Hellenistic Alexandria : Celebrating 24 Centuries : papers presented at the conference held on December 13-15 2017 at Acropolis Museum, Athens

Hellenistic Alexandria: Celebrating 24 Centuries' presents the proceedings of a conference held at the Acropolis Museum in Athens, on December 13–15, 2017, and includes high-level dialogues and philosophical discussions between international experts on Hellenistic Alexandria. The goal was to celebrate the 24 centuries which have elapsed since its foundation and the beginning of the Library and the Museum of Alexandria. The conference was divided into two parts, to include in the first part archaeology, history, philosophy, literature, art, culture and legal issues and in the second part science, medicine, technology and environment. A total of 28 original and peer-reviewed articles point to the importance of the brilliantly-original ideas that emerged during the Hellenistic age and the curious modernity of the whole atmosphere of the time. The range of presented topics covers a variety of new data on the foundation of Alexandria to comparison between Ptolemaic Alexandria and Ptolemaic Greece through philosophy, culture and drama to the forgotten revolution of science, medicine and the prevailing climatological and geophysical conditions throughout the Hellenistic Period. The conference and its proceedings were co-sponsored by the Μarianna V. Vardinoyannis Foundation, the Acropolis Museum, the Alexandria Center for Hellenistic Studies at Bibliotheca Alexandrina and the Mariolopoulos-Kanaginis Foundation for the Environmental Sciences. The Publication also celebrates the 10th anniversary of the Alexandria Center for Hellenistic Studies, a joint collaboration between the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the Vardinoyannis Foundation and the University of Alexandria. Scholars from around the world follow the Center’s programme in various specialisations, ranging from historyliterature- art, to archaeology and architecture-philosophy, and science. Table of Contents Opening of Hellenistic Alexandria Conference Wednesday 13 December 2017 Address by Mrs Marianna V. Vardinoyannis Address by the Honorable Dr Mostafa El Feki Address by Professor Ashraf Farrag Address by Professor Dimitrios Pandermalis Why Hellenistic Alexandria? Address by Professor Christos Zerefos Address by His Beatitude Theodoros II Address by H.E. Prokopios Pavlopoulos Part 1: Archaeology, History, Philosophy, Literature, Art, Cultural Heritage and Legal Issues New data concerning the foundation of Alexandria – by Jean-Yves Empereur The navy of Ptolemaic Alexandria – by Emad Khalil Twenty years of underwater archaeological and geophysical surveys in Alexandria by the Greek Mission (1998-2017) – by Harry E. Tzalas Macedonian elements in Alexandria – by Angeliki Kottaridi The early Greek presence in Alexandria – by M. Abd El–Maksoud, A. Abd El–Fattah and M. Seif El–Din Italian archaeology in Alexandria – by Mohamed Kenawi and Giorgia Marchiori ‘Crumbs from the Table’— archaeological remains of Hellenistic Alexandria – by Grzegorz Majcherek Believing in afterlife in Hellenistic and Roman Alexandria. A study of some funerary paintings – by Anne-Marie Guimier-Sorbets Graeco-Egyptian elements in Alexandrian architectural mouldings – by Mona Haggag Alexandria in the ‘Corpus of Ptolemaic inscriptions’ – by Kyriakos Savvopoulos From Macedonia to Ptolemaic Alexandria: the cult of Dionysos Pseudanor – by Emmanuel Voutiras Hellenistic drama and Alexandrian culture – by Georgia Xanthaki-Karamanou The Alexandrian cradle of philological science – by Theodore D. Papanghelis Egyptian and Egyptiote literature as a bridge between two cultures – by Shaker Moussa From Alexandria to Venice: Remembrances of Alexandria in the cultural treasures of Venice – by Chryssa Maltezou The destruction of libraries in the course of history and the international law on the protection of cultural property in the event of armed conflict – by Artemis Papathanassiou Is the possession of the Parthenon Marbles lawful according to the contemporary English law? – by Christos Mylonopoulos Part 2: Science, Medicine, Technology and Environment A very brief introduction to Hellenistic Alexandrian technology – by T. P. Tassios Royal catasterisms: Arsinoe II and Berenice II translated to the stars – by Dee Clayman Antikythera Mechanism as evidence for Hellenistic technology excellence – by Xenophon Moussas Gigantic and structurally sound: the lighthouse on the island of Pharos and the minarets of western Islam – by Paolo Vitti Philon’s automatic servant. A reconstruction with a description of S. Economopoulos’ air-valve mechanism – by Manolis Korres The Hellenistic mathematician Archimedes and his Renaissance admirer Kepler – by Eberhard Knobloch Ancient Greek optical instruments and the Pharos of Alexandria: insights on its functions and technology – by Moussas, Vitti and Zerefos Space – Time – Matter – Motion: John Philoponus: a prelude to Galileo, Descartes and Newton – by Emmanuel Floratos Hellenistic medicine and the Library of Alexandria: its influence in the west and the east – by George P. Chrousos Palaeoclimatic conditions during the Hellenistic period in the Eastern Mediterranean – by J. Luterbacher and E. Xoplaki A tentative methodology of sea-level change based on fish tanks from Hellenistic Alexandria, vis-a-vis, the submerged el Hassan rock provide a new look for subsidence estimates – by N. Evelpidou, C. Repapis, H. Tzalas and C. Zerefos Hellenistic Alexandria : Celebrating 24 Centuries presents the proceedings of a conference held at the Acropolis Museum in Athens, on December 13–15, 2017, and includes