Alexander/Alexandria: the Flowering of Hellenistic Culture February 6, 2010

Alexander conquered the vast Persian Empire and founded Alexandria before dying in his 33rd year in 323 BCE. In the aftermath, Greek literature, learning and art intermingled with Egyptian, Persian, Babylonian and Hebrew cultures. The interplay of cultures caused ethnic, artistic and religious conflicts and convergence. Nowhere did this convergence of cultures emerge more dramatically than in Alexandria, which became the royal seat of Hellenistic Egypt. Its Great Library and Museum and its Lighthouse--one of the ancient wonders of the world--became magnets for travelers from all around the Mediterranean and beyond. Though Alexandria's original Library was destroyed long ago, another has risen from its ashes, and the luster of Hellenistic Civilization that flourished for three centuries after Alexander still endures.