The Rise and Fall of Alexandria

Posted on 09 January 2018 by Justin Pollard

The astonishing story of the ancient city that invented the modern world Founded by Alexander the Great and built by Greek pharaohs, the city of Alexandria at its height dwarfed both Athens and Rome It was the marvel of its age legendary for its vast palaces, safe harbors, and magnificent lighthouse But it was most famous for the astonishing intellectual fluorescence it fostered and the library it produced If the European Renaissance was the rebirth of Western culture, then Alexandria, Egypt, was its birthplaceIt was here mankind first discovered that the earth was not flat, originated atomic theory, invented geometry, systematized grammar, translated the Old Testament into Greek, built the steam engine, and passed their discoveries on to future generations via the written word Julius Caesar, Anthony and Cleopatra, Jewish scholars, Greek philosophers, and devout early Christians all play a part in the rise and fall of the city that stood at the conjunction of the whole world Compulsively readable and sparkling with fresh insights into science, philosophy, culture, and invention, this is an irresistible, eye opening delight. Free Read Books The Rise and Fall of Alexandria author Justin Pollard – kino-fada.fr Between the time of Athens and the time of Rome, the ancient world had a third city that served as a center for culture and progressive thought The Rise and Fall of Alexandria Birthplace of the Modern Mind by Justin Pollard and Howard Reid celebrates Alexandria as a planned metropolis, chosen by the whim of Alexander but grown and flourished under the will of Ptolemy Ptolemy would convert the Egyptian satrapy of Alexander into the last dynastic family of Egypt, culminating in the Roman intrig Between the time of Athens and the time of Rome, the ancient world had a third city that served as a center for culture and progressive thought The Rise and Fall of Alexandria Birthplace of the Modern Mi...This is a good book, full of fascinating glimpses into a largely forgotten place and time in history I had a hard time staying riveted to the book, but I m not sure why It was always interesting I think it was just me.This is a brief overview of a city that is often overlooked as being one of the greatest of the ancient world It starts by detailing how Alexandria was founded by her namesake, Alexander the Great himself, and how later generals and kings strategically built it up to be a center for thought and enlightenment, with the famed lost library at its heart We are also introduced to various scholars and philosophers that made the city their homesome well known, some not so muchand we are shown h This is a brief overview of a city that is often overlooked as being one of the greatest...This was an absolutely fantastic book I knew bits and pieces about Alexandria, here and there, such as scenes from the lives of Caesar and Cleopatra and the fate of Archimedes, but I never really had a sense of the extent to which the city was the intellectual center of the West.This was just the perfect sort of history for me It has a chronological structure, and you get your fill of Ptolemaic kings, but at each point, the narrative breaks off into intellectual history that is philosophical, m This was an absolutely fantastic book I knew bits and pieces about Alexandria, here and there, such as scenes from the lives of Caesar and Cleopatra and the fate of Archimedes, but I never really had a sense of the extent to which the city was the intellectual center of the West.This was just the perfect sort of history for me It has a chronological structure, and you get your fill of Ptolemaic kings, but at each point, the narrative breaks off into intellectual history that is philosophical, mathematical, economic or whatever is most apt T...This is based upon the audio download from www.Audible.com.Narrated by Simon VanceThis was the history of knowledge in Alexandria Listening to the book was like watching a History Channel documentary very well done Century by century all the famous citizens of Alexandria are portrayed There was a great quote at the end of the book that summarizes the demise of Alexandria... Because it was all discovered thousands of years ago The ancient Alexandrians, a mix of Egyptian, Greek, Jewish, and Roman cultures, created in their city the world s first empire of the mind The Great Library contained 400,000 scrolls many stolen from ships visiting the port The Musuem boasted visits by the greatest minds of the age including Eratosthenes, Archimedes, and Geminus , and the Pharos Lighthouse, almost 400 feet tall the Statue of Liberty is only 150 feet tall had a fi Because it was all discovered thousands of years ago The ancient Alexandrians, a mix of Egyptian, Greek, Jewish, and Roman cultures, created in their city the world s first empire of the mind The Great Library contained 400,000 scrolls many stolen from ships visiting the port The Musuem boasted visits by the greatest minds of the age including Eratosthenes, Archimedes, and Geminus , and the Pharos Lighthouse, almost 400 feet tall the Statue of Liberty is o...Alexandria is one of the great success stories of the ancient world, being founded by Alexander the Great, and then spending the next several centuries as one of the great trading ports of the Mediterranean, as well as a center of learning So a history of the city has a lot of appeal.Sadly, this isn t really a history of the city It does start with Alexander s initial choosing of the site, and laying out the basics, and talks a little bit about the initial building But past that, the book bec Alexandria is one of the great success...Michelangelo, Da Vinci et al in Italy during the Renaissance Newton, Leibowitz et al in London coffeehouses at the dawn of the industrial and scientific age Hemingway, Stein et al in Paris salons in the 1920s The current tech boom in Silicon Valley The pattern many of humanity s great leaps forward in knowledge and art come from time and place where great minds come together.This book documents the history of the city of Alexandria, the very first of such centers of ...One of the most fascinating topics in world history given a rather under edited and intellectually limp treatment Did you know that the Alexandrians invented the steam engine That due to the plenitude of slave labor and the absence of coal, it was used only for entertainments and temple tricks That the approximately 450 foot light house at Pharos, constructed of enormous stone blocks and mortar of molten lead, stood for nearly 1,600 years, despite being on a small island in a stormy sea on a One of the most fascinating topics in world history given a rather under edited and intellectually limp treatment Did you know that the Alexandrians invented the steam engine That due to the plenitude of slave labor and the absence of coal, it was used only for entertainments and temple tricks That the approximately 450 foot light house at Pharos, constructed of enormous stone blocks and mortar of molten lead, stood for nearly 1,600 years, despite being on a small island in a stormy sea on a fault line Did you know that Christianity ruined civilization for 2,000 years I learn this from the book, despite the book by essentially criminalizing the scientific method Yes, we would be on Mars by now Did you know that the Alexandrians, not Copernicus, first proposed a heliocentric universe yes, about 1,700 yea...I loved this book Being an Ancient Egypt lover I had to read it and I m glad I did What other nation arrested ships as they docked in harbor and took books that were on board Scholars would take the books to the library and see if they had it, and if they didn t they would copy it and bring the copy not the original back to its owner WHO DOES THAT That s awesome No wonder the world s knowledge was housed in one building Then it burned down Thanks Caesar This book was very int I loved this book Being an Ancient Egypt lover I had to read it and I m glad I did What other nation arrested ships as they docked in harbor and took books that were on board Scholars would take the books to the library and see if they had it, and if they didn t they would copy...

English
09 January 2018

Justin Pollard