Customer Reviews

The Rise and Fall of Alexandria: Birthplace of the Modern Mind

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is not a scholarly work nor is it intended to be. The authors are television producers, not historians, and there are no footnotes. Still they provide a good overview of Alexandria.

As an academic at heart I have always been fascinated by the idea of a city set up to pursue learning for the sake of learning. The rulers wanted to put Alexandria on the map and to attract the best and the brightest to the city, and it never occurred to anyone that practical use might be made of the cumulative knowledge. To many, like Archimedes, the very thought of practical applications was repugnant.

There are a number of small deficiencies in the book whose cumulative impact is mildly annoying, enough to subtract a star.

There is way too much use of superlatives. This is totally unnecessary. The reader does not need to be banged over the head with the signficance of the events.

The book occasionally goes off on tangents and when it does the authors put themseleves on shaky ground. They go on at length about the philosophy of Plato and mention the influence of Heraclitus without mentioning the equal and opposing influence of Parmenides.

The authors make it seem as if the mathematics behind Eratosthenes' measure of the Earth's circumference is very complex. It does not diminish his accomplishment at all that the geometry involved is rather straightforward, as could have been shown by a simple diagram. Some diagrams of Hero's devices would also have been helpful.

I am guessing that the authors are not particularly strong in science and math. They mention that the information in the epitaph of Diophantus can be turned into a pair of simultaneous equations by those with "mathematical talents." Actually, the infomation is easily turned into a single simple equation by anyone with a basic knowledge of algebra.

The mathematician Apollonius of Perga is mentioned only in passing without reference to his important work on conic sections.

Most significantly there is little description of daily life in Alexandria or of the influence of the library on the rest of the city. There is also little description of what life was like inside the library.

Still I recommend the book for a quick view of Alexandrian history. My appetite has been whetted and I plan to use the biblography to learn more about the city.

An outstanding book written about Alexandria Egypt. There are barely any books written on this old and historical city.
Having lived there for 30 years,it certainly appealed to me to purchase this book.
Rise and Fall of Alexandria is not only about the Ptolomies,and the library of Alexandria,or the Roman Empire.
It is the history of: philosophy,mathematics,geopgraphy,astrology,medicine,and all the intellectual minds that were born,and came to research study and die in Alexandria.
The beginning of Christianity,the translation of the Bible from Hebrew to Greek,what was Christianity and Judaism seen from the eyes of the intellectual Philosophers in Alexandria.
Who created the Pharos of Alexandria one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world.
Who created roads,palaces, gardens,and libraries.How it all started and how it all ended.

It is a very easy book to read,with so much knowledge,that it would have certainly been kept in the old Alexandria Library had it survived the fire.

A must read for those who like ancient history.

I am not a scientist and know enough math to barely negotiate my check book, but that is perhaps why I find this book so fine. I am a college professor and use many sources to inspire my students. This book is written with wonderful fluidity. It does not insult the reader, yet it reads with great grace and style covering almost a thousand years of history of this great city. If you are not familiar with ancient Alexandria, I highly recommend this for learning about the amazing discoveries and creativity of learning that was the foundation of many of the great sciences that rival ancient Greece. And how much knowledge was lost when the library in the Museum of Alexandria was destroyed. Enthusiastically recommended.

I just finished reading "The Rise and Fall of Alexandria - Birthplace of the Modern World," and I want to start over again. When I read that the authors were television producers on the inside front page, it was difficult for me to believe that it was the only career they had. In fact, both men are anthropologists (Justin Pollard is an anthropologist and archeologist) educated at Cambridge.

They took what could have been a stuffy and dry subject and made it sing, gave it wings and inspired me to want to read more. There was only one frustrating omission in the book and that was there were no maps. While reading, I could only visualize the map of the world that was created by Herodotus. Fortunately, I found a book by Michael Grant, "The Atlas of Classical History from 1700 B.C. to 565 A.D.," that I had had for years, which has a map of the world drawn by Herodotus.

The best part of this book is how well the authors humanized those historical individuals whose contributions to the city of Alexandria made it the great center of learning and culture it came to be. I would recommend it for high school students who are thinking of going into the sciences. I believe it will give them a great sense of reverence for the commitment the early Greek scientists, artists and philosophers had and how much of an impact they made upon the world. And, it will give further insight as to why Carl Sagan bemoaned the rise of Christianity which occured paradoxically in Alexandria.

Well written, interesting, and engaging! Covers a wide range of scientific learning and philosophical thought. I've heard a lot about the library in Alexandria, but had no idea of it's real significance.

This is a wonderful book. It charts the history of Alexandria from its inception in the fourth century BC to its tragic demise about a millennium later. The authors describe the great advances made within the walls of this intellectual capital of the ancient world in the fields of science, astronomy, mathematics, geography, medicine, philosophy, religion, etc. They also introduce the reader to the many luminaries who contributed to these giant steps in human knowledge. The great Alexandrian library, the museum and the incomparable Pharos are all discussed here as well. The writing style is clear, friendly and quite captivating. This major contribution to the literature on ancient history aimed at the non-specialist will surely be savored by general readers and completely devoured by ancient history buffs. One can only imagine what the world would be like today if Alexandria had continued to prosper from its peak during the earlier parts of the Ptolemaic dynasty to today.

Rise and Fall of Alexandria: Birthplace of the Modern Mind. - Justin Pollard (2006) *****
For me this was a fabulous introduction to Classical civilization. I sought it out because I wanted to know what was lost at the great library of Alexandria. This book answered my question past my greatest hopes. Not only did I learn the answer to my question, but I learned more about Jewish, Persian, Greek, Roman, and Christian history than I have ever learned in one place. And I was introduced to some of the most interesting historical figures I have ever heard of. Understanding the history of Alexandria seems to be a key to understanding a world's transition from pre-historic to modern. I invested my time well.

For those interested in the history of Alexandria, a city that has had a major impact on both the ancient as well as the modern world, this book is a must read. The Ancient World is one of my favourite subjects, and this book did not disappoint. The writing style was engaging and insightful- a pleasure to read. I would strongly recommend it to anyone interested in the subject. In fact I just bought a copy as a Christmas present for my father.

This is a very well-written, enjoyable book about one of my favorite periods in history. The ancient city of Alexandria saw the development of algebra, geometry, a prototype of a steam engine and various other examples of unfettered human intelligence at its best. The book chronicles the struggle between those who think and enjoy learning about the world and those who find such inquiry unsettling and instead retreat into hierarchical lives, whether religious or martial.

It's sad to contemplate how much was lost when its wonderful library was gradually destroyed. The potential for an industrial revolution 2000 years before its time was there, just waiting to be grasped. I highly recommend this book to anyone interesting in reliving the vibrant years in ancient Alexandria that tapped into human potential at its best. Inspiring and depressing at the same time, but well worth your time.

A forty-storey lighthouse straight out of George Lucas's imagination - but it did exist 2000 years ago, mathematical formulae measuring the Earth's circumference to unbelievable accuracy based on a well and a stick, a long-lost library including theories about the world not being flat written millenia before the Catholic Church condeded the point, and an accessible turn of phrase make this a good read for students or fans of the ancient world, that criss-cross of Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Jewish, Christian and Muslim civilisations.