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CiA > Alexandria > Flashcards

Alexandria Flashcards

1
Q

What time period is the Classical- Hellenistic Egypt?

A
  • equivalent to the late period.
  • dynasties 26-30 664-323 (some interruptions by Persians)
  • Ptolemaic Dynasty 323-30 BC
  • Egypt as Roman province from 30BC
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2
Q

What can we say about Alexandria’s location?

A
  • Quite far away from main part of Egypt

- Excellent connections to water pathways and roads with rest of Egypt and Africa.

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3
Q

What were cities and urban areas like in Pharaonic Egypt?

A
  • Temples central religious and economic features

- Temple enclosure made from mud, temple from brick.

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4
Q

Describe the area of Tanis in Alexandria

A
  • Temples linked by processional paths
  • Services, admin
  • Outlying cemeteries
  • Suburbs with elite to worker size houses
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5
Q

Describe the situation of cities in Egypt

A
  • Most obvious place to rule Egypt from is Memphis
  • Multiple capital cities depending on where the power is
  • Key development in Alexandria.
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6
Q

How was the city of Alexandria organised?

A
  • Different areas for different nationalities e.g. Naukratis, Helleneion, Greek nationalism.
  • City divided into ethnic quarters.
  • Some Greek and Egyptian temples.
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7
Q

How did the Greek and Egyptian cultures merge?

A
  • Greek and Egyptian mixing happening even before te foundation of Alexandria.
  • Amphoras (pottery) but for Egyptian or Greek consumers
  • Changing patterns of eating, drinking and dining.
  • Melting pot
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8
Q

How does Homer describe Alexandria?

A

Describes a small settlement which is more of a stopping place for travellers than an actual place.

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9
Q

What does Forster say about Alexanderia?

A
  • Few cities have made such an impressive entrance into History
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10
Q

Who was Alexander the Great?

A
  • Saviour of the Egyptians from the Persians
  • Welcomed as ruler of Egypt
  • Warrior/soldier/king
  • Embraced Egyptian customers
  • Profound impact
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11
Q

Where was Sita?

A
  • Went to Sita in order not to offend anyone by not choosing their oracle (Alexander)
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12
Q

What is the temple of Amon reminiscent of?

A
  • The acropolis in Athens

- ON a large hill

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13
Q

Why did Alexander found a new city?

A
  • Port of trade for the east Mediterranean
  • No previous settlement so no previous ties or favour
  • Imperial statement, strategic centre
  • Story of having a vision to build a great new city.
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14
Q

What is Bates island?

A
  • Rocky outcrop of the northern coast
  • Trading point since the Bronze Age
  • Sea level 1.5 million lower so it was much more prominent
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15
Q

Describe the construction of the city of Alexandria?

A
  • Construction joined together two places
  • East and west harbour- one was always useable
  • Pharos lighthouse was founded
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16
Q

Who first helped to design Alexandria?

A
  • Cleomenes of Naukratis: finance, engineer
  • Deinokratis of Rhodes
  • Krateros of Olynthus
  • Hero of Libya
  • Foundation was April 7th 331BC
  • Hippodamian grid
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17
Q

How does Strabo first describe the city of Alexandria?

A
  • Describes the Great Harbour in the East, the Eunostos Harbour in the west and the Hepastadium which was originally an aqueduct.
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18
Q

What is one of the pieces of evidence for the Pharos lighthouse?

A
  • Ancient depictions and monuments
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19
Q

Give some facts about the Pharos lighthouse

A
  • Cherubs on the top laying trumpets
  • 120 m high
  • Light visible up to 55km away
  • Guarded night and day
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20
Q

How do we know so much about the Pharos lighthouse?

A
  • Drawings of H Thiersch have been most influential in reconstructions since they were published in 1906
  • Extensive reconstructions
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21
Q

What is on the site of the Pharos lighthouse?

A
  • Qaitbey Fort
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22
Q

What archaeological evidence is there for the Pharos lighthouse?

A
  • Extensive material lying in the harbour areas

- Fell down because of the earthquake

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23
Q

What was the most prominent feature in the Alexandrian landscape?

A
  • Lighthouse dominates landscape

- City construction continued after Alexander’s death

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24
Q

What was a problem with water in agriculture?

A
  • Does not have it’s own fresh water supply other than a lake.
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25
Q

Describe cisterns in Alexandria-

A
  • El Sahrig Nabih
  • 4 levels 9th century AD
  • Up to 400 recorded by Napeoleonic Commission 1799- 1803
  • Cut into bedrock but how early was the system actually initiated.
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26
Q

Who is given credit of the construction of most of the infrastructure?

A
  • Ptolemy II (309- 246BC)
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27
Q

What is noticeable about the Ptolemaic Colossus from the Pharos?

