Alexandria: A City and Myth

by Niall Finneran

Alexandria was one of the most important cities of the ancient world, with achievements in the arts, sciences, and religion. Niall Finneran seeks to understand the wider picture, the longer period of evolution as a city, as both an urban concept and a literary and historical ideal. He does this by bringing together the disciplines of archaeology, anthropology, history, geography, oral history, art, and literature. As a result, Alexandria is seen as a unique example of African urbanism, an Egyptian city facing the wider Mediterranean world, which became an archetype for social, religious, and cultural cosmopolitanism.

Genres: History, Ancient History

158 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2005

Reviews

[Banbury · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is not entirely clear what was intended to be conveyed by this book. It mentions some history facts, but there is no historical narrative. There is some discussion of archeology, but most of that discussion is larded with reasons the archeology is too unreliable to come to any real conclusions ("Physically so much is invisible..." p.43). There are a lot of directions describing the relative placement of various archeological and historical sites; that was like the days before Google Maps when a driver would ask directions and be told, "take the second left, then go on past the Esso station, take a right and go to the top of the hill and bear left where the old market used to be...." The main thesis of the book seems to be that the Alexandria changed over time, but it is still in the same place on earth.

[Mandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found that while the information in this book was very interesting, the tone of voice and the choppy way it was presented was somewhat boring and sometimes confusing. There could have been more words there to perhaps transition or explain portions of the book, and mostly because the author stated that this book was both for intereted individuals and an introductory study of Alexandria in a college course.