high-level dialogues and philosophical discussions between international experts on Hellenistic Alexandria. The goal was to celebrate the 24 centuries which have elapsed since its foundation and the beginning of the Library and the Museum of Alexandria. The conference was divided into two parts, to include in the first part archaeology, history, philosophy, literature, art, culture and legal issues and in the second part science, medicine, technology and environment. A total of 28 original and peer-reviewed articles point to the importance of the brilliantly-original ideas that emerged during the Hellenistic age and the curious modernity of the whole atmosphere of the time. The range of presented topics covers a variety of new data on the foundation of Alexandria to comparison between Ptolemaic Alexandria and Ptolemaic Greece through philosophy, culture and drama to the forgotten revolution of science, medicine and the prevailing climatological and geophysical conditions throughout the Hellenistic Period. The conference and its proceedings were co-sponsored by the Μarianna V. Vardinoyannis Foundation, the Acropolis Museum, the Alexandria Center for Hellenistic Studies at Bibliotheca Alexandrina and the Mariolopoulos-Kanaginis Foundation for the Environmental Sciences. The Publication also celebrates the 10th anniversary of the Alexandria Center for Hellenistic Studies, a joint collaboration between the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the Vardinoyannis Foundation and the University of Alexandria. Scholars from around the world follow the Center’s programme in various specialisations, ranging from history- literature-art, to archaeology and architecture-philosophy, and science. Cover 1 Copyright page 4 Contents Page 5 Opening of Hellenistic Alexandria Conference 7 Wednesday 13 December 2017 7 Address by Mrs Marianna V. Vardinoyannis 7 Address by the Honorable Dr Mostafa El Feki 9 Address by Professor Ashraf Farrag 11 Address by Professor Dimitrios Pandermalis 13 Why Hellenistic Alexandria? 17 Address by Professor Christos Zerefos 17 Address by His Beatitude Theodoros II 19 Address by H.E. Prokopios Pavlopoulos 21 Archaeology, History, Philosophy, Literature, Art, Cultural Heritage and Legal Issues 25 New data concerning the foundation of Alexandria 27 Jean-Yves Empereur 27 The navy of Ptolemaic Alexandria 37 Emad Khalil 37 Twenty years of underwater archaeological and geophysical surveys in Alexandria by the Greek Mission (1998-2017) 43 Harry E. Tzalas 43 Macedonian elements in Alexandria 63 Angeliki Kottaridi 63 The early Greek presence in Alexandria 75 M. Abd El–Maksoud, A. Abd El–Fattah and M. Seif El–Din 75 Italian archaeology in Alexandria 85 Mohamed Kenawi and Giorgia Marchiori 85 ‘Crumbs from the Table’— archaeological remains of Hellenistic Alexandria 95 Grzegorz Majcherek 95 Believing in afterlife in Hellenistic and Roman Alexandria 111 A study of some funerary paintings 111 Anne-Marie Guimier-Sorbets 111 Graeco-Egyptian Elements in Alexandrian Architectural Mouldings 119 Mona Haggag 119 Alexandria in the ‘Corpus of Ptolemaic inscriptions’ 139 Kyriakos Savvopoulos 139 From Macedonia to Ptolemaic Alexandria: the cult of Dionysos Pseudanor* 157 Emmanuel Voutiras 157 Hellenistic drama and Alexandrian culture 163 Georgia Xanthaki-Karamanou 163 The Alexandrian cradle of philological science 173 Theodore D. Papanghelis 173 Egyptian and Egyptiote literature as a bridge between two cultures 177 Shaker Moussa 177 From Alexandria to Venice: 189 Remembrances of Alexandria in the cultural treasures of Venice 189 Chryssa Maltezou 189 The destruction of libraries in the course of history 197 and the international law on the protection of cultural property in the event of armed conflict 197 Artemis Papathanassiou* 197 Is the possession of the Parthenon Marbles lawful 209 according to the contemporary English law? 209 Christos Mylonopoulos 209 Part 1 25 Part 2 213 Science, Medicine, Technology and Environment 213 A very brief introduction to Hellenistic Alexandrian Technology 215 T. P. Tassios 215 Royal catasterisms: Arsinoe II and Berenice II translated to the stars* 225 Dee Clayman 225 Antikythera Mechanism as evidence for Hellenistic technology excellence1 233 Xenophon Moussas 233 Gigantic and structurally sound: the lighthouse on the island of Pharos 251 and the minarets of western Islam 251 Paolo Vitti 251 Philon’s automatic servant. 263 A reconstruction with a description of S. Economopoulos’ air-valve mechanism 263 Manolis Korres 263 The Hellenistic mathematician Archimedes and his renaissance admirer Kepler 273 Eberhard Knobloch 273 Ancient Greek optical instruments and the Pharos of Alexandria: 279 insights on its functions and technology 279 Space – Time – Matter – Motion: 297 John Philoponus: a prelude to Galileo, Descartes and Newton 297 Emmanuel Floratos 297 Hellenistic medicine and the Library of Alexandria: 301 its influence in the west and the east 301 George P. Chrousos 301 Palaeoclimatic conditions during the Hellenistic period 305 in the Eastern Mediterranean 305 J. Luterbacher and E. Xoplaki 305 A tentative methodology of sea-level change 313 based on fish tanks from Hellenistic Alexandria, vis-a-vis, the submerged el Hassan rock provide a new look for subsidence estimates 313 N. Evelpidou, C. Repapis, H. Tzalas and C. Zerefos 313 Back cover 321 Alexandria,Hellenism,archaeology This proceedings volume includes high-level dialogues and philosophical discussions between international experts on Hellenistic Alexandria. The goal was to celebrate the 24 centuries which have elapsed since its foundation and the beginning of the Library and the Museum of Alexandria.