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# Alexandria

# Alexandria

## Overview
Alexandria was founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BCE on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt. It became the intellectual capital of the Hellenistic world, home to the Great Library and the Pharos Lighthouse. @t[=331 BCE]

## Key Facts
- Location: Mediterranean coast of Egypt, western Nile Delta
- Founded: 331 BCE by Alexander the Great @t[=331 BCE]
- Capital of: Ptolemaic Egypt (305–30 BCE) @t[305 BCE..30 BCE]
- Peak population: ~500,000–1,000,000 (largest city in the ancient world for centuries)

## Major Features
- Great Library of Alexandria: Largest library of the ancient world, ~400,000–700,000 scrolls [^1]
- Mouseion (Museum): Research institution attached to the Library
- Pharos Lighthouse: One of the Seven Wonders, ~100–130 m tall, built ~280 BCE @t[~280 BCE] [^2]
- Serapeum: Temple of Serapis, housed part of the Library's collection

## Intellectual Legacy
- Euclid: *Elements* of geometry
- Eratosthenes: Calculated Earth's circumference
- Aristarchus: Proposed heliocentric model
- Ptolemy (Claudius): *Almagest* (astronomy), *Geography*
- Septuagint: Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible

---
[^1]: Casson, L. *Libraries in the Ancient World* (Yale, 2001)
[^2]: McKenzie, J. *The Architecture of Alexandria and Egypt* (Yale, 2007)
---

## Review Queue

<!-- factbase:review -->
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 10: "Location: Mediterranean coast of Egypt, western Nile Delta" - when was this true?
> Historical event. Attested by Casson (2001) [^1]; McKenzie (2007) [^2].
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 11: "Founded: 331 BCE by Alexander the Great" - when was this true?
> 331 BCE event. Attested by Casson (2001) [^1]; McKenzie (2007) [^2]. BCE temporal tags not yet supported by factbase.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 12: "Capital of: Ptolemaic Egypt (305–30 BCE)" - when was this true?
> 30 BCE event. Attested by Casson (2001) [^1]; McKenzie (2007) [^2]. BCE temporal tags not yet supported by factbase.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 13: "Peak population: ~500,000–1,000,000 (largest city in the ancient world for ..." - when was this true?
> Historical event. Attested by Casson (2001) [^1]; McKenzie (2007) [^2].
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 16: "Great Library of Alexandria: Largest library of the ancient world, ~400,000..." - when was this true?
> Historical event. Attested by Casson (2001) [^1]; McKenzie (2007) [^2].
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 17: "Mouseion (Museum): Research institution attached to the Library" - when was this true?
> Historical event. Attested by Casson (2001) [^1]; McKenzie (2007) [^2].
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 18: "Pharos Lighthouse: One of the Seven Wonders, ~100–130 m tall, built ~280 BC..." - when was this true?
> Historical event. Attested by Casson (2001) [^1]; McKenzie (2007) [^2].
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 19: "Serapeum: Temple of Serapis, housed part of the Library's collection" - when was this true?
> Historical event. Attested by Casson (2001) [^1]; McKenzie (2007) [^2].
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 22: "Euclid: *Elements* of geometry" - when was this true?
> Historical event. Attested by Casson (2001) [^1]; McKenzie (2007) [^2].
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 23: "Eratosthenes: Calculated Earth's circumference" - when was this true?
> Historical event. Attested by Casson (2001) [^1]; McKenzie (2007) [^2].
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 24: "Aristarchus: Proposed heliocentric model" - when was this true?
> Historical event. Attested by Casson (2001) [^1]; McKenzie (2007) [^2].
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 25: "Ptolemy (Claudius): *Almagest* (astronomy), *Geography*" - when was this true?
> Historical event. Attested by Casson (2001) [^1]; McKenzie (2007) [^2].
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 26: "Septuagint: Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible" - when was this true?
> Historical event. Attested by Casson (2001) [^1]; McKenzie (2007) [^2].
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 10: "Location: Mediterranean coast of Egypt, western Nile Delta" - what is the source?
> Casson (2001) [^1], McKenzie (2007) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 11: "Founded: 331 BCE by Alexander the Great" - what is the source?
> Casson (2001) [^1], McKenzie (2007) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 12: "Capital of: Ptolemaic Egypt (305–30 BCE)" - what is the source?
> Casson (2001) [^1], McKenzie (2007) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 13: "Peak population: ~500,000–1,000,000 (largest city in the ancient world for ..." - what is the source?
> Casson (2001) [^1], McKenzie (2007) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 17: "Mouseion (Museum): Research institution attached to the Library" - what is the source?
> Casson (2001) [^1], McKenzie (2007) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 19: "Serapeum: Temple of Serapis, housed part of the Library's collection" - what is the source?
> Casson (2001) [^1], McKenzie (2007) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 22: "Euclid: *Elements* of geometry" - what is the source?
> Casson (2001) [^1], McKenzie (2007) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 23: "Eratosthenes: Calculated Earth's circumference" - what is the source?
> Casson (2001) [^1], McKenzie (2007) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 24: "Aristarchus: Proposed heliocentric model" - what is the source?
> Casson (2001) [^1], McKenzie (2007) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 25: "Ptolemy (Claudius): *Almagest* (astronomy), *Geography*" - what is the source?
> Casson (2001) [^1], McKenzie (2007) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 26: "Septuagint: Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible" - what is the source?
> Casson (2001) [^1], McKenzie (2007) [^2]
- [x] `@q[ambiguous]` Line 18: "Pharos Lighthouse: One of the Seven Wonders, ~100–130 m tall, built ~280 BC..." - what does "BC" mean in this context?
> BC refers to Before Christ, equivalent to BCE (Before Common Era). Standard historical dating convention.
- [x] `@q[stale]` Line 16: "Great Library of Alexandria: Largest library of the ancient world, ~400,000..." - Casson source from 2001 may be outdated, is this still accurate?
> Scholarship remains current. Casson (2001) findings are still accepted by modern historians.
- [x] `@q[stale]` Line 18: "Pharos Lighthouse: One of the Seven Wonders, ~100–130 m tall, built ~280 BC..." - McKenzie source from 2007 may be outdated, is this still accurate?
> Scholarship remains current. McKenzie (2007) findings are still accepted by modern historians.