The Greek-Roman Museum of Alexandria was founded in 1892 by the kedivè Abbas II and currently has a vibrant collection of artifacts. Only a small part is presented to the public due to lack of space. Some Greek-Roman artifacts, and in particular the collection of moments, were brought here from the then Bulaq Museum (now the Egyptian Museum) in Cairo.
Its 27 rooms and central gardens display objects found in Alexandria and the surrounding areas, documenting the periods of ancient Egyptian, classical and Christian history, recalling the vastness of traditions and the divinities of Greek and later Roman inhabitants and invaders. The vast collection of finds testify to the complex history of the city and illustrate the evolution of the different influences that contributed to the formation of today’s Western culture.
The different sections of the Museum are arranged in chronological order starting from the entrance. Immediately to the left are three heads of Alexander the Great, the founder of the city. Two male busts represent Serapis, a creation typical of Alexandria. The Egyptian elements of the god Osiris join Greek god Dionysus, creating a new divinity that both peoples could venerate.
Mosaic Queen Berenice IIParticularly interesting and appreciated by visitors, the circular mosaic depicting Queen Berenice II, consort of Ptolemy III, king of Egypt from 246 to 221 BC, discovered in Tel-Tamai, in the Delta.
Visiting the Museum, you will meet other legendary figures of the Alexandrian and Roman world: the head made of white marble of Julius Caesar, and in the cosy central garden, fixed to the wall, a supposed head of Mark Antony. Cleopatra, the lover of the two men, is depicted on a silver coin minted under her reign.
The room dedicated to terracotta artifacts presents some contemporary representations of the Lighthouse of Alexandria, found in the city.
After visiting the rooms, the central garden, rich in statues and with the reconstruction of the temple of the crocodile god of al-Fayoum, is also worth a visit.