The Library and Lighthouse of Alexandria

by Jimmy Maher

Whether you go to work every day in a laboratory or go to church every day to pray -- or do both -- you are in some sense an heir to the legacy of ancient Alexandria. Alexander the Great founded his namesake city in Egypt in 331 BC, intending for it to be the crown jewel of his burgeoning empire. Alas, only his mummified corpse returned to Alexandria after that date, but it nevertheless fulfilled all of his ambitions for it. For many centuries, it was rivaled only by Rome as an international capital of commerce and learning. It was home to romantic, larger-than-life characters like Queen Cleopatra and her lovers Julius Caesar and Marc Antony. It was home to men of learning like Euclid and Archimedes, whose discoveries have remained foundational to this day in such fields as mathematics, engineering, medicine, astronomy, geography, and philosophy. And, as the intellectual center of the world, Alexandria was at the crossroads of changing worldviews when the so-called "pagan" era of religious belief transitioned into the monotheism that has remained dominant to this day. Join an accomplished storyteller as he explores these many facets of one of the greatest cities of the ancient world, and be surprised again and again to learn how much of the world we know today was born right here on the coast of Egypt.

403 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 24, 2022

Reviews

[andrew y · Rating 4 out of 5]

I told my wife multiple very interesting ancient Egypt facts while reading this and I think she loved it.

But really: Maher has achieved the impossible by making me both read and love some straight-up history. I look forward to the rest of the series.

One negative point to prove I mean the positive: one or two tangents felt like padding.

[Michael Waddell · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this e-book, Jimmy Maher's continues his series on the Wonders of the Ancient World, and this is one of the best! There's actually little that we know for certain about the famed Lighthouse of Alexandria, since the records we have are incomplete and contradictory, but Maher uses this as a jumping-off point to write about the true wonder behind the Wonder: the city of Alexandria itself. We've all heard stories of the famous events in history -- Alexander the Great's conquests, Rome's war with Carthage, the birth of classical science, the rise of Christianity and later Islam -- but it's fascinating to see it all through the eyes of one city, the wealthy and powerful city of Alexandria. Maher's writing never disappoints, giving essential background in an compelling way, helping the reader understand what's important in the world of the narrative without ever becoming dry or dragged down by the relentless details of history. Maher brings to life not just a monumental lighthouse and library, but an entire world.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great history from Jimmy Maher, one which I read serially on the author's site as it was published every other week, and looking forward to each entry when it came out. Through his stories of the wonders so far, we've learned that we can't just talk about the wonders without talking about the places where they were created and the people who built them, and that necessarily could encompass quite a while if the Wonder in question survived for a long time. And while neither the Library nor Lighthouse exist anymore, Jimmy chronicles the history of the city for as long as they were extant, providing a fascinating glimpse into their creation and destruction.