Alexandria in ancient times

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City map, around 30 BC Chr.

Alexandria ( Greek  Ἀλεξάνδρεια Alexándreia ) was founded by Alexander the Great and next to Rome the largest city of antiquity . As the capital of the Ptolemaic Empire , it quickly grew into an important economic and scientific metropolis. For a long time under Roman rule it was the second city of the empire and continues to be an economic and cultural center. In the late antiquity played Alexandria an important role in religious matters. The ancient city is well known from literary sources, but little of it remains today. Of most of the buildings mentioned by ancient authors, not even the original location is known today. In the port of the city on the island of the same name stood the famous lighthouse Pharos , one of the Seven Wonders of the World and for a long time the symbol of the city.

founding

Alexander, founder of the city named after him, on a mosaic from the 1st century AD found in Pompeii in the battle of Issus in 333 BC. Chr.

After the victory in the battle of Issus over the contingent of the Persian king Darius, Alexander the Great occupied the eastern Mediterranean coast with the Macedonian army and conquered the port cities of Tire and Gaza . He decided to occupy Egypt before the campaign in the Persian Empire , met there with some units and a fleet contingent at the end of 332 BC. And was received as a liberator from almost 200 years of Persian rule. In the capital, Memphis , Alexander was crowned Pharaoh.

“At the beginning of the year 331, Alexander stepped in the west of the Nile valley, opposite the island Pharos already mentioned in Homer , to found a city that was to bear his name. [...] Connected with the Nile as well as the Mediterranean [...] it was primarily intended to be a large trading and transshipment center. [...] After the destruction of Tire and Gaza there was a great need for a new center. "

The place is said to have been called Raqedu by the Egyptians and was preserved as Rhakotis . It was characterized by the offshore island of Pharos - “Alexander is said to have designed the floor plan of the city himself by sketching the network of the most important streets and the location of the central market square. He also determined the size of the city by defining the course of the surrounding walls and its appearance by specifying the number of temples - including one for Isis - and the choice of gods. "

Alexander bust (from Alexandria, alabaster, 150–50 BC), Liebieghaus , Frankfurt

The area of ​​the city center, "the four residential quarters that make up the original floor plan, cover 186 hectares , significantly more than the inhabited area of classical Athens ."

Alexander's founding is extensively described by ancient authors.

Since Alexander's determination of the location of the new city was followed by the train to Egypt's western border, the city of Paraitonion , then to the Siwa oasis and then the return to Memphis, research assumes that the later date of the founding was an 'official' celebration designated.

“The traditional founding date is the day we now call April 7th. The further urban planning was in the hands of the architect Deinokrates von Rhodes . ”The finance and tax administrator appointed by Alexander Kleomenes von Naukratis was in charge of the building supervision.

Since Alexander set off for the Euphrates with the newly formed army in May 331 after his return from Egypt and the stopover in Tire, it is unclear whether he took part on the official founding day.

“Alexandria (was) positioned in the far west of the Nile Delta, that is, as close to Greece as it was possible without completely losing contact with Egypt. And Alexandria was actually not referred to as 'Alexandria in Egypt' but as 'Alexandria in Egypt'. One can quite rightly see an expansion of Greece in the city for the purpose of control over the neighboring Egyptian territory. "

- Colin McEvedy: Urban Centers of the Classical World. Stuttgart 2013, p. 17.

The name, which was common for centuries, also reflected the fact that the Greek polis Alexandria was formally autonomous and therefore did not belong to the Nile country under constitutional law.

The founding of Alexander intensified the crossing from Greece to Northeast Africa.

Alexandria became the destination of trade routes that linked Africa and India with the Mediterranean world. Early on, people poured into the city from many parts of Greece. Above all, inscribed tombstones testify that a large part of the citizens also came from many parts of the Mediterranean world, such as Bithynia , Mysia , Galatia , Pontus , Cyrenaica , Thessaly , Macedonia , Acarnania , Achaia , Arcadia , Santorin or Crete . In addition to the Greeks, many Egyptians and ethnic groups from Armenia or Thrace also moved to the new city. The immigrants did not find the close family and tribal ties that they found in their homeland. A new social structure emerged that was typical of large cities in Hellenism . There was advancement, luxury, but also impoverishment and uprooting.

