Alexandria: Past Futures

“Alexandria: Past Futures” revisits the former Egyptian megapolis, founded in 331 BC by Alexander the Great, at the height of its history, highlighting its urban, political and religious organisation and some of the numerous scientific innovations and philosophical expressions that shaped it into one of the ancient world’s civilisational centres.

The publication aims to go beyond the usual stereotypes (Greeks, Egyptians, the Lighthouse, the Library) and to take the visitor on a journey of discovery of an ancient city that is full of nuances. Several recent discoveries have enabled us to refine our knowledge of the city.

By examining multi-layered temporalities, it also echoes dominant accounts of Alexandria as one through which successive civilisations and political formations of the past (Byzantine, Arab, Modern) have rehearsed visions of futures that are either no longer present or remain felt through the city’s material culture and its built environment. A series of contemporary artworks develops a critical and poetic association with all the themes covered throughout the book.