice every year.
It supplyied one third of Rome‘s Grain. The other two thirds was supplied by North Africa.
The Alexandrian Tariff was a list of 54 Items from the East that were subject to Duty.

Founding:
- In 42 CE, the Church records that the Alexandrian Episcopate was founded by St. Mark the Evangelist.
- By 300 CE, Alexandria was the centre of Christianity in Egypt.
Patriarch of Alexandria:
- Egypt came under the Alexandrian Episcopate, presided over by the Archbishop or Patriarch of Alexandria.
The Pentarchy:
- Initially there were three Episcopal Sees, Alexandria, Rome and Antioch.
- Later, Constantinople and Jerusalem were added, and the five Sees became known as the Pentarchy.

Roman Amphitheatre, Alexandria