_________________________________

Home - Maps - About Alexandria - History - Sights in Alexandria - New developments

_________________________________

Alexander the Great - Cleopatra - The Romans - The Arabs - Modern _________________________________

Ptolemy I (367-283 BC), founded a family of rulers who reigned in Egypt from 323 to 30 BC This family became known as the Ptolemies. Ptolemy I, who took title of king of Egypt about 305 BC, ruled until 285 BC

Ptolemy was born in Macedonia, a region north of Greece. He became a leading general in the army of Alexander the Great. After Alexander died in 323 BC, Ptolemy gained control of Egypt.

The Ptolemies helped Egypt become a strong , independent country. They also founded a museum and a library in Alexandria that helped make the city one of the world's great centers of culture and learning.

The Alexandrian Library was the largest and most famous of the ancient collections of scrolls. The Egyptian rulers Ptolemy I and Ptolemy II developed it in the 200's BC It contained more than 400,000 scrolls. Part of the library may have been destroyed during the siege of Julius Caesar in 47 BC, and in later sieges.