Essay The Rise and Fall of Alexandria

Words: 1529
Pages: 7
Open Document
A Literature Review of The Rise and Fall of Alexandria

Book Review of The Rise and Fall of Alexandria How the modern world was actually established is often overlooked and attributed to the powers and domination of Athens and Rome. What authors Justin Pollard and Howard Reid urge readers to understand, however, is the significance that the city of Alexandria had on Western Civilization. Both authors have worked in British and American television, and are accomplished in the film/documentary industry. Reid has also previously written five other books. In their narrative book, The Rise and Fall of Alexandria, they seek to emphasize just how important this little city was to the foundation of the modern world through accounts of …show more content…
Some of the most brilliant people influenced that particular time, including the great philosophers, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, as well as others such as Euclid of Alexandria, Herophilus, Aristarchus, and Eratosthenes. Alexandria was rich in knowledge because of the great minds that utilized and contributed to the city’s institutions, such as the library and the lighthouse, to hypothesize theories and concepts. For example, Eratosthenes observed ships on the horizon from atop the lighthouse in Alexandria and eventually was the first to compass the world and describe the globe. Aristotle, being the private tutor of Alexander, could be credited for laying the intellectual foundation for the city of Alexandria. He, too, contributed to the Library of the city. Behind the brilliance of Aristotle, one can find the influences of the great philosophers that preceded him: Socrates and Plato. Because of its saturation of intellects and the availability of resources (the library and museum), Alexandria was a city thriving with knowledge and new schools of thought. Alexandria was the birthplace of the modern world, “not led by legions of soldiers, but by dynasties of scholars navigating on a sea of books” (p. 1).
Alexander was considered to be a living god by the Egyptians for over 3,000 years, but the Greeks, however, did not so easily accept this notion. At the death of Alexander, dispute over who should rule over the largest empire on earth was
Show More

Related Documents: Essay The Rise and Fall of Alexandria

Louisiana Research Paper

to counties. The largest parish by population is East Baton Rouge Parish, and the largest by land area is Cameron Parish. The two "Deltas" are located in Monroe, the parish seat of Ouachita Parish, Shreveport, the parish seat of Caddo Parish, and Alexandria, the parish seat of Rapides Parish, for the small Delta, and Monroe, Lake Charles, and New Orleans for the large Delta. They are referred to as Deltas because they form a perfect triangle shape when the points are lined up.Louisiana is a state located…

Words 540 - Pages 3

How Is Cleopatra Related To The Rise Of The Roman Empire

able to preserve the wealth and status it acquired. By 51 BC, the state of Egypt was deteriorating due to the constant pressures from Rome, loss of lands, and famine in Egypt. The arrival of Cleopatra VII, the last Pharaoh of Egypt, allowed Egypt to rise to its past successful status. This contentious and illustrious pharaoh is perhaps the…

Words 855 - Pages 4

social studies Essay

attacked many times. The Jews finally started to take a stand in Rome, right as the Roman Empire started to rise. As lots more Jews started to migrate to Rome from the great Alexandria, their cultures began to overlap right before the era of the Christians was just begging. The Roman general Pompey established the Province of Rome and conquered Jerusalem. Julius Cesar then conquered Alexandria and defeated Pompey. Judaism was officially established as a legal religion a policy followed by first Roman…

Words 887 - Pages 4

Western Roman Empire Essay

his brother Triumph of Christianity Theodosius “The Great” (379-395) Christianity the only legal religion (392) Christian persecutions of pagans “Baptism” of pagan artwork: Hypatia of Alexandria (415)- teach pagan philosophy "FALL" OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE Problems leading to fall of western Roman Empire 1. Withdrawal of Senators: rich and powerful senators withdraw their support from the empire 2. "Barbarization" of the Army: recruit more barbarians into the army. 3. Economic…

Words 1687 - Pages 7

Review Of The Larger Concept

The period ended with the fall of the last major Hellenistic kingdom to Rome, but Greek cultural influence persisted until the spread of Islam in the 7th century BCE. Alexander’s empire was broken up into three major successor kingdoms in Europe, Asia, and Africa, each with its own unique challenges. Ptolemies- Macedonian dynasty that ruled Egypt for 3 centuries. Largely took over the system created by Egyptian pharaohs to extract the wealth of the land. Alexandria in Egypt, capital of the…

Words 1842 - Pages 8

Ap Euro Chapter 7 Essay

semi-major axis of planet X is 60.02 A.U. 12. If we were to scan the radius of the Sun down to the size of a golf ball the size of the solar system would be 50,000cm. 13. If Eratosthenes measured an angle of 3 degrees rather than 7 degrees in Alexandria the circumference of the earth would of been 90,000km. This would have implied that the circumference of the Earth was a lot…

Words 858 - Pages 4

Ancient Foundations of Science Study Guide Essay

Ancient Foundations of Science Ionia (Rise of Cities) Scientific Enterprise (600 BC) Same as rise of Greek cities (polis) OR Maritime Technology Need for boats was the beginning of the scientific revolution Greek sailors sailed around Africa Democracy in Greece Placed priority on logic Free exchange of ideas (basis of science) Ionian = Pre-Socratic Philosophers Natural explanations of material things 2 questions: what is the universe made of? What causes things to change…

Words 2401 - Pages 10

Revolution 2.0 Essay

noticed an image posted on his Facebook wall. The picture was a very gruesome, vivid image of a male name Khaled Mohamed Said who had been beaten to death by two police officers in Alexandria, Egypt. Ghonim decided to take action after been horrifically distraught from understanding what his homeland had become. The rise of the Facebook page, "Kullena Khaled Said" meaning "We Are All Khaled Said" was motivated by Ghonim's empirical state of mind to reform Egypt into a nation free of corruption.…

Words 1700 - Pages 7

Ussr: Soviet Union and Provisional Government Essay

with this terrible fight!” Tsar Nicholas II thought that he could lead the Russian army to victory with the power of God on our side, but he was no military general. It is laughable to think that the Tsar was away fighting while his German wife, Alexandria, undermined the very war her husband sought to win. Alas, the Tsar is removed and the war continues on under the Provisional Government. Russia looks for a new direction and even I, a lowly soldier with a peasant background, must weigh the aspirations…

Words 1634 - Pages 7

Ww1 Unit 1 Assignment

History Assignment The first recollection I had of the war was on July the 28th, 1914. I was sitting on my porch in Ballaraat on a fine morning reading the newspaper when I saw that Austro-Hungary had declared war on Serbia because Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated by a Serbian terrorist group, the Black Hand. At the time I thought nothing of it. Small European wars like this happen all the time. Little did I know, this would be the start of The Great War. After Austro-Hungary declared war…

Words 2180 - Pages 9