When was Alexandria, Egypt founded and by whom?

Alexandria, Egypt was founded in 331 BCE by Alexander the Great who named it after himself.

Why was Alexandria, Egypt important?

Alexandria, Egypt was an important intellectual, cultural, and commercial center. It was located on the Mediterranean Sea on the Nile Delta and so was easily accessible to ships from around the region. The Library of Alexandria attracted some of the most famous scholars of the time.

Where was the Lighthouse of Alexandria located?

The Lighthouse of Alexandria was located where the 15th century Fort Qaitbey stands today.

Why did Alexandria, Egypt decline and when?

Alexandria, Egypt began to decline in the 4th and 5th centuries CE due to religious intolerance which sparked civil unrest. By the 7th century CE, the most famous buildings were gone or converted to churches.

Alexandria Timeline

Definition

Alexandria is a port city on the Mediterranean Sea in northern Egypt founded in 331 BCE by Alexander the Great. It was the site of the Pharos (lighthouse), one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, and the legendary Library of Alexandria and was once the most vital cultural center of the ancient world, rivaling even Athens, Greece.

More about: Alexandria, Egypt

Timeline

332 BCE
Alexander the Great conquers Phoenicia and turns toward Egypt.
Jan 331 BCE
Alexander the Great founds Alexandria at the port town of Rhakotis in Egypt.
323 BCE
Death of Alexander the Great.
305 BCE - 285 BCE
Reign of Ptolemy I in Egypt, who initiated the Great Library.
c. 300 BCE - c. 280 BCE
The Lighthouse of Alexandria is built, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
300 BCE
Ptolemy I founds the Museum of Alexandria.
282 BCE - 246 BCE
Reign of Ptolemy II in Egypt, development of Library at Alexandria.
276 BCE - 195 BCE
Life of Eratosthenes, ancient Greek Alexandrian scholar, native of Cyrene and one of the greatest geographers in antiquity.
247 BCE
The Lighthouse of Alexandria (Pharos) is completed.
48 BCE
Pompey killed at Alexandria, Caesar declares martial law in the city.
48 BCE - 44 BCE
Julius Caesar of Rome and Cleopatra VII of Egypt in unofficial alliance.
48 BCE
Caesar defeats Pompey (Battle of Pharsalus); Pompey flees to Egypt and is killed by courtiers of Ptolemy XIII.
44 BCE
Assassination of Julius Caesar at Rome.
41 BCE - 31 BCE
Mark Antony of Rome allied with Cleopatra VII of Egypt.
34 BCE
Mark Antony celebrates an unofficial triumph in Alexandria following his victories in Armenia.
30 BCE
Death of Cleopatra VII, end of the Ptolemaic Dynasty in Egypt.
30 BCE - 14 CE
Reign of Augustus Caesar in Rome, restoration of Roman province of Alexandria.
100 CE
The mathematician and astronomer Menelaus of Alexandria lived.
115 CE
Destruction of Alexandria in the Kitos War.
117 CE
Restoration of Alexandria by Emperor Hadrian of Rome.
132 CE
Septuagint (Greek translation of the Bible) composed at Alexandria.
313 CE
Constantine the Great issues Edict of Milan, decrees religious tolerance.
314 CE
Religious strife increases between Christians and other faiths in Alexandria.
391 CE
Christian Patriarch Theophilus destroys pagan temples in Alexandria. .
415 CE
Hypatia of Alexandria murdered by Christian mob. Scholars and scientists leave the city. .
619 CE
Alexandria is conquered by the Sassanid Persians.
628 CE
Byzantine Empire re-takes Alexandria, Egypt, from the Persians.
641 CE
Arab Muslims under Caliph Umar take Alexandria from the Byzantine Christians.
641 CE - 646 CE
The Byzantine Christians and Arab Muslims fight for control of Alexandria and Egypt.
646 CE
The Arab Muslims defeat the Byzantine Christians. Alexandria falls under Islamic rule. .