Alexandria as the capital of the Ptolemaic Empire

Alexandria lighthouse on ancient coins

After the death of Alexander Ptolemy , the Macedonian governor of Egypt, ruled Egypt. "In 313 the expansion of Alexandria [...] had progressed so far that Ptolemy I Soter could move his court there and in the same year Alexandria officially became a trading city." A hieroglyphic stele from 311 BC. BC reports that he made Alexandria the capital of Egypt. 306 BC He was crowned king of Egypt.

Alexandria's Egyptian name Raqedu , which lived on as Raqote in Coptic sources, appears on the stele . Later sources, such as the Roman historian Tacitus , report that the city walls, temples and cults of gods were established under Ptolemy I. Above all, he should in the main temple of the city, the Serapeum , a Serapis consecrated complex erected. The colossal cult statue was the work of the Greek sculptor Bryaxis and was considered one of his main works. It was made of different materials and is said to have occupied the entire cella . Numerous copies still give an idea of ​​the work today.

The Museion was also founded under Ptolemy I. The Museion was an educational institution dedicated to the Muses . The former location and appearance are unknown. The royal quarter was probably also laid out under the ruler, and in addition to the Museion there were other public buildings and royal palaces. According to Strabo , the quarter took up almost a third of the entire city. It was in the northeast of the city. In the sea in front of the quarter was the island called Antirhodos with other palace complexes.

Under Ptolemy II , around 279/78 BC. A particularly splendid pageant was held in the course of the Ptolemaia , which was a regular festival in honor of Ptolemy I and the ruling king. The move is described in detail by ancient authors. Other important public buildings are documented for the first time during the reign of Ptolemy II. Above all, the famous lighthouse , whose architect Sostratos is named, should be mentioned here. The port facilities were also expanded during this time. An island off the city was connected to the mainland by a dam and is known as the Heptastadion . There is written evidence of an agora since the middle of the third century, but it is unknown where it was located in the city. A theater and stadium can also be derived from written sources. The famous library of Alexandria was founded or at least expanded under Ptolemy II .

With the Museion and the library, Alexandria became the center of scholarship in Hellenistic times. The princes of the royal family were raised by the best scholars of their time, who were often also the library directors. The Museion was each headed by a priest of the Muses, who was appointed by the king. The kings tried to bring the best scholars of their time to Alexandria, among them important names such as the mathematician and geographer Eratosthenes , the physician Praxagoras or the astronomer Aristarchus of Samos , who advocated the heliocentric system.

Under Ptolemy III. the serapeum was considerably expanded. The founding additions contained tablets that are written in Greek, but also with hieroglyphics. King Ptolemy IV had the Thalamegos made. It was one of the largest ships of antiquity and is known from ancient descriptions that it contained state rooms and bedrooms. The ship was mostly anchored in one of the ports of Alexandria. The ruler also dedicated another temple for Isis , Serapis, Arsinoe II and himself, which stood on the Canopian Road and from which the founding plaques were found. After the few surviving remains, the building was built in a mixed Greek-Egyptian style. Under the following rulers, the ruling house deteriorated more and more. The sources report permanent disputes over the throne. Around 144 BC Ptolemy VIII is said to have even expelled the scholars from the Museion and the library, including Aristarchus of Samothrace , the head of the library. The events resulted in a civil war in the course of which the royal palace went up in flames.

In the first century BC BC Egypt became more and more involved in internal political events of the Roman Empire and lost its independence more and more. 48 BC Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus fled to Egypt after his defeat in the civil war, but was at Alexandria by courtiers Ptolemy XIII. murdered. Shortly afterwards, Gaius Julius Caesar appeared in the city and resided in the royal palaces. He had an affair with Cleopatra VII , which he supported in the dispute for the throne with her brother Ptolemy. The library is said to have caught fire and 400,000 books were burned during fighting in the city. Important buildings were also built under Cleopatra VII. Below is the Caesarium and a part of the palace, called Timoneion , which is in front of the sea .

Already in Ptolemaic times the city had a noteworthy Jewish community, some of whose members were highly educated. Much of the Hellenistic culture was adopted. The special achievement of this community was the translation of the Torah (the five books of Moses or Pentateuch, a main part of the Bible ) into Greek. This is said to have happened on the initiative of Ptolemy II. The actual Greek original text, the Septuagint , dates from the second century. An important representative of Jewish science in the city was the philosopher Aristobolus .

