Alexandria
Alexandria was a Grecian city (PROSE: Doctor Who: The Encyclopedia [+]Loading...["Doctor Who: The Encyclopedia (2011 reference book)"]) on the coast of Egypt, which was famously home to the Library of Alexandria. (AUDIO: The Library of Alexandria [+]Loading...["The Library of Alexandria (audio story)"])
It was located on the Mediterranean Sea at the end of the Nile Delta. A hundred miles or so from Alexandria were the Great Pyramids and the Sphinx. (PROSE: The Ruby's Curse [+]Loading...["The Ruby's Curse (novel)"])
History[[edit] | [edit source]]
Foundation[[edit] | [edit source]]
Alexandria was built by Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC. Ptolemy Lagus thought it one of his most brilliant creations. After the death of Alexander in 323 BC, Ptolemy planned to return to Alexandria, intending to also build the largest library in the world in Alexander's honour. (AUDIO: Farewell, Great Macedon [+]Loading...["Farewell, Great Macedon (audio story)"]) Indeed he eventually returned to the city, from which he ruled all of Egypt as its King. (PROSE: The Book of Shadows [+]Loading...["The Book of Shadows (short story)"])
Also during the reign of Ptolemy I, Astrolabus helped build a lighthouse in the city, taking fire from the Sun and stars to do so. Spacecraft came from space to the city, and it became a crossroads in time and space for such visitors. They sought Voyager's star charts, but adepts in sorcery called upon chthonic winds and fled with the charts. With the city's fall and the conjunction of Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, creatures from the depths of the sea, including the Kraken, rose and destroyed what remained of Alexandria. (COMIC: Voyager [+]Loading...["Voyager (comic story)"])
1st century BC[[edit] | [edit source]]
In 48 BC, the Fourth Doctor took Sharon Davies to the city on what she termed "a study break". (AUDIO: Doctor Who and the Star Beast [+]Loading...["Doctor Who and the Star Beast (audio story)"])
In 30 BC, Alexandria, along with the rest of Egypt, was conquered by Octavian, making it a province of Rome. Cleopatra's death occurred in the city. Alexandria had a population of around 600,000 people during this time. A few weeks later, River Song arrived in the city from 1939 New York City, where she found a dying Ventrion. (PROSE: The Ruby's Curse [+]Loading...["The Ruby's Curse (novel)"])
In the Roman Empire[[edit] | [edit source]]
In the 4th century AD, the city was a hotbed of politico-religious intrigue. Two schools of thought — one represented by Alexander of Alexandria and the other by Arius — struggled for predominance in the Christian church. The row became so fractious that the Roman Emperor Constantine had to step in and call a Council at Nicaea to settle things and restore order to the church and the empire. At issue was the question of whether Jesus Christ was literally created by God, or whether, as part of a Holy Trinity, the two were aspects of the same entity. Alexandria and its place in the debate were so well known that even common folk in Nicaea knew of it. (AUDIO: The Council of Nicaea [+]Loading...["The Council of Nicaea (audio story)"])
By the early 5th century, the city was under occupation, at least according to Hypatia. the First Doctor, Susan, Ian and Barbara spent a few weeks in the city. During their time, the Doctor, Susan and Barbara spent their time seeing plays, including those by Sophocles. Meanwhile, Ian spent a large part of his time in the Library of Alexandria, sometimes in the company of the mathematician Hypatia. At the culmination of their visit, the Mim arrived at the city to retrieve a book they had left behind. In order to prevent the knowledge held in this book from influencing human history, they opted to destroy the great library. (AUDIO: The Library of Alexandria [+]Loading...["The Library of Alexandria (audio story)"])
Later history[[edit] | [edit source]]
By the 20th century, much of the ancient city of Alexandria was under water, making archaeology difficult. (PROSE: The Ruby's Curse [+]Loading...["The Ruby's Curse (novel)"])
Undated accounts[[edit] | [edit source]]
The Doctor had a bit of a chequered history with the Library of Alexandria. On one occasion, the Fourth Doctor was forcibly ejected from after shelving the Dead Sea Scrolls improperly. (PROSE: Eye of Heaven [+]Loading...["Eye of Heaven (novel)"]) On another, the Seventh Doctor saved two Aristophanes plays from the burning of the library. (PROSE: Timewyrm: Apocalypse [+]Loading...["Timewyrm: Apocalypse (novel)"])
Alternate timeline[[edit] | [edit source]]
In an alternate timeline in 331 BC, the First Doctor, Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright visited the city. The main thoroughfare was Canopic Way. When the timeline was reverted, they never landed in that time and hence their visit was erased from time. (PROSE: The Book of Shadows [+]Loading...["The Book of Shadows (short story)"])