A
  • Hybrid style statue- Greek and Egyptian influences
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28
Q

What does Strabo say about the general city?

A
  • ‘The city compromises superb public areas’

- Describes the gymnasium as the most beautiful building.

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29
Q

How was the city of Alexandria laid out?

A
  • Modern city gives a sense of the old footprint of the city.
  • Cluster of buildings in the centre including the Library, the Gymnasium, the Caesareum, the temple of Poseidon
  • Royal palace and the temple of Artemis on the edge at the harbour
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30
Q

Describe the Orthogonal grid layout

A
  • Architect Deinokrates of Rhodes
  • Comparable to new city of Milet, Ionia in 5th century BC
  • Canopic Road, 33m wide: east Canopic gate western Gate
  • Colonnaded for protection from sun
  • Intersected by north-south road, with Sun gate to north, Moon Gate to south, connecting seashore and lake harbour
  • Road used for processions.
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31
Q

What was the general appearance of the city of Alexandria?

A
  • Condense city but with very wide streets.

- Pleasant sea facing climate

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32
Q

What were the Shallalat gardens?

A
  • Ancient walls; restored

- Probably Arab, but using older foundations and stone

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33
Q

What were the physical, social and religious limits of Alexandria?

A
  • Fortification walls- probably since Ptolemy I to delimit city
  • Cemeteries outside the limits and city walls
  • Area inside divided into quarters, and given letters of Greek alphabet, Alpha to Epsilon
  • Delta area for Jews
  • Alexandria/ Greek citizenship important for status and taxation
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34
Q

Describe the Royal Quarter: Great Harbour

A
  • Most successful place for identifying buildings and materials
  • Big harbour with lots of little inlets
  • Lots of boat parties and processions
  • Giant theatre of power
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35
Q

What types of architectural fragments have been found in Alexandria?

A
  • Limestone pavements
  • Column shafts, capitals and bases
  • Pharonic blocks and reused sculptures
  • Hellenistic and Roman sculpture made in Alexandria with royal patronage.
  • Red brick walls from harbour installations
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36
Q

What do we know about the Timonium?

A
  • Site found using radar mapping
  • Had a dramatic approach
  • Square building
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37
Q

Describe the Grey granite head found underwater?

A
  • Ht 80cm
  • Possibly Augustus
  • Typical style
  • Reminisent of sphinx
  • Curly hair- very reminiscent
  • Made from Egyptian granite
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38
Q

Describe the Priest of Canopus statue

A
  • From Royal quarter

- Repeated combination of Egyptian and Greek blended styles

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39
Q

Describe the land area of the royal quarter

A
  • Modern corniche covers the bazillion or main Ptolemaic palace (where Cleopatra’s were erected)
  • Textual info is unreliable so any reconstructions based on them cannot be trusted
  • Foundations and lowest levels of building were found. Much of upper building was removed for reuse in the medieval period.
  • Scale of foundations showed they were royal buildings
40
Q

What is one of the problems of archaeological evidence in Alexandria?

A
  • Quality of excavations are quite poor due to rushed work

- Excavations often carried out in time pressure scenarios

41
Q

Describe they tomb of Alexander the Great

A
  • Visited by classical authors, tombs of early Ptolemaic kings
  • 300BC Latin Cemetery, east side, close to the city wall
42
Q

Describe ruler cults

A
  • Arsinoe II became a goddess and living ba. Her statue would be placed in all the sanctuaries as a guest goddess.
  • She also became a Greek goddess
  • Festivals were held in Alexandria in her honour
  • Evidence for her cult throughout the Aegean
43
Q

Describe the area of the Rhakotis

A
  • Older settled part of the city

- High hill with a temple on it- potentially replicating the idea on the Acropolis.

44
Q

Describe the different sections of the library

A
  • Ptolemaic reconstruction
  • Statue in main temple
  • Catacombs under temple
  • Daughter library
45
Q

Describe the acropolis of Alexandria

A
  • Roman Serapeum
  • Temple repurposed over time
  • Destroyed by Christians during Roman times
46
Q

How was the temple of Alexandria described by Aphthonius?

A
  • The column stands out in the city and is a considerable reference point in the city.
47
Q

What were some of the Egyptian temples in Alexandria?

A
  • Isis- Pharia, Isis-Plousia, Isis-Demeter
  • Bastet
  • Neilos
48
Q

What were some of the Greek temples in Alexandria?

A
  • Hermaion (built by Cleopatra, now St Michael’s Church
  • Thetis
  • Poseidon
  • Isis (Aphrodite)
49
Q

Describe the museum and the library?

A
  • Inside royal palace area
  • 700,000 volumes
  • Famous texts including Homeric texts
50
Q

Who were some heroes of ALexandria?