The Alexander tomb

After his death, the body of Alexander the Great was brought to Egypt in a magnificent chariot and mummified, with sources contradicting whether the body was brought to Alexandria immediately or to Memphis first . If one believes the latter version, then Ptolemy I transferred the body to Alexandria. Here he was buried in a district ( Temenos ) worthy of a king and honored by sacrifices. Zenobius reports in the second century AD that Ptolemy IV built a funerary monument in which Alexander, but also the other Ptolemaic kings and queens, were buried. Alexander's body is said to have been in a sarcophagus in a vault. Alexander's tomb was called the Sema , while the part where the Ptolemies were buried was called the Ptolemaeum . In contrast to Alexander, the corpses of the Ptolemies were cremated and buried in urns. The complex is said to have been in the center of the city, although Strabo states that it was in the palace district. The sema was mentioned several times in the following years and various Roman emperors visited Alexander's grave. According to John Chrysostom , the sema was destroyed in the fourth century. According to Libanios , however, the corpse was still to be seen around 388–392.

Alexandria under Roman rule

history

Statue of Septimius Severus from Alexandria

In the year 30 BC Egypt became part of the Roman Empire after Octavian, who later became Augustus , defeated Cleopatra and Mark Antony in the Battle of Actium . The city became the most important city of the Roman Empire after Rome. Alexandria was an important trading center, where mainly grain was shipped to Rome. From the beginning of the Roman occupation up to the coin reform of Diocletian , Alexandria had its own currency (see Alexandrian coins ), which differed significantly from the Roman currency ( domestic currency ). The coins of both currency areas were not mixed up during this period.

Alexandria was one of the most important centers of science and education with the Museion and the library. With the mathematician and engineer Heron and the astronomer Claudius Ptolemy , to name just two examples, two top-class scientists worked in the city in the first and second centuries.

The Praefectus Aegypti , the governor of the province of Aegyptus, resided in Alexandria . It was a Roman from the equestrian order , senators were only allowed to visit the province with special permission. The province was in fact considered to be the emperor's private property, as the income there went directly to the emperor. A separate department for the imperial private property in Egypt has been occupied since the Flavians . To protect the province, three legions were initially stationed there. Unlike the rest of the province's residents, the residents had some special rights. The Alexandrian citizenship brought with it that they do not head tax had to be paid. However, the local population was considered by the Romans to be relatively restless and quick to rebel.

Emperor Vespasian was made emperor in Alexandria in 69 AD, with the prefect of Egypt, Tiberius Julius Alexander , assisting him by swearing in the legions on Vespasian. Tacitus tells of miracle stories that Vespasian interpreted as good omen in relation to his rulership plans. Vespasian is said not to have been particularly popular among the townspeople. They expected special favors from him, since they had first recognized him as emperor. Instead, he is said to have demanded taxes from them, and he also sold large parts of the palace complex.

In the years 115–116 there was a revolt of the Jews in the city, which started from the Cyrenaica . The uprising was put down by Emperor Trajan . After the uprising, the city's Jewish community lost its importance, only to regain its strength at the beginning of the fourth century. Around 130, Emperor Hadrian visited Alexandria. He visited the tomb of Pompey and the Museion and had a temple built in his honor, a Hadrianeion . Unrest in the city is also documented under Hadrian. An Apis bull was found and there was a dispute about where it should be housed. The unrest was allegedly settled by a letter from the emperor.

Pompey column

Around 201, Emperor Septimius Severus visited the city. He granted it a city council ( boule ) , as also various other Egyptian cities got under this emperor. According to Johannes Malalas , the emperor is said to have built public baths and a sanctuary to the Rhea .

Emperor Caracalla visited the city in 215/216. He visited the Serapeum and the tomb of Alexander the Great. The city's citizens were known in ancient times for their disrespect for the rulers and had also scoffed at Caracalla for the fratricide committed by the emperor. Caracalla had all the young men of the city gather in honor of Alexander the Great, but this was only an excuse to slaughter them in revenge.

The third century in the Roman Empire was marked by numerous civil wars (see Imperial Crisis of the Third Century ). Various usurpers tried to usurp power. The conquest of Egypt and Alexandria under the Palmyrenean queen Zenobia in 269/70 should also be seen in this context . In 272 Aurelian reassigned the province and Alexandria to the Roman Empire. The city walls were razed and Bruchion (perhaps the old palace district), a district where many wealthy citizens lived, destroyed. A hundred years later, this district is still described as devastated.

