Page:General History of Europe 1921.djvu/165

 Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic Age 109 world. Along the harbors stretched the extensive Alexandrian docks, where ships which had braved the Atlantic storms off the coasts of Spain and Africa 'moored beside oriental craft which had penetrated even to the gates of the Indian Ocean. From far across the sea the mariners approaching at night could catch the light of a lofty beacon shining from a gigantic lighthouse tower which marked the entrance to the harbor of Alexandria. From the deck of a great merchant ship of over four thousand tons the incoming traveler might look cityward past the lighthouse and beyond the great war fleet of the Ptolemies and see, embow- ered in the rich green masses of tropical verdure, the magnificent marble buildings of Alexandria: the royal palace, the museum, the gymnasiums, baths, stadiums, assembly hall, concert hall, market places, and basilicas, all. surrounded by the residence quarters of the citizens. Unfortunately not one of the splendid buildings of ancient Alexandria still stands. 169. Scientific Advance ; Archimedes. The keen intelligence of this wonderful age was everywhere evident. Some interesting inventions were made ; for example, the screw and the cogwheel. One of the famous feats of the great scientist Archimedes was his arrangement of a series of pulleys and levers which so multiplied power that he was able by turning a light crank to launch a large three-masted ship standing fully loaded on the dock. After witnessing such feats as this the people easily believed his proud boast, " Give me a place to stand on and I will move the earth." But Archimedes was far more than an inventor of practical appli- ances. He was a scientific investigator of the first rank, the dis- coverer of what we now call "specific gravity." Besides his skill in physics he was also the greatest of ancient mathematicians. 170. The Alexandrian Scientists. Although Archimedes lived in Syracuse he was in close correspondence with his friends in Alexandria, who formed the greatest body of scientists in the ancient world. They lived together at the Museum, a sort of university where they were paid salaries and supported by the Ptolemies. They formed the first scientific institution founded and supported by a government. They were the forerunners of