The Rise and Fall of Alexandria: Birthplace of the Modern Mind - Hardcover

Pollard, Justin; Reid, Howard

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0670037974 ISBN 13: 9780670037971

Publisher: Viking Adult, 2006

Synopsis

A history of the ancient city documents its period superiority as an archaeological and technological super power, revealing how atomic theory, geometry, the steam engine, and other developments were initiated there while tracing the city's downfall and ultimate legacy to the modern world.

About this title

About the Author:

Justin Pollard, a freelance writer and producer specializing in historical documentaries, has written for PBS and A&E. He is currently providing script and historical consultancy for Sam MendesĀ’s upcoming feature film, Tom Fool.

Howard Reid has made award-winning documentaries for National Geographic, the BBC, and Channel 4, including The Story of English. He is the author of five books.

From Publishers Weekly:

Ancient Alexandria was first and foremost a Greek city. Its history, however, is framed by two religious events that were alien to Greek intellectual traditions: Ptolemy's creation of the cult of Serapis, which helped him establish rule, and the Christian riots that massacred the pagan philosopher Hypatia in A.D. 415. Between these two events is an unmatched record of intellectual achievement, elegantly chronicled by documentary makers Pollard and Reid. Among the many scientific advances they cover, from Euclid and Archimedes to Claudius Ptolemy, perhaps the most illustrative of the city's cosmopolitanism is human anatomy, the Greeks' limited understanding of which was tremendously aided by contact with Egyptian mummification. Throughout, the authors are eager, at times overly eager, to demonstrate ancient Alexandria's modernity. So it is curious that little is said about the famous feud between Callimachus, poet and cataloguer of the great library, and his former pupil Apollonius. The ingredients of the feud—plagiarism, obscenity, professional envy—are strangely contemporary. The authors also paint an incomplete picture of the city's literary culture and its museum, which functioned like a modern university. These criticisms aside, most readers, especially those interested in the history of science, will find this a nourishing account. (Oct. 23)
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About this edition

• Publisher: Viking Adult
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0670037974
• ISBN 13: 9780670037971
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 352