ABSTRACT
Ancient Alexandria has been considered by many scholars as the main centre of ivory carvings in the Mediterranean during the Ptolemaic, Roman and Byzantine periods.1 This opinion was based mainly on literary sources describing the riches of Alexandria, and Ptolemaic Egypt, where ivory symbolized strength, splendour and wealth.2 Archaeological finds, however, are still not able to confirm this, especially as far as Ptolemaic and early Roman times are concerned.3 The late Roman and Byzantine periods are richly represented in Alexandria not by ivory, but by bone carvings, considered by many scholars as substitutes, or copies of unpreserved originals made in ivory.4 However, other scholars hold negative opinions concerning the existence of a school of ivory carvers in ancient Alexandria, primarily due to the lack of stratified material from the city. Ivory objects found in Egypt have often been ascribed to Syria, Palestine, and other eastern Mediterranean centres.5 Consequently, studies of production and distribution of Alexandrian ivory carvings lag far behind other branches of art.
