Alexandria's Impact On Modern Culture

Alexandria has had a profound effect on modern culture because they had an incredibly large and successful city, made great scientific advancements, and was the center for glassmaking. These are all things that apply to today’s society. In the modern era, many of the capitals for regions and countries are often large and beautiful cities. Along with this, the current age is perhaps the golden age of technological advancements. Lastly, glass is still one of the most used and useful products in the world.

The first reason that Alexandria has had such a lasting impact on today’s society was because it was such a large and grand city. In fact, it was the largest and richest city in the eastern region of the Roman Empire. In fact, it was one of

the few cities in the empire that had many of the public buildings made of marble. Also, it was one of the first cities to incorporate a grid system into its infrastructure. Furthermore, Alexandria was in several ways the go-to city of the eastern Roman Empire. It was so popular that it had thousands of ships come to visit the city every year. But these ships wouldn’t just come for the view of the city or wonderful harbor, they would come to visit for several reasons. One of them were because it was one of the main cities to go to for studies, like America is the main country to go to for college. And it was an incredible trade spot. Some of the items traded in Alexandria were bronze statues, wood, marble, papyrus, glass, clothes, cotton, skins, muslins, silks, brass, copper, iron, gold, silver, tin, axes, adzes, ivory, turtle shells, rhino horn, wine, olive oil, sesame oil, rice, honey, and wheat.

Another reason that Alexandria’s culture has affected modern society in a major way was because of its advancements in technology and science.

Perhaps one of the greatest accomplishments of the 3rd century was made by Eratosthenes, who calculated the circumference of the earth within 300 miles of its actual distance. Also, the Alexandrians made great leaps forward in the field of medicine. Hippocrates, who is regarded as the father of modern medicine wrote 53 books on medicine. Later, Herophilus became the first to dissect a human corpse and document in great detail the inside of a human body. Furthermore, he and almost all Egyptian, Greek, and Roman doctors put great stress on the importance of hygiene, diet, exercise and bathing, which are still some of the foundations of modern health. However, the greatest overall advancements that the Alexandrians made great were technological advancements. One man who helped move technology of the ancient world forward the most was Hero, who invented the water clock and the steam turbine. Some of the inventions created by the Alexandrians are still used today, such as levers, pulleys, pumps, screws, springs, and

valves.

The final reason that the Alexandrians have had such a profound effect on modern society is because they were the first to mass produce one of the most useful products, even in modern day: glass.

At first, glass was considered to be even as valuable as some of the most precious jewels. However, it was very expensive to make and had little use. Some of the first glass-making methods included wrapping molten glass around a clay coil then cutting away the excess, or casting and cutting, which consisted of casting molten glass into a mold in the shape of the object, when it cooled, the excess was cut away. However, all of these methods were time-consuming, and the glass usually broke. These first two methods also only produced small products like perfume bottles and cups. However when glass-blowing came out, which was when a glob of molten glass was put on the end of a hollow metal tube, then blown and shaped, glass prices were substantially lowered. This allowed glass to be mass produced around the world. Glass products quickly spread from Alexandria to Italy, Gaul, and the Rhineland. Glass was so popular because it had so many different uses: from perfume bottles to containers to plates and bowls to windows (both clear and stained glass) to glasses to statues. Furthermore, they used glass in a way it had never been used before: for worship. They made glass statues, idols, and artifacts to many gods; particularly to one god: Isis. The Egyptians worshipped her as the devoted

wife and loving mother and for her power to give new life. They believed that she flooded the Nile River every year, which allowed Egypt to be a prosperous country. On her festival day: March 5th, her statue was carried to the bay, where they sent out many ships filled with trading goods across the Mediterranean Sea. After this, the statue was taken back to her temple.

That is how the Alexandrians have had such a lasting impact on the world today. Their technological and medical advancements, along with their modern-style cities and glassmaking, have become some of the foundations for how things are done. Even over two millennia later, in the 21st century.