answersLogoWhite

0

It was established by Alexander the great as a Macedonian city when he conquered Egypt. Greeks flocked there to live off the Egyptians, and it became a large Greek centre under the rule of Alexander's general Ptolemy and his Macedonian successors, including Cleopatra. It became the second largest city of the Roman Empire when Augustus captured Egypt and placed it under a Roman governor.

It was taken over by the Arab invasion of North Africa, but the Greek population remained, still represented today by the minority Copt population.

----

Alexander III of macedonia (AKA Alexander the Great) invaded Egypt burned Tyre at which point the rest of Egypt surrendered except for Gaza which he sieged into submission.

He then put his general Ptolomy on the throne of Egypt. The town "Alexandria" was named after him in about 331 BC and was a sea trading port. No city existed in that location prior to it's building and therefore it was home to many different cultures, however it may suprise you that during it's time it was the largest urban Jewish community in the world!

Was it a Greek Colony then? Well no more than the whole country was. the Egyptians and Greeks didn't have the same concept of coutry borders as we do. They would not have seen it as a colony, but more just another province or annex.

User Avatar

Wiki User

11y ago

What else can I help you with?