ABSTRACT
The study of ancient Alexandria has been dominated by classical scholars who have, naturally, focused on its renown as a leading city of the Hellenistic world. The Hellenized image of the god, and the presence of Greek-style portraits, supports the idea that the rulers wished to be seen to fulfil roles in traditions. During the second and first centuries BC there are considerable developments in both the Greek- and Egyptian-style royal portraiture of male and female rulers. The chapter explores the possibility that reflects the presence of an Egyptian population established in the area. The island of Pharos and the limestone ridge on the mainland opposite are among the few suitable sites for pre-Ptolemaic settlement. The excavations around the island of Pharos revealed several Pharaonic-style representations, including earlier statuary mainly from the Nineteenth to the Twenty-Sixth Dynasty alongside images of Ptolemaic rulers.
