Publisher Description
Founded by Alexander the Great and built by self-styled 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 efflorescence it fostered and the library it produced. If the European Renaissance was the “rebirth” of Western culture, then Alexandria, Egypt, was its birthplace. It 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, Mark Antony, 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.
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“A fascinating study of a great dream – to gather all the knowledge of the world together in a great library and museum and to provide a place for the most creative thinkers of the world to interact. And how it was all eventually betrayed by the greed of personal politics and religious intolerance. There was true vision here and amazing creativity and yet humans have repeated destroyed those qualities in the name of faith and chosen ignorance. A marvelous look at the intellectual center of the ancient Mediterranean world.”
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Willowwind (5 out of 5 stars)
