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

By the time the Romans conquered Egypt, Alexandria had already attracted immigrants from the Mediterranean and beyond. There was the Egyptian community, centered around the old site of Rhakotis (Kom El-Dikka), the Greek community downtown, and the Jewish community occupying the eastern districts.

Octavian, the new Roman Emperor, having had bitter memories about Alexandria, Cleopatra, and Mark Antony, founded a new town , Necropolis, just east of Alexandria (now part of the greater city, known as El-Raml). Higher taxes were imposed, may be as punishment to the Egyptians, and were collected by the local appointee who served as the regional ruler of the new Roman province. Octavian's successors were less harsh and more appreciative. Matters improved further when the Red Sea Canal was dug to link the Nile to the Red Sea, serving the purpose of the modern Suez Canal.

During the early rule of the Romans in Egypt, the world witnessed the birth of Christianity. The new religion was introduced into Alexandria by St. Mark who was martyred in 62 AD for protesting against worship of Serapis. Early Christian centers, such as the oratory of Saint-Mark,and later the Catechetical School were among the first of their kind in the world as the Christian population grew, so did the persecution from the Roman Emperors - Decius, Severus, and Diocletian to name a few. Corruption reached unprecedented levels during the "Era of the Martyrs" around 284 AD, when an estimated 144,000 martys including St. Menas, Ste. Catherine, and St.Peter of Alexandria died over a nine year period. However, the Catechetical School, where Clement of Alexandria and Origen taught around 200 AD, grew in size and influence. And when in October 312 Ad the Roman Emperor Costantine announced Christianity as the official religion of the Empire, Alexandria was ready for the change.

Towards the end of the fourth century, events took a tragic turn with conflicts growing, again, between the Christian community and the Pagans - the Catechical School and the Mouseion. In 389 AD, the Temple of Serapis at Canopus (Abou-Qir) fell. Sentiments reached a peak during the eventful year of 391 AD, when the Roman Emperor Theodosius issued a decree which authorized the destruction of the Temple of Serapis at Alexandria, the last refuge of the Pagans and home of the Mouseion. Fourteen years later, the Neo-Platonist mathematician and the last person known to have taught at the Mouseion, Hypatia, was murdered, marking the end of Paganism in Alexandria.

During the next two centuries, the spiritual power of the Coptic (Coptic means the Christian Egyptian) Church in Alexandria grew among Egyptians. The power of the Royal Patriarchs, appointed by the Roman Emperor, was more political than religious. The Coptic Patriarchs, on the other hand, had no political interests.

In the early seventh century, both the Persian and the Roman Empire started to fall apart. In the 617, the Persians peacefully captured Alexandria for a short period of 5 years. By the time the Roman Emperor Heraclius regained his forces and captured the lost provinces back, the world was ready to witness the birth of a new power. Out of the Arabian peninsula, and spiritually powered by the new religion of Islam, came the Arab forces that swept both the Romans and the Persians, and established and Empire that would last over a thousand years. After negotiating with the Roman Patriarch, Cyrus, who was also serving as the Roman ruler of Egypt, Alexandria was peacefully captured by the Arab general Amr Ibn El-As in 642 AD. And that was the End of the Roman years in Alexandria.