History of Alexandria Trivia Quiz

Answer: Dinocrates

Dinocrates was one of Alexander's chief architects who also designed the Temple of Artemis. Unlike many other ancient and newer cities, the founding of Alexandria is extremely well documented. Alexander and Dinocrates designed the city together. According to legend, Alexander drew out of his plans for the city in the sand using a piece of grain.

Other more fanciful and less likely legends also developed as Alexander's legendary hero status became more widely known. Despite founding the city, Alexander never returned to it once he left.

His body is commonly believed to be buried somewhere in the city, although its location is long forgotten despite once being a popular visiting place.

Answer: Caesareum

Ptolemy II Philadelphus was pharaoh of Ptolemaic Egypt during the third century B.C. He is widely credited for eliminating the cult of Alexander the Great from Alexandria and establishing the city as a center of learning under strong control of the Ptolemaic Dynasty. Among his many accomplishments are building the infamous Pharos of Alexandria Lighthouse and the Library of Alexandria.

The Library of Alexandria was actually part of a larger education complex called the Mouseion. Despite popular lore, the library was not destroyed in a fire. Over centuries, the library popularity declined when scholars were being targeted and many fled the city in the first century B.C. In addition, other cities began establishing libraries which limited the necessity of traveling to Alexandria for knowledge. The library was burned accidentally by Julius Caesar but that fire only caused limited destruction.

The infamous Pharos of Alexandria was a lighthouse and one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World. It was one of the tallest manmade structures at the time of its completion (if not the tallest). The lighthouse was frequently struck by earthquakes was eventually caused its destruction. Today the Citadel of Qaitbay now stands where the lighthouse once did.

The Caesareum was built during the reign of Cleopatra VII in honor of Julius Caesar who was once her lover. It was an ancient temple in Alexandria and was also used as headquarters by various leaders over time. The temple no longer stands but the Cleopatra's Needles which were once there can be seen along the Thames in London and in New York's Central Park.

Answer: Antony and Cleopatra

During this time in Alexandria's history, the Romans began exerting control over Egypt. This led to several battles and sieges for control of Alexandria that produced mixed results. In the 30 BC, Octavian initially lost the city to Mark Antony and his lover Cleopatra but returned to invade. He defeated the forces of Antony, whose troops were quickly deserting him even after his initial victory. Antony committed suicide in Cleopatra's tomb shortly after by stabbing himself with a sword.

Cleopatra's life was to be spared by Octavian. However, Cleopatra refused to be seen as a trophy to be paraded around by Octavian in Rome. She committed suicide likely via a poisoned needle or ointment (not by a snakebite). Antony and Cleopatra's death all but formalized Roman control over Egypt in Octavian's possessions.

Answer: Tsunami

In 365, a massive earthquake struck the Greek island of Crete which is nearby Alexandria. The earthquake caused a massive earthquake which destroyed much of Alexandria and killed thousands. A record of the damage was taken by Ammianus Marcellinus, a Roman historian who apparently witnessed the entire event.

The tsunami further exacerbated Alexandria's trouble. In the prior two centuries, the city because a learning and cultural center for Christianity. However as time went on, Romans upped their persecution of Christians which led to Alexandria being something of a black sheep within the empire. The tsunami which damaged the city only sped up the city's decline.

Answer: Amr ibn al-As

Alexandria was briefly taken by Persian forces earlier in the seventh century but the Byzantines quickly reclaimed it. They never reclaimed it from the Arabs led by Amr ibn al-As who seized control of the city after a long siege. Alexandria was of strategic importance because it was seen as the Mediterranean's easternmost city of finance.

After losing Alexandria, the Byzantines controlled no substantial part of the economy along the Mediterranean. This allowed the Arabs, under the government of the Rashidun Caliphate to prosper.

Answer: Mark the Evangelist

Mark the Evangelist is said to have founded the Church of Alexandria in the year 49 AD. The church is considered the most important in all of Africa. Mark was laid to rest within the Church but Christians feared its destruction or vandalization while Alexandria was under Muslim rule. Greek monks stole the body, hid it under pork (to prevent Muslim inspection) and brought it to Venice where it now lays in St. Mark's Basilica.

Answer: During the Crusades

Alexandria's location in Egypt along the Mediterranean made it a convenient stop for crusaders from all over. In addition, it was the perfect trading post as it was located near several different empires.

During the 1150 years from about 650 to 1800, Alexandria was mostly in decline. Earthquakes ravaged the city on a somewhat regular basis and invaders from all over arrived to conquer or destroy the city. By the time of Napoleon's departure in 1800, Alexandria was home to only about 8,000 people, a paltry amount for what used to be a grand city.

Answer: The Rosetta Stone became British property

The 1801 Battle of Alexandria was part of the French Revolutionary Wars in North Africa. The British decisively defeated the French and were able to siege the city shortly afterwards. One of the major issues of the conquest was control over the French archeological findings, including the Rosetta Stone which had been discovered in 1799.

The French had hoped, at the very least, to be able to keep their findings. French General Menou disputed any British claims to the objects and later claimed the British physically stole the Rosetta Stone before any agreement was solidified.

Answer: King Farouk

King Farouk was the Egyptian monarch during World War II. Despite having a close relationship with both the British and Germans, he remained neutral during the war. He was an immensely popular figure in Egypt with the common people until the war. Farouk never abandoned his lavish lifestyle even during blackouts and bombings that greatly affected his people. Notably, he refused to turn the lights off in his palace at Alexandria. This, coupled with his manic belief his queen was having an affair and unable to produce son which led to some unusual behavior, caused his popularity to decline dramatically.

By 1952, the King was widely considered as corrupt and, perhaps, mentally unstable. Gamal Abdel Nasser and Muhammad Naguib led the Egyptian army against Farouk. Farouk was cornered in the Ras El Tin Palace where he was forced to abdicate the throne in favor of his six-month old son Faud II. He was exiled to Italy and the Egyptian monarchy was completely overthrown shortly afterward.

Answer: Khaled Mohamed Saeed

Khaled Mohamed Saeed was in an internet café when two police officers entered the café and beat him to death. It has been alleged that Saeed had incriminating evidence that Alexandria police were engaging in the drug trade.

His death outraged the city and photos of his beaten face were widely circulated on the internet. His death led to massive protests in the city in what are considered one of the first protests in the 2011 Egyptian Revolution that eventually led to the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak. This event was part of the larger Arab Spring that rocked the Middle East in the early 2010s and which led to some democratic reforms in the region.

Another even in the Revolution that struck Alexandria was the January 1, 2011 bombing of the Saints Church which killed 23 Coptic Christians and injured almost one hundred others. The bombing brought together the different religious groups in the city, especially Christians and Muslims.