In the years 297/98 the city was besieged again. In Egypt, a certain Lucius Domitius Domitianus had risen to become the anti-emperor and was also supported by Alexandria. Diocletian was able to suppress the uprising in Upper Egypt at the beginning of 298. In Alexandria, however, the resistance persisted, but the rebels were eventually defeated and the city sacked. To commemorate the victory, a column was erected in the Serapeum, which is still standing today and incorrectly bears the name Pompey's column .

population

Alexandria is one of the few cities whose population is mentioned in ancient sources. Diodorus counts for the time around 40 BC 300,000 free citizens. The number 180,000 appears on a heavily damaged papyrus from the second century. It is not certain which city the number refers to, but Alexandria is most commonly assumed. The Arab historian Ibn Abd Al-Hakim finally names 200,000 inhabitants at the time of the Arab conquest. There are several problems with these numbers. They may be rather rough estimates and not based on hard facts. Recent studies on the number of inhabitants are based on the size of the ancient city and calculate an average number of inhabitants per hectare. These calculations are also very uncertain.

administration

Under the Ptolemies there were several high administrative posts in the city, such as the exegestes , a chief judge and the hypomnematographus (archive administrator) . In Roman times there were three authorities who exercised power in the city. First there was the emperor, there was the military and civil administration. The office of Hypomnematographus is attested. Although the emperors did not visit the city often, they were of great political importance and the emperor tried to exert direct influence through edicts and orders. Important events were announced in the city, for which the emperor sent delegates or high officials to announce political events. The Praefectus Aegypti was the imperial governor of the province who resided in Alexandria. Like all Roman governors, he exercised military and civil power at the same time. Later it was increasingly restricted to the civilian sector. In late antiquity, the dux Aegypti , also often referred to as comes Aegypti , who presided over the legions stationed in the city, represented the military power and ensured order in the city. At the end of the fourth century the Praefectus Aegypti was replaced by the Praefectus Augustalis . The corrector , whose office was particularly important in the 3rd century , also had similar tasks . An important office in the city was also the Praefectus Annonae Alexandrinae , who took care of the grain deliveries to Rome and later to Constantinople. From the end of the fourth century in particular, the Patriarch also took on numerous civil issues and became the most important civil authority.

The late antiquity

Even in late antiquity , Alexandria remained one of the most important metropolises of the Roman Empire. At the beginning of the 4th century Constantinople became the emperor's main residence in the east, giving Alexandria an important rival. Another important city and rival in the east remained Antioch on the Orontes . The entire fourth century was marked by tension between pagans and Christians, which in Alexandria often ended in bloody arguments. Internal Christian disputes also often led to violence.

The Christians in Alexandria

According to later sources, the evangelist Mark founded a Christian community in Alexandria. He is also said to have baptized the city's first bishop, Anianus of Alexandria, in 62. However, reliable sources on the Christians in the city did not start until around AD 175. From this time the catechist school of Alexandria under Clemens of Alexandria (* around 150, † around 215) is attested, which was organized on the model of pagan schools of philosophy. Clemens is considered to be one of the first important Christian theologians of antiquity who tried to unite Christianity and Greek philosophy . His pupil and successor was Origen (185-254), who was an equally important theologian, although his writings were controversial in ancient times. From the third century one hears above all of the persecution of Christians in Alexandria.

History of Alexandria in Late Antiquity

Athanasius the great

The first pagan temple is said to have been consecrated into a church under Constantine the Great . According to Johannes von Nikiu (7th century), the Caesareum , the main temple of the imperial cult, was transformed into a church and was given the name Church of St. Michael , while the name Caesareum continued to exist. But this conversion was also attributed to Constantius II , which is also more likely. From this emperor, who, unlike his father Constantine, took offensive action against non-Christians, it seems certain that he expanded this church into the city's cathedral. The renovation was not finished in 351. It was completed in 356 and is said to have been sacked by pagans.

On July 21, 365 , Alexandria was devastated by a tsunami , which was triggered by the earthquake off Crete and wreaked havoc on the coasts of the eastern Mediterranean. The tsunami was described in detail by the Roman historian Ammianus Marcellinus .

