THE ROYAL CITIES
By the time of the New Kingdom onward, most of the special-
ized towns or cities had been linked via geography and eco-
nomics to larger urban centers that included extensive temple
complexes, ceremonial palaces, residencies, and prominent
cemeteries. In addition to the temples, these urban areas were
held together by the kingship, which required massive work-
forces, thus providing the foundation for larger cities.
Within the ancient Egyptian capital cities, the royal pal-
aces were enclosed and separated from the rest of the capital.
Th e palaces housed the pharaoh’s primary family and ser-
vants, along with secondary wives, concubines, and numer-
ous children. Typically, the location of capital cities in Egypt
shift ed with changing rulers. As a result, royal residential
palaces existed in numerous cities, including Akhenaton,
Heracleopolis, Avaris, Napata, and Saïs.
Relatively few excavations have been able to uncover the
most ancient aspects of these cities. As a result, little is known
about them. Conjecture based on their functions, however,
indicates that they all had a large and extremely diversifi ed
workforce and oft en included a large population of people
who relocated, such as when palace authority was moved
from one city to another. While the population of provin-
cial capitals and towns has been estimated at about 1,400 to
3,000 people, royal capitals were much larger; Akhenaton was
estimated to have a population of 20,000 to 30,000 people.
Likewise, Memphis, which housed the fi rst known royal resi-
dence, and Th ebes may have achieved populations of 30,000
to 40,000 during their peaks.
ALEXANDRIA
Th e city of Alexandria is perhaps the best known of Egypt’s
ancient cities. Alexandria’s fame can be traced to its rapid
growth into an intellectual, cultural, economic, and political
metropolis. Its mystique also comes from its magnifi cent his-
tory. Founded in 331 b.c.e. by Alexander the Great (356–323
b.c.e.), it was made the capital of Greco-Roman Egypt and
quickly became one of the greatest cities of the classical Greek
Hellenistic world. Legend has it that Alexander initially laid
out his plans for the city using lines of grain, since he had no
chalk or other writing materials available.
Like contemporary Alexandria, ancient Alexandria is
northwest of the Nile Delta and inhabits a narrow strip
of land between Lake Mariut and the Mediterranean Sea.
When Alexander came to the site of a small, ancient Egyp-
tian village called Rhakotis, which dates to the 13th century
b.c.e., he admired it for its natural beauty and its location
between Greece and the rest of Egypt. He quickly decided
that the site would be an ideal regional capital. Although he
was the founder of Alexandria, Alexander did not live long
enough to see a single building constructed on the site; he
was later buried there.
Alexandria was built by the Greek architect Dinocrates
of Rhodes under the supervision of Alexander’s viceroy,
Cleomenes, who oversaw its continued initial development.
Growth of the city would thrive under the fi rst three Ptol-
emies, who ruled much of the Egyptian part of the vast em-
pire once conquered by Alexander. Ptolemy I (r. 304–284
b.c.e.) set out to make Alexandria the cultural and intellec-
tual capital of the known world. Ptolemy II (reigned 285–246
b.c.e.) focused much of his eff orts on building Alexandria,
including construction on what would become the Royal
Library of Alexandria. Ptolemy III (r. 246–221 b.c.e.) was
a strong supporter of the sciences, which also contributed
to the city’s fame. Under these three men, Alexandria be-
came the center of commerce among Europe, Arabia, and
the Indian East. It grew so fast in successive generations
that in a mere 100 years it was the largest city in the world.
According to the census in 32 b.c.e., which was conducted
three hundred years aft er Alexandria was founded, the city
remained a major metropolis with 180,000 adult citizens,
rivaling Rome in population at that time. Among the nu-
merous exceptional achievements made under the rule of
the fi rst three Ptolemies were the Pharos Lighthouse, one
of the seven wonders of the ancient world, and the Royal
Library of Alexandria, known as the Mouseion. Th e Hep-
tastadion Dike that connected the island of Pharos with the
mainland was also built at this time and served additionally
as a double harbor to the city.
Alexandria thrived primarily because it fulfi lled the sev-
eral functions intended for it, which included initially serving
as a Greek city-state and as the capital of Egypt. In addition to
fulfi lling these functions, Alexandria’s greater reputation was
as a center for world trade and learning. One of its earliest
inhabitants included the noted Greek mathematician Euclid
(ca. 325–ca. 265 b.c.e.).
Because of the city’s multiple functions, people from
various lands came to it and intermingled on the streets,
creating a population that included Egyptians, Macedo-
nians and Greeks, Nubians, Persians, Indians, and perhaps
t he la rgest nu mber of Jew ish resident s i n a ny la rge cit y of t he
era. As a result, Alexandria was the basis for growing inter-
national business eff orts. For example, an ancient maritime
loan contract for importing incense included twelve part-
ners of at least seven diff erent nationalities. Likewise, schol-
arly life in ancient Alexandria was international in nature.
Greek scholars, intellectuals from the Mediterranean, and
numerous others embarked on various academic pursuits.
In turn, scholars from Alexandria a lso traveled abroad, thus
fostering international scholarship and a growth of scien-
tifi c thought in the region. In fact, the Royal Library of Al-
exandria was one of the largest and most noted in the world
at that time. It was subsequently destroyed by a fi re or fi res
of unsure origins.
Alexandria’s cosmopolitan environment was noted
by Greek poet Herodas (ca. third century b.c.e.), who as-
serted that a person could fi nd nearly anything in Alexan-
dria, including “wealth,... power, prosperity, glory, shows,
philosophers, gold, youth, the temple of the Adelphoi, thecities: Egypt 209