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Alexandria

Past Futures
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Founded in 331 BC by Alexander the Great, Alexandria explores the rich history and cultural evolution of this ancient Egyptian megapolis. Moving beyond familiar tales of the Greeks, the Lighthouse, and the Library, it offers a nuanced journey into the city's unique urban, political, and religious fabric. The book uncovers recent discoveries and revisits Alexandria's layered history, from its classical origins through Byzantine, Arab, and modern influences, highlighting how these eras have shaped its material culture and built environment. Featuring contemporary artworks, it links past and present in a poetic dialogue.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$10799
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book will appeal to readers interested in arts and culture, history enthusiasts, students of classical civilisation, and those curious about the intersections of art, archaeology, and urban development in ancient cities.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Founded in 331 BC by Alexander the Great, Alexandria’s unique urban, political and religious organisation evolved alongside the numerous scientific innovations and philosophical expressions that shaped the city into one of the ancient world’s civilisational centres.

Located at the intersection of art and history, this book revisits the former Egyptian megapolis of Alexandria with the aim of going beyond the usual depictions of the city – focusing on the Greeks, the Egyptians, the Lighthouse and the Library – to take a journey of discovery into an ancient city that is full of nuance.

Several recent discoveries have enabled us to refine our knowledge of the lost city of Alexandria. By examining the city’s multi-layered temporalities, this book echoes dominant accounts of Alexandria as a city 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 Alexandria’s remaining material culture and built environment.

This book also features a series of contemporary artworks which develop a critical and poetic association with the themes it covers.

Exhibition Schedule:

BOZAR, Centre for Fine Arts, Brussels: 29/09/2022 – 08/01/2023

MUCEM, Musée des Civilisations de l’Europe et de la Méditerranée, Marseille: 08/02/2022 – 08/05/2023

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780300270181

Publisher: Yale University Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 10 January 2023

Country: United States

Imprint: Yale University Press

Illustration: 170 color + b-w illus.

Contributors:

  • Edited by Arnaud Quertinmont
  • Edited by Nicolas Amoroso
  • Edited by Edwin Nasr

Audience: Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Width: 216.0mm

Height: 267.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 240

About the Author

Arnaud Quertinmont is curator of Egyptian and Near Eastern antiquities at the Royal Museum of Mariemont, Belgium
Nicolas Amoroso is curator of Greek and Roman antiquities at the Royal Museum of Mariemont, Belgium
Edwin Nasr is an independent writer and curator
Sarah Rifky is a curatorial advisor and curator at the Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University and PhD candidate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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