In the middle of the fourth century Athanasius was the Great Bishop of Alexandria (with interruptions in office: 328–373). He is considered one of the most important theologians of the fourth century and was a staunch opponent of Arianism , which was a Christian doctrine that was particularly widespread in late antiquity and that some emperors followed, including Constantius II marked by violent religious struggles within the church, but also by those against pagans. He built numerous churches in the city. Under him, however, the Caesareum , which had just been consecrated as a church, was plundered by pagans. The city's bishops have been called patriarchs since around 380, meaning they claimed sovereignty over other bishops in the region. They also took on secular functions and took over the functions of governor. Since the early seventh century they were among the richest men in the Byzantine Empire.

The clashes between Christians and pagans peaked in 391 when the Serapeum was looted and the Serapis statue was destroyed. Shortly afterwards, many pagans appear to have converted to Christianity. There were further disputes between Jews and Christians in 414/415, which began in the theater and led to bloody fights. As a result, the then Patriarch Kyril instigated the population to plunder the residential quarters of the Jews and synagogues, whereupon a large part of the Jewish community left the city. In 415 the pagan scholar Hypatia was also killed by an angry crowd. The exact reasons for their murder are uncertain; in addition to religious motives, political motives also played a role. Even in the later fifth century pagans are attested in the now largely Christianized city. The philosopher Heraiskos should be mentioned here, who was buried around 480 according to ancient Egyptian rites.

In addition to the tensions between Christians and pagans, there were violent disputes within the Christian church about questions of faith and about supremacy within the church. An important point of contention was the doctrine of the essential equality of God the Father and the Son. This teaching was considered Alexandrian because of Athanasius. The resistance came mainly from Antioch , where it was assumed that there were two distinct natures of father and son. Coptic Christianity , which grew stronger in Egypt since the 4th century, developed a very strong local patriotic character. Egypt was therefore Christianized relatively quickly, although they also resisted interference from the capital Constantinople.

Alexandria remained an important place of education, and the 6th century was a largely peaceful period in the city's history , aside from the Abaskiron rebellion against Emperor Maurikios in the 580s. This ended in 619: The New Persian Sassanids conquered Egypt and wanted to join the country to their empire, but had to vacate the province again after the successful campaigns of the Eastern Roman emperor Herakleios (probably 629). The Romans could not enjoy the success for long: in 641 or 642 the city was conquered by the Arabs (see also Islamic expansion ), who were amazed at their success themselves:

“I have conquered a city that I don't want to begin describing. Suffice it to say that I found 4,000 villas with 4,000 bathrooms in it, plus 40,000 tax-paying Jews and 400 places of entertainment worthy of a king. "

In 646 the Arabs had to put down a revolt in Alexandria, which devastated parts of the city. A strong garrison was relocated to the city, but Alexandria was to increasingly lose importance and never again play a historical role comparable to that in antiquity.

The ancient city

The most detailed ancient description of the city is from Strabo , who wrote it around 26–20 BC. Visited. He describes the palace district with the Museion, which was in the east of the city by the sea. Nearby stood the theater and a temple complex dedicated to Poseidon , called Poseidium . Then comes the caesarium , the emporium and warehouses that lined the harbor front. Because of today's dense development of the city, little of the ancient buildings has been preserved.

Archaeological remains from Ptolemaic times

Hellenistic tombs in Alexandria

The city stretched about four to five kilometers along the seashore and was about two kilometers wide. Extensive necropolises followed, particularly in the east and west, but also in the south. The ancient city map was recorded in 1866 by the Arab astronomer and geographer Mahmoud-Bey in a survey of the archaeological remains that were still preserved at the time and can be considered to be largely secure. The Ptolemaic city was slightly smaller than the later Roman city. This can be seen above all in the necropolises that were outside the city limits, but were partially built over in Roman times. Overall, there are few archaeological remains in Alexandria that date to the Ptolemaic era. The most important building is the Serapeum in the southwest of the city. It is a large temple area (about 50 × 150 m ) with the actual Temple of Serapis in the north. Only the foundation walls of the purely Hellenistic temple have been preserved. It remains uncertain what it once looked like. Many Egyptian statues were found in the temple precinct. In the north of the city, in what was probably the palace quarter, mosaics have come to light over the past hundred years . Some of them are among the masterpieces of ancient mosaic art and prove the high level of this art in the city. More recent investigations have found monumental building structures in the port area. It is perhaps the foundations of the Poseidon temple mentioned by Strabo . The remains of a stoa with Doric columns were found on the main street in the center of the city . There are also significant remains of the city's necropolis, some of which are monumental, underground tomb palaces (cf. e.g. Great Hypogeum by el-Wardian ).

