WONDERS OF THE WORLD
THE LIGHTHOUSE OF ALEXANDRIA
Egypt
A Light for the Ancient World
The city of Alexander sits one the edge of where the Nile Delta meets the Mediterranean. In the third century BCE, there was no greater city on Earth: the hub of a worldwide trade network and a haven for science and learning.
Ptolemy II, son of the original Ptolemy, ordered the lighthouse built to guide ships into the harbor. His father founded the Great Library, the greatest collection of learning ever seen in the ancient world.
In this episode, we visit Alexandria, Egypt, at its peak, as we check out the Lighthouse (or Pharos) and the Great Library. We talk Ptolemy and discuss some of the remarkable scientific discoveries the Library encouraged. We enjoy some ful medames as well.
Sources:
Canfora, Luciano, The Vanished Library: A Wonder of the Ancient World
Empereur, Jean-Yves, Alexandria: Jewel of Egypt
The Lonely Planet Guide to Egypt
Pollard, Justin and Howard Reid, The Rise and Fall of Alexandria: Birthplace of the Modern World
Reynolds et al, The Seventy Wonders of the Ancient World: the Great Monuments and How They Were Built
Romer, John and Elizabeth, The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: a History of the Modern Imagination
Engraving by Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach