Alexandria

City on the Egyptian coast founded by Alexander the Great in 332 BC and seat of the Ptolemaic dynasty. The Ptolemies successfully preserved its independence from Egypt proper, but used Egyptian wealth to make it one of the most flourishing cities of the ancient Mediterranean. Its museum and library made it a center for mathematicians, scientists and poets. Alexandria was incorporated into the Roman empire, along with the rest of Egypt, in 30 BC, after the death of the last Ptolemaic queen, Cleopatra.