The Roman and Byzantine city

Roman theater

The Roman city was slightly larger than the Ptolemaic and built over Hellenistic necropolises, especially in the east. Five kilometers east lay Nikopolis . The latter city was built under Augustus and was the site of the Roman legions.

The streets of the Roman city were partly decorated with colonnades, which on the one hand literary sources confirm, on the other hand is also archaeologically proven. There were also tetrapylons at crossroads and coins show that there were triumphal arches. The main street of the city was the 32 m wide Canopian Street , which ran parallel to the sea. It was adorned with colonnades and began in the east with the gate of the sun and ended in the west with the gate of the moon , both of which were laid out under Antoninus Pius . The street lies exactly under the city's modern east-west axis, the Sharia el-Horreya (Street of Freedom) . Military parades, religious parades, and other public events were held on this street. Other important temples were also located here.

The Serapeum was rebuilt between 181 and 216 AD. The courtyard was expanded and received a new monumental gate. The actual temple was probably also rebuilt. A little south of it, the remains of the stadium could still be seen at the beginning of the 19th century. It was at least 450 m long. Numerous new temples were built in Roman times. The Caesarium , which was dedicated to the imperial cult, stood near the harbor . Two obelisks stood in front of the building (today in London and New York - needles of Cleopatra ). It is one of the few buildings whose location can be precisely located. The temple complex consisted of several buildings. The city's forum must have been south of it. Many of the city's temples are only known from coin images or brief mentions from classical authors. They were in the Hellenistic, Egyptian style or followed a Hellenistic-Egyptian mixed style. The Tychaion was dedicated to the Tyche and is said to have been in the center of the city. It contained Hellenistic, but also Egyptian statues. The building itself was a Hellenistic temple and is known from coin images.

According to Philon ( Gegen Flaccus 55), the city was divided into five districts, which were named after the first five letters of the Greek alphabet. The Jews in the city are said to have been distributed over the entire city area until 38 AD, but afterwards only lived in the district called delta. The houses of the rich Jews are said to have hardly differed from those of the Greeks. They had floors, pillars and valuable furniture richly decorated with marble. The city also had a large synagogue, adorned with two rows of columns, laid out like a basilica . This building is said to have been destroyed in a Jewish uprising between 115 and 116.

A list of the buildings and temples in the city dates back to the fourth century. There buildings are listed according to districts: Alpha district: 308 temples, 1,655 courtyards, 5058 houses, 108 baths, 237 taverns, 112 porticos; Beta district: 110 temples, 1002 courtyards, 5990 houses, 145 baths, 107 taverns, Gamma district: 855 temples, 955 courtyards, 2140 houses,… baths, 205 taverns, 78 porticos; Delta district: 800 temples, 1120 courtyards, 5515 houses, 118 baths, 98 taverns, 112 porticos, Epsilon district: 405 temples, 1420 courtyards, 5593 houses,… baths, 118 taverns, 56 porticos. The high number of 2478 temples in the city is particularly remarkable. Even the smallest chapels were probably counted as such.

It is known from written sources that there were numerous churches in Alexandria, but none of them has been archaeologically identified. The earliest churches mentioned in writing are the Martyrdom of St. Mark in the east of the city and the Church of Theonas , west of the city. The former church is said to have stood where St. Mark was buried. In the latter construction it was the Cathedral of Alexandria, after the deceased by 300 patriarch of the city, Theonas named and of his successor Petros I. was built. This church may have stood on the site of the later Western Mosque , also outside the urban area at that time. In the mosque, which no longer stands today, there were many capitals with Christian motifs. The church of Dionysius is named after or even built by the city's bishop of the same name.

