Bettany Hughes explores the world of Ancient Alexandria in the first episode of her Ancient World's series.  She explores the rise and fall of the greatest city.

Alexandria was founded by Alexander the Great and was the place where East and West met.  The ancient city is well hidden by the modern city and one has to dig to find the story of Alexandria.  It was an ancient city were the people took the best part of a variety of cultures and put them together.  The city put a value on wisdom and was determined to collect the world's wisdom into one place.  The city was founded in the in between times, between the fall of Greece and the rise of Rome.

When Alexander the Great got to the place that would be known as Alexandria, he built a causeway out to Pharos island, implemented city planning and created a harbor which made Alexandria one of the busiest harbors in the world.  He won over the Egyptian people by adopting to their culture.  The Ptolemy Family eventually take over and then the city fell to Rome.

Alexandria emphasized learning and collecting knowledge.  There were places that allowed teachers to lecture students.  Bettany Hughes introduces the audience to Hypatia on of the last female philosophers that Alexandria produced.  She redesigned the Astrolabe.  Alexandria was the place where teachers and philosophers could come together, work together and exchange their thoughts.  The scale of Alexandria's ambition to collect the world's knowledge was unprecedented and bold.

It all came crashing down.  With a city where ideas flew, someone was bound to become offended.  The Library was destroyed and philosophers were killed.

For use in the classroom: just highlight, copy and paste into a word document or a google document for use in the classroom.  You can easily format these questions to your specifications.  All questions should fit onto one page after formatting. Each student should find at least three things to learn about from the presentation.

You can find the link for the YouTube video here.

Alexandria Questions:

1. What mixture of cultures came together in Alexandria?
2. Where did Alexandria put it’s greatest value?
3. Who founded Alexandria?
4. Which civilization was the most respected civilization?
5. How did Alexander the Great lay out the city?
6. List Three Things You’ve Learned About the City of Alexandria:

          a.
          b.
          c.

Alexandria Answers:

1. What mixture of cultures came together in Alexandria? - Egyptian, Greek, Roman
2. Where did Alexandria put it’s greatest value? - Wisdom
3. Who founded Alexandria? - Alexander the Great
4. Which civilization was the most respected civilization? - Egyptian
5. How did Alexander the Great lay out the city? - In a grid
6. List Three Things You’ve Learned About the City of Alexandria:

          a.
          b.
          c.

Professor Joann Fletcher explores the history of Eqypt's queens focusing on Hetepheres, Hatshepsut, Nefertari, and Arsinoe.  This is a fascinating look at the women who took part in government life in Ancient Eqypt.

She first explores the story of Osris and Isis and their stories.  Fletcher explores Hetepheres first, as she was the mother of the Pharaoh.  Her tomb reveals that she's was the beloved mother of the Pharaoh and that she was a royal woman who was taken care of really well.

Hatshepsut was one of the first female pharaohs who ruled ancient Egypt, she brought Egypt glory through exploration, trade and monument building.  She defended her people in battle and protected her kingdom.   Her pharaohship was virtually erased by her stepson.

Nefertari was the wife of Ramses II, part of a "royal double act," in Fletcher's words. She was a royal diplomat abroad and the perfect wife at home.  She supported her husband in his duties and was beloved by the pharaoh.  Her tomb was one of the most beautiful in all of ancient Egypt and her husband is not found in it.

Arsinoe came from the Ptlomey's.  She was sent off to Greece to be married, but fled when the marriage turned sour.  She married her brother and became Pharaoh on her father's death.  She introduced coinage to Egypt and turned Egypt's fortunes around.  She respected the women who came before her and took the crowns of Hetepheres, Nefertari, Hatshepsut, and Alexander the Great.  Cleopatra took her inspiration from this lady.

This is an excellent episode to show while there is a sub in the classroom at the start of the year when the students are studying Ancient Egypt.  Fletcher is very knowledgeable on her subjects and is an enthusiastic presenter.  

That said, if you don't have time to show the whole documentary, then show the part of Hatshepsut, it will give the students the gist of who she was about.

For use in the classroom just copy and paste into a word document or GoogleDoc or Google Classroom Document.  Format the way you want it to format.  All questions should fit onto one page with enough space for the student to write down their answers.

You can find the link for the YouTube Video here.

Egypt's Lost Queens Questions:

1. Who were the four queens Joann explored?
   
2. Who were the brother-sister gods who were the top gods?
3. Who was Kufu’s mother?
4. What was special about her tomb?
5. Who was the ultimate royal builder and warrior?
6. What did Hatshepsut wear to show that she was pharaoh?
7. Who was Nefertari married to?
8. Who was the god Nefertari wanted to be in the company of?
9. Who’s legacy did Arsinoe build on?
10. Where was Arsinoe’s Capital?

Egypt's Lost Queens Answers:

1. Who were the four queens Joann explored?  - Hetepheres, Hatshepsut, Nefertari, and Arsinoe
   
2. Who were the brother-sister gods who were the top gods?  - Osiris
   
3. Who was Kufu’s mother? - Hetepheres
4. What was special about her tomb? - First intact royal tomb
5. Who was the ultimate royal builder and warrior - Hatshepsut
6. What did Hatshepsut wear to show that she was pharaoh? - A beard, a crown, and regalia
7. Who was Nefertari married to? - Ramses II
8. Who was the god Nefertari wanted to be in the company of? - Thoth
9. Who’s legacy did Arsinoe build on? - Alexander the Great
10. Where was Arsinoe’s Capital? - Alexandria