A. A. Belov

Ancient Alexandria as the centre of maritime innovations

Alexandria’s maritime destiny was naturally predetermined by its excellent geographical position at the confluence of the two worlds. It was here that the waters of the Nile mingled with the Sea and here the Egyptian culture, riverine in its origins, mingled with the maritime world of the Greeks. The Ptolemaic dynasty was based on the principles of the thalassocracy that manifested itself in almost every aspect of the Egyptian state and was represented by the legendary Pharos through seventeen centuries.
This article is an attempt to evaluate the contribution of the city to the global development of navigation and seafaring in the ancient world. The Alexandrian traces of some of these inventions currently remain implicit; however, they were equally included in the discussion in hope that future research will bring more light on their origins.

Keywords:
Alexandria, marine engineering, ancient seafaring, shipbuilding.

Original language — English.

DOI: 10.24412/2686-9276-2020-00007.

Referring: Belov А. А. Ancient Alexandria as the centre of maritime innovations // Egypt and neighbouring countries 3 (2020): 28–48. DOI: 10.24412/2686-9276-2020-00007.

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