Remnants from Roman times can still be found today mainly on a city hill known as Kom el-Dikka. Extensive structures in two insulae were excavated. In the first century there were richly furnished residential buildings, of which the mosaics in particular have been preserved. It seems to have been a peristyle house . The character of the district changed in late antiquity. Thermal baths and a small theater were built. The residential development indicates rather simple population groups with workshops in the living area. There was evidence of glass processing.

population

Alexandria was a multicultural city in ancient times , where Egyptians , Greeks , Macedonians , Jews , people from the Middle East , Persia and Abyssinia lived together. The inhabitants lived separately according to their origin in quarters outside the Basileia . Only the Greek and Macedonian residents had full citizenship , i. In other words , they were the only ones to have a say in the city ​​parliament , while the other ethnic groups only had the right to live and stay . They mostly worked as craftsmen and often found it difficult to fill higher positions. The metropolis was characterized on the one hand by great achievements in many areas and on the other hand by various phases of serious violent conflicts. In the 1st and 2nd centuries AD, the main reasons for this were different rights of the population groups, while from the 3rd century there were more and more disputes for religious reasons.

The city was divided into five districts, which were named after the first five Greek letters. The Alpha District was home to the two major ports, the business district, the shipyards and the warehouses. Below the Beta district, to which the Basileia belonged, joined the Greek quarter, which was also called Neapolis . In the center of the city were the agora , the gymnasium , the courthouse and parks . In the southwest was the district of Rhakotis called Gamma, where the Serapis Temple stood and the Egyptian part of the population lived. East of the Beta District was followed by the Delta District, in which the Jewish residents lived with their own city council and self-government. The Metöken , foreigners of various origins, were housed south of the Jewish quarter in the Epsilon district. Later the districts Eleusis and Nikopolis were added, which formed suburbs east of the old city area.

Remarks

  1. The named date corresponds to the 1st day of the second Peret month - according to the Ebers calendar . The date handed down is the 25th Tybi , the first month of Peret, so that it could have been the beginning of April.
  2. “In most cases, the route [… via] Rhodes in the south-eastern Aegean was used. The economic and political relations between the two cities became very close and only gradually dissolved towards the end of the Hellenistic era. ”In: McEvedy: Urban centers of the classical world. Stuttgart 2013, p. 17.

See also

literature

(sorted chronologically)

