The Library of Alexandria

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About Alexandria

What is Alexandria?

The purpose of the Alexandria is to be a center for the pursuit of knowledge. It's a modest venture with big goal. We named the library "Alexandria" in the honor and spirit of the great library at Alexandria in ancient Egypt. Read on if you're interested in the history behind the name.

History

The original city of Alexandria (and its library) was founded in the fishing village of Rhakotis in Egypt by Alexander the Great in 331 B.C. as a regional capital, following his conquest of Egypt. After Alexander died, Ptolemy took control of the region of the fractured Greek empire that included the city, determined to turn Alexandria into the intellectual and cultural capital of the world.

Some of the most renowned minds of Greek history lived and worked in Alexandria's system of libraries, including Archimedes and Euclid. Eratosthenes event measured Earth's diameter 15 centuries before Copernicus and Gallileo were born.

The alleged 500,000 documents amassed among the libraries included works of science, theology, and literature the world over, and a variety of projects were undertaken to translate some of them into Greek, including what many now call the Old Testament.

Several renowned monuments were erected at Alexandria, including the city's lighthouse -- which is among the well-known seven wonders of the world -- a dike connecting the nearby island of Pharos to the mainland, and the palace of Cleopatra, the last pharaoh of Egypt.

If you're interested in finding out more about the history of Alexandria in Egypt, you can visit a web site devoted to the subject of Alexandria. For more on the Library, specifically, try an excellent essay by Ellen N. Brundige.

Our History

The Alexandria project had its birth on 5 March 1999. It is currently not funded, but web space is provided by Carnell Information Systems.