A
  • Theron- philosophy
  • Euclid- maths
  • Archimedes- multiple
51
Q

Name some of the monumental buildings in Alexandria

A
  • Hippodrome- Sporting club
  • Racecourse- Serapeum area
  • Great Atrium- Court cases
  • Agora- Crossroads in centre
52
Q

Describe the necropolis areas?

A
  • South west of Serapeum
  • Western cemeteries
  • Pharos cemeteries
  • Eastern Necropolis
53
Q

What did it mean to be Alexandrian?

A
  • hereditary
  • Could be conferred by naturalisation
  • Being Alexandrian gave you special privileges
54
Q

What privileges did Alexandrian civilians have?

A
  • Exemption from poll-tax
  • Reduced tax on garden land in Egypt
  • Could be punished by beating with rod instead of with whip
  • Public offices/services had to be carried out
  • Doesn’t distinguish between Greek and Egyptian.
55
Q

What were some problematic sources in Alexandria?

A
  • Conspicuous consumption
  • Money
  • Housing
  • Mosaics
  • Industries and art
  • Funeral industry
56
Q

What was the Dionysian procession?

A
  • described by Kallixeinos of Rhodes
  • From a pavilion through the city stadium
  • Episodes from life of Dionysus staged on wheel carts
  • Morning star
  • Celebration of the parents of the king
  • Procession of the gods
  • Evening star
  • Returns as a new person
  • Giant wheels in the procession each celebrating different stages of Dionysus’ life
57
Q

Describe money in ALexandria?

A
  • Huge amount of wealth and power
  • Propaganda power of coins- used for Serapeum
  • Coins became smaller over time due to economic difficulties
58
Q

Describe the coins of Claudius

A
  • More efficient transactions
  • Homogenuous economy
  • In service of political agenda of kings
  • more complete collection of salt tax
  • Transactions become much more efficient
  • Not necessary to carry things to exchange with
59
Q

Describe the housing in Alexandria

A
  • Limestone, 2 storey house, late period Ptolemaic
  • Shops, workshops, ground floor
  • Made of mud brick, some wooden bits
  • Rented out by rich landlords
  • Tall and thin, fitting lots of people in vertically
  • Rural areas- animals on ground floor
60
Q

Give an example of a wealthy style house in Alexandria

A
  • House alpha Kom el Dickens 2nd AD

- Pseudo- peristyle courtyard house

61
Q

What facilities did wealthier houses in Alexandria have?

A
  • Baths
  • Lecture rooms
  • Theatre
  • Cistern
  • Houses and workshops
62
Q

What is house D?

A
  • Kom el Dickens
  • 4th- 7th century AD
  • Workshops either side of a courtyard
  • Domestic quarters upside
  • Small communities within these buildings- insular
63
Q

Describe house decoration in Alexandria

A
  • Craftsmen thought to have been Alexandrian
  • Mosaics
  • Survive because they are often floor layers
  • Designs created to stimulate conversation
64
Q

What craft increased in the 2nd-1st century BC?

A
  • Glassmaking because of increase in technology
65
Q

What was a Faience jar?

A
  • Produced in huge quantities
  • Sold within the city but also exported outside of Egypt
  • Had a figure of Bes on it
  • 3rd century BC
  • Height 18.5cm
66
Q

Describe metalworking in Alexandria

A
  • Goblet
  • Dionysian scene in a Grape arbour
  • Silver and gold
67
Q

Describe Aphrodite in Alexandria

A
  • Hellenistic statue height 25cm

- Cult of this goddess in Alexandria as early as Ptolemaic period

68
Q

What were terracotta?

A
  • Placed in tombs
  • Generally showed women in Greek styles
  • Clay also imported from Creca
69
Q

Describe the funerary industry in Alexandria

A
  • Extensive industry
  • Particular locations favoured at different periods
  • Hypogeum’s cut down into the soft bedrock. Stairways often led to main entrance.
70
Q

Describe the catacombs at Kom el Shoqafa

A
  • More luxurious tombs for the more elite
  • Further underground
  • Dining rooms created just for funeral feast
  • Anubis shown wearing Roman armour
  • Egyptian columns
  • Strong symbolism and industry
71
Q

Describe the Tegran tomb in Alexandria

A
  • Medusa medallion
  • Isis and Nephthys
  • Winged desk mummy
  • 2nd century AD
  • Hybrid style
  • Roman bed with Egyptian and Greek imagery
72
Q

Describe Amphorae in Alexandria

A
  • 55,000 stamped amphora handles
  • Strong links with Rhodes
  • Alexandria imported empty amphorae from Rhodes
73
Q

What was the population of Alexandria?

A
  • 300,000-500,000
74
Q

What was Alexandria’s location situation?

A
  • Alexandria trapped in a peninsula and surrounded by water
  • Lake Mareotus provided a kind of southern port
  • Orchards grown on west side by the delta
75
Q

What were the communication networks like in Alexandria?

