The City of Alexandria History?

[123_miggle_456]

Can anyone please tell me What the City of Alexandria was? As in what was the point in it? And why Alexander the great decided to build it? And anything else about the History of the City. And how this may have helped medicine progress further???

I know a bit... but I just need a little bit of help from all you people, because wikipedia is unreliable and rubbish and is in a language that only degree level english teachers an understand!! lol

[Bill H]

There were many Alexandrias. I assume you are talking about the one in Egypt because that is the most famous one. Well then, he built it because it has excellent agricultural land, fine harbour of a small fishing village west of the mouth of the nile, good anchorage, health climate, fresh water, and limestone quarries nearby (to supply stone for building houses). it was at the center of the ancient world, so it was a good trading city. Alexander died while the city was still being built. They buried him there in a magnificent tomb. The next ruler of Alexandria was Ptolemy whose descendants ruled Alexandria for the next 300 years! The last Ptolemaic ruler was Queen Cleopatra. In 30 B.C. Alexandria became a roman province. Queen Cleopatra committed suicide by drinking posion instead of being led through a triumphal procession (where the defeated person is lead through the streets with people laughing and mocking the ruler). As a Roman province it was important because that's where the Romans got their rice. The Nile flood every year depositing a fresh new layer of rich soil.

as for the medicine part I cannot help you other than maybe some plant or crop that could only be grown along the nile had some sort of pain killer in it.

hope it helped.

[Edward]

The Egyptians believed that the Pharaoh was God on earth. Alexander believed that he was the Son of God. So it was natural for him to want to be identified with Egyptian tradition. There were also more pragmatic reasons (economic, military political) for him choosing to build his city where he did.