Posted on 04/21/2006 8:50:42 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
Alexander wasn't quite so great after all. Sure, he conquered most of the world known to the ancient Greeks, but he didn't found the Egyptian city of Alexandria - he just rebranded it. It now seems that this part of the Nile has been settled for at least 4500 years, pre-dating Alexander's arrival by a good two millennia.
Alain Véron from the Paul Cézanne University in Aix-en-Provence, France, and colleagues made the discovery by measuring the variations in lead concentration in a mud core from Alexandria's ancient harbour. They determined how lead levels had changed over time by carbon-dating seashells found in the core.
Clear pulses of lead contamination occurred between 2686 and 2181 BC and then again from 1000 to 800 BC. The researchers conclude that these peaks were associated with human activities such as plumbing, fishing, building and ship-building. This is supported by ancient texts, which mention a settlement named Rhakotis (Geophysical Research Letters, DOI: 10.1029/2006GL025824).
Lead levels rocketed around 330 BC when Alexander the Great arrived, and got higher by the time of the Roman empire about 400 years later. The work should settle a long-running debate over the founding of the city based on literary evidence.
(Excerpt) Read more at newscientist.com ...
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Why is that not surprising?
"Alexander wasn't quite so great after all. Sure, he conquered most of the world known to the ancient Greeks, but he didn't found the Egyptian city of Alexandria - he just rebranded it."
Didn't even know there was a controversy going on. According to the, History of Greece I had in college, he conquered Alexandria, which was already in existence. So, I'm wondering, who's questioning this. Anyway, Alexandria has been around for a long, long, long time. Just like Persia(Iran, Iraq...) was around for a long, long time.
Evidently, an individual who considers himself worthy of minimizing Alexander's accomplishments is questioning this. Actually, this little mind has found a tiny point upon which to construct buzzword journalism, with which to inject himself into events far above his station.
Evidently.
Evidently, an individual who considers himself worthy of minimizing Alexander's accomplishments is questioning this. Actually, this little mind has found a tiny point upon which to construct buzzword journalism, with which to inject himself into events far above his station.
Evidently.
Evidently, my dewclaw caught on the keyboard again.
That's ruff. It drives me barking mad when it happens to me, too.
That's the leash of your worries.
As with anything else, as long as it doesn't lessen our appetite, or joy of life, we must take it in stride.
If it does afflict us, well, we must do the usual thing....eat it.
Me go through a lot of keyboards. Better that than over-trim my natural weaponry. They are hard on my Yo-Yo strings too, but formidable tools when needed...or just desired, for fun.
"Cry, and the world pays no attention. Bark, and the Postman cringes."
I love that part.
Bet you do too.
Who wouldn't???!!!!
Some people I know have ten of them, and counting; but us mutt-types just ain't equiped.
It is a hugh & series problem that not even Alexander could cut his way through.
We demand reparations.........
....from the can opener industry!!!!!!!!!!
I guess appeals to St Bernard won't help...
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