Web links

Commons : Alexandria in Antiquity  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. Hans-Joachim Gehrke : Alexander the Great , Verlag CH Beck, Munich 2000, p. 48. ISBN 3-406-41043-X .
  2. Eberhard Otto: "the building of the wall", Greek Rhakotis, In: Wolfgang Helck : Lexikon der Ägyptologie. Volume I, column 134.
  3. Manfred Clauss : Alexandria , Klett-Cotta, Stuttgart 2003, p. 11. ISBN 3-608-94329-3 .
  4. Colin McEvedy: Urban centers of the classical world. 120 centers of antiquity from Alexandria to Xanten. 1st edition, Klett-Cotta, Stuttgart 2013, p. 22. ISBN 978-3-608-94771-7 .
  5. Plutarch : Alexander 26; Diodor : Bibliothéke historiké. 17, 52; Arrian , Anabasis 3, 1-2.
  6. Manfred Clauss: Alexandria , 2003, p. 11.
  7. ^ Günter Grimm: Alexandria. The first royal city in the Hellenistic world. Mainz 1998, p. 86.
  8. Stefan Schmidt: Grave reliefs in the Greco-Roman Museum of Alexandria. Berlin 2003, ISBN 3-933684-13-7 , p. 3.
  9. Collin McEvedy: Urban Centers of the Classical World. Stuttgart 2013, p. 20.
  10. Tacitus: Histories. 4, 83.
  11. ^ Günter Grimm: Alexandria. The first royal city in the Hellenistic world. Mainz 1998, pp. 38-39.
  12. ^ Günter Grimm: Alexandria. The first royal city in the Hellenistic world. Mainz 1998, pp. 51-57.
  13. ^ Judith McKenzie: The Architecture of Alexandria and Egypt. New Haven 2007, pp. 47-48.
  14. ^ Günther Hölbl: History of the Ptolemaic Empire. Darmstadt 1994, pp. 64-66.
  15. ^ Günther Hölbl: History of the Ptolemaic Empire. Darmstadt 1994, p. 172.
  16. ^ Günther Hölbl: History of the Ptolemaic Empire. Darmstadt 1994, p. 175.
  17. ^ Günther Hölbl: History of the Ptolemaic Empire. Darmstadt 1994, p. 168.
  18. ^ So Diodor: Bibliothéke historiké. 18, 28, 4.
  19. So the Alexander novel by Pseudo-Kallisthenes, 3, 34.
  20. ^ Suetonius : Augustus 18, 1.
  21. Marcus Annaeus Lucanus : De bello civili. 8, 695.
  22. John Chrysostom: Oration. 26, 12.
  23. Libanios: Oratio 49, 12.
  24. Ursula Kampmann, Thomas Ganschow: The coins of the Roman mint Alexandria. Regenstauf 2008, p. 16.
  25. Cf. inter alia Prokopios of Caesarea : Buildings. 6, 1.
  26. Tacitus: Histories. 2. 79; 4, 81-84.
  27. ^ Cassius Dio : Roman History. 65, 8.
  28. Historia Augusta : Hadrian. 12.
  29. ^ Cassius Dio: Roman History. 69, 8, 1.
  30. Herodian : History of the Roman Empire. 4, 9, 1-8; Cassius Dio: Roman History. 78, 7-8.
  31. Diodor: Bibliothéke historiké. 17, 52, 6.
  32. Christopher J. Haas: Alexandria in Late Antiquity: Topography and Social Conflict. Baltimore 1997, pp. 45-47.
  33. Christopher J. Haas: Alexandria in Late Antiquity: Topography and Social Conflict. Baltimore 1997, pp. 70-74.
  34. Eusebius : Church history. 2.16; 2, 24.
  35. ^ Judith McKenzie: The Architecture of Alexandria and Egypt. New Haven 2007, p. 242.
  36. Ammianus Marcellinus , "Res Gestae", October 26, 15-19
  37. Christopher J. Haas: Alexandria in Late Antiquity: Topography and Social Conflict. Baltimore 1997, p. 216.
  38. Christopher J. Haas: Alexandria in Late Antiquity: Topography and Social Conflict. Baltimore 1997, pp. 249-250.
  39. Christopher J. Haas: Alexandria in Late Antiquity: Topography and Social Conflict. Baltimore 1997, p. 129.
  40. Ibn Abd Al-Hakim , quoted from Franz Georg Maier : The transformation of the Mediterranean world. (= Fischer Weltgeschichte. Vol. 9), Frankfurt am Main 1968, ISBN 3-596-60009-X , p. 275.
  41. ^ Judith McKenzie: The Architecture of Alexandria and Egypt. New Haven 2007, p. 19.
  42. ^ Judith McKenzie: The Architecture of Alexandria and Egypt. New Haven 2007, pp. 53-55.
  43. ^ Judith McKenzie: The Architecture of Alexandria and Egypt. New Haven 2007, pp. 68-71.
  44. ^ Judith McKenzie: The Architecture of Alexandria and Egypt. New Haven 2007, p. 388, n.235.
  45. ^ Judith McKenzie: The Architecture of Alexandria and Egypt. New Haven 2007, p. 23.
  46. ^ A b Judith McKenzie: The Architecture of Alexandria and Egypt. New Haven 2007, pp. 71-74.
  47. ^ Judith McKenzie: The Architecture of Alexandria and Egypt. New Haven 2007, pp. 188-191.
  48. ^ Judith McKenzie: The Architecture of Alexandria and Egypt. New Haven 2007, pp. 195-203.
  49. Christopher J. Haas: Alexandria in Late Antiquity: Topography and Social Conflict. Baltimore 1997, p. 143; Judith McKenzie: The Architecture of Alexandria and Egypt. New Haven 2007, p. 188, figure 322 (coin image of the temple).
  50. Christopher J. Haas: Alexandria in Late Antiquity: Topography and Social Conflict. Baltimore 1997, pp. 141, 425.
  51. ^ Judith McKenzie: The Architecture of Alexandria and Egypt. New Haven 2007, p. 240.
  52. ^ Judith McKenzie: The Architecture of Alexandria and Egypt. New Haven 2007, p. 244.
  53. a b Gabriele Höber-Kamel: Alexandrie In: Kemet. Issue 3/2004, pp. 8-9.
  54. ^ Siegfried G. Richter : The Coptic Egypt. Treasures in the shadow of the pharaohs. With photos by Jo Bischof. Scientific Book Society, Darmstadt 2019, ISBN 978-3-8053-5211-6 , p. 29.