ABSTRACT
As the vitality of the Lyceum declined, a new center of scholarship was established by the Ptolemies of Alexandria, heirs to the conquests of Alexander the Great (356-323 B.C.), the ruler of Macedonia who had once been Aristotle’s student. The ascent of Macedonia, once a poor and backward province, began in earnest during the reign of Alexander’s father Philip (393-336 B.C.). After conquering his barbarian neighbors and the city-states of Greece, Philip was killed by an assassin. Alexander, who was only 20 when his father died, efficiently disposed of rival claimants to the throne, defeated the Persians, conquered Egypt and Babylonia, and invaded India. Alexander’s military forces were followed by a little army of scholars and historians, botanists and geographers, engineers and surveyors. His campaigns thus produced a wealth of information on the resources, natural history, and geography of the conquered areas. Before reaching his thirty-third birthday, Alexander fell ill with a fever and died. Immediately after his death his generals struggled for control of the army and the conquered territories. Ultimately, the Empire was divided among three successors: Antigonus Cyclops (382-301 B.C.) took Macedonia, Greece, and parts of Europe; Seleucus Nicator (356-281 B.C.) was awarded the Asiatic region; and Ptolemy Soter (367-283 B.C.) ruled over Egypt. The dynasty of the Ptolemies lasted for about 250 years and had the most lasting effect on the history of the sciences. Ptolemy Soter, like Alexander, had studied with Aristotle. Ptolemy arranged for Aristotle’s disciple Strato to tutor his son Philadelphus, who became Ptolemy II. The city of Alexandria in Egypt, symbolized by the lighthouse that was one of the seven wonders of the world, became the intellectual capital of the world. Scholars, poets, and philosophers came from Athens, as well as distant parts of the Empire. The confluence of cultures provided apparently created an intellectual climate that resulted in a burst of scientific and technical innovations.
