Alexandria as a Center of Hellenistic Science and Culture. Preliminary Notes

Abstract

The aim of this work is to show ancient Alexandria as one of the largest and most important centers promoting and developing Hellenistic science and culture. The time frame of the article was narrowed to the Ptolemaic period, although it was also necessary to refer to the sciences and scientists who created their works in Alexandria under Roman rule.

Alexandria gained a completely different status among other Egyptian cities, so at the beginning of the article it was pointed out what the uniqueness of this policy was. Alexandria, a city founded by Alexander the Great during his march to the East, proved to be a place to overlap and coexist with many different cultures and nationalities. The Jewish community in Alexandria, by which the Septuagint was created, deserves special attention.

Alexandria has become a center of Hellenistic science and culture mostly due to the existence of two institutions: the Mouseion and the Library of Alexandria. History of the Mouseion and the Library is related to the activities of specialists in their fields of study, so the author of this article refers to the work and activities of some of them. Apart from these two dependent institutions, the article also describes other aspects of the “Hellenization” of Alexandria and the Alexandrian society. In this case, the issues related to Greek gymnasion, the Hellenistic model of polis, and the Hellenistic beliefs and syncretic deities, whose worship has also been reflected in the politics of the Ptolemaic rulers of Egypt.