Alexandria’s Golden Age: Trade, Science, and Power in Ptolemaic Egypt
In Conversations with Tyler, Toby Wilkinson surveys Ptolemaic Egypt (332–30 BCE), showing Alexandria as the ancient world’s premier commercial hub built on gold and grain, supported by a vast library and a cosmopolitan, two-tier society of Greek rulers and Egyptian subjects. Cleopatra is highlighted as a significant last ruler who navigated Rome’s rise, while the empire’s growth was constrained by ambition and external competition, leading to eventual Roman conquest and financial overreach. The talk also covers economics (monopolies, taxation), daily life, science and medicine in Alexandria, and the evolving frontiers of archaeology—underwater finds, AI-enabled reading of papyri—promising new insights into this pivotal era.