A
  • Internal port which had good access in various directions

- Customs point situated in Schedia

76
Q

Describe communication networks in Berenike

A
  • Ptolemy II 275BC to AD550
  • 1st c AD long distance trade between India and Spain Peppercrons. Big harbour
  • Mid 4th to 5th c trade with India and Sri Lanka
  • Egypt very dependent on the river Nile
  • New port founded by Ptolemy II and used up to late roman period
77
Q

Where were a lot of Alexandrian goods sold?

A
  • Big consumer bases in Alexandria, Nikopolis and the Canopic mouth
  • Whole of lake developed
  • Idea of satellite cities which supported Alexandria.
78
Q

What happened to trade in Berenike during the early Roman Period?

A
  • Port was extensively expanded during the early Roman period.
  • The peninsula had been growing an built up through natural silts.
79
Q

Describe consumer demand for Alexandrian goods in Rome

A
  • Quarries in the Eastern desert were exploited during the Roman period e.g. Mons Claudianus
80
Q

Describe Canopus, Herakleon-Thonis and menouthis

A
  • Disney-land-by the sea
  • Series of islands in the canopic mouth
  • From the late period to 7th century AD
  • Subsided under sea by 10th C AD
  • Temple to canopus, the Nile, Heracles
  • These areas have only been investigated in the last 15-20 years
81
Q

What has been found in the canopic mouth areas?

A
  • Colossal statues of Ptolemaic king and queen (4.9m)
82
Q

Describe the Wadi Natrun and glass works?

A
  • Presence of sand suggested glass work
  • Only investigated recently
  • Near to natura resources but removed from populations.
  • Roman period glass kilns for the production of raw glass and finished glass found here
83
Q

What was just inland of Alexandria, Canopus, Herakleion and Menouthis?

A
  • Lake Mareotis
84
Q

What was Taposiris Magna?

A
  • Big temple
  • Found to be the burial place of Cleopatra and Mark Anthony
  • Change in the 7th century
  • Lots of temple treasure and ritual equipment suggests vast wealth
  • Small settlement attached to the temple.
85
Q

Describe the Taposiris Cemetery 2nd C

A
  • One of the main monuments in the cemetery is a miniature version of the Pharos lighthouse.
86
Q

Describe Marea

A
  • Wine production, fishing, transhipping
  • Amphora kilns
  • Glass kilns
  • Links to Paraetonium and Siwa
  • Marina el Alamein
87
Q

What were the two main phases of use of Marea?

A
  • Ptolemaic city
  • Byzantine Port
  • Evidence of bath houses and quay sites
  • Was a part of Alexandria’s extensive Hinterland
88
Q

Describe site no 118 Marea: LMRP Blue and Khalil

A
  • 3 multi roomed coastal structures
  • Limestone
  • Ptolemaic/early roman pottery
  • Finewares, amphorae, cooking pots etc
  • Presence of domestic quarters, locally built, relatively short-lived ‘boom’.
  • Built by state or private entrepreneurs
89
Q

Describe lake Mareotis

A
  • Leisure resorts
  • Wine growing
  • New settlements from Ptolemaic period onward
  • Shipping goods from western delta, Canopic branch to Mareotis shores and Alexandria.
  • Well known from Roman accounts
  • Place to go to escape the bustle of the city.
  • Wilson et al (2009)
90
Q

Describe the Fayum

A
  • Estates: Zenon Archive for Apollonius
  • Land available tripled to 1350km2 by new irrigation technology.
  • 170,000-200,000 people in the Roman period
  • Ca. 267 BC Arsinoite nome created
  • New towns created for Greek and Egyptian settlers
  • Extensively improved during the Ptolemaic period
  • People migrating from all over the Mediterranean
91
Q

What were estates given as gifts referred as?

A
  • Doreai

- 10,000 Arourae for officials and members of Alexandrian elite.

92
Q

Describe Tebtunis

A
  • South Fayum
  • Double cropping? By using a wall to hold back water
  • and leased at 15 artabas per aroura agricultural production was doubled
  • well excavated area
  • land much more valuable here
93
Q

Describe the Nile Valley and Delta during the Ptolemaic period?

A
  • Royal land
  • Temple land
  • Cleruchic land (soldiers)
  • Private land
94
Q

Describe the Nile Valley and Delta land during the Roman period

A
  • Public land
  • Temple land
  • Katoikic land (settlers)
  • Private land
  • Imperial land
95
Q

What were the conclusions of the Lake Mareotis Research Project?

A
  • Alexandria not an agricultural or industrial city but a combination.
  • Economy primarily based on commerce, administration providing services for internal and overseas transport
  • Continuous supply of raw materials and manufactured products was vital/.
  • Efficient, well managed organisation of supply and consumption

CiA (4 decks)

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