Rhakotis

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Rhakotis, or Râ-Kedet, was the original name of the city of Alexandria on the northern coast of Egypt, before it was renamed by Alexander the Great. New evidence suggests that Alexander was not the founder of the city of Alexandria but rather its renovator — the city is thought to have existed nearly two millennia before it was conquered. Alexandria was planned by Dinocrates, an experienced Greek architect and city planner from Rhodes, who modeled the new city after the Hellenistic architectural style popular in the Greek world at the time. The newly designed infrastructure was so large that it absorbed the original fishing village, Rhakotis. This ancient settlement still sits at the center of Alexandria and is known as Kom-El-Dikka.

Continuing maritime archaeology in the harbour of Alexandria, started in 1994, has revealed details of Rhakotis before the arrival of Alexander.

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Last updated on Thursday December 06, 2007 at 11:55:38 PST (GMT -0800)
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