I am trying to visualize from stories and historical accounts the
layout of Alexandria, Egypt at the time Caesar was in town with
Cleopatra.  I've seen some rough maps of the two harbors, the
lighthouse, Lake Mareotis, and even some specific streets, but no one
ever puts in ancient buildings or places of interest.  I know that
some guesswork is required but I can't find consistent guesses for:

palace buildings
the Museum
the Library
the Dionysus theater (Caesar's HQ)
the navigation canals (towards the Nile, to the sea, to the lake)
canals for the city water supply

I don't have in mind a real map, but a sketch as to where some or all
of these pieces might have been in relation to one another.


Thanks

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Request for Question Clarification by pafalafa-ga on 25 Apr 2005 20:30 PDT

A good deal of the information you're looking for appears to be
available in this map:


http://ce.eng.usf.edu/pharos/alexandria/History/guide.html


Clicking on any site on the map will bring up text with additional information.


Does this help?  What additional information would you need to make
for a complete answer?


pafalafa-ga

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Clarification of Question by lochias-ga on 26 Apr 2005 03:08 PDT

You are right.  The diagram shows Canopic Street and the "gates," as
well as some things clearly much later (churches, mosques)

What I don't have a good guess for are the Museum, Library, and
Dionysus theater (the one that Caesar took over (and presumably inside
the large palace compound, the general boundaries of which I would
like to see some guess for).

Also, one of the events of that time was the shut off of fresh water
to the palace from southern wells and substitution by sea water.  Is
there any idea for the path of these canals?

Thanks

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Request for Question Clarification by pafalafa-ga on 26 Apr 2005 07:32 PDT

I'll continue looking around to see what I can find. 

In the meantime, there's a small, intriguing image of ancient Alexandria here:


http://hometown.aol.com/aymanarafa/alexandria_ancient.jpg


I wish it were bigger so we could explore it in more detail.  The
source is given as the Encylopaedia of the Orient, in case you have
access to a print source by that name.

Stay tuned...


paf

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Request for Question Clarification by pafalafa-ga on 26 Apr 2005 07:36 PDT

Here's a better copy of the image:


http://images.encarta.msn.com/xrefmedia/sharemed/targets/images/pho/t053/T053024A.jpg

Dear lochias,

From reconstructions and descriptions, I have marked the locations
(partially assumed) of buildings, canals, etc. on this old German map
of ancient Alexandria. Please note that the topography of the city as
it was in Ptolemaic and Roman times necessarily includes much
guesswork since few remains have survived and the descriptions by
ancient writers are, alas, rather vague.
Also, I'd like to point out that the topographical details of this map
are not up-to-date. Recent discoveries have revealed lots of
unexpected new information on the area of the Great Harbour and large
parts of the Royal Palaces sunken there.
My local library has a book with a more recent archaeological map
reconstructing ancient Alexandria. I will try to get it tomorrow and,
should it contain useful additional information, to provide you an
updated version of this map.

The map:
http://home.foni.net/~scrippor/alexandria.jpg

1. The Great Theatre on today's Hospital Hill, used by Caesar as a
fortress, where he stood a siege from the city mob after the battle of
Pharsalus.

2. The area of the Royal Palace. Actually, the palace was not a single
huge structure but a district of palace buildings and gardens,
occupying a large area in the north-eastern corner of the city, on the
angled eastern waterfront of the Great Harbour.

3. Navigable canal, connecting Eunostos Harbour with Lake Mareotis via
a short interconnection canal (3a).

4. Canal of Alexandria, connecting the city with the Canopic branc of the Nile.

5. Two of the proposed locations of the Museion (Museum).

6. Approximate course of the aqueduct bringing Nile water into the
city, via the Canal of Alexandria.

7. Subsurface watercourses.

8. Proposed location of the Library.


Best regards,
Scriptor

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Request for Answer Clarification by lochias-ga on 27 Apr 2005 03:25 PDT

Scriptor,
I'm fascinated by your "intriguing image" and the wildly sinuous
heptastadion.   Seems unlikely, but ??

In general, it's amazing for a place and time held in such high regard
to have so many open possibilities and unanswered questions (though,
for a writer, it's all just that much more scope for creation).  From
comparing the two maps, I have choices whether the Alexandria canal
was inside or outside the city wall, whether it branched up to the
palace on the east side of the city.  The German map also shows a
second canal (?) from Lake Mareotis running barely north of the lake
off to the east, and coming from what is perhaps a lake harbor area.

Anyway, I am now into my "final version" for a story and discussions,
probably putting the museum and library together in your area 8,
marking the menagerie (and its slightly anachronistic polar bear) in
some definite area nearby, having various historical meetings and
events at definite places.

Thanks for all the good work.  
If you do get the archeological map from the library, that would be great.

lochias

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Clarification of Answer by scriptor-ga on 27 Apr 2005 14:45 PDT

I'm glad to know that my research ist helpful for you. Unfortunately,
the book wasn't available today. I will try to get it next week.

By the way, the polar bear is not totally anachronistic. Pytheas (ca.
380-310 BC), a Greek geographer and explorer from Massilia, sailed far
northwards around 325 BC, reaching a land he called Thule. Modern
historians don't agree on the identity of Thule. It might be Norway,
the Shetlands, or even Iceland. In the latter case, he could have
(theoretically) seen polar bears and brought one or more of those
exotic white animals to Alexandria.

Scriptor

Good answer to a frustratingly difficult question