Alexander's Legacy - Greeks in Egypt

Cultural exchange

To coincide with the exhibition on Alexander the Great (356 - 323 BC) in the Hermitage Amsterdam, the Allard Pierson Museum presents Alexander's Legacy - Greeks in Egypt. The exhibition shows the impact Alexander the Great had on Egyptian politics and society. He brought elements of Western culture to the East as well as elements of Eastern culture to the West. Alexander's Legacy looks at this cultural blending of peoples and cultures.

New impulses for art, technology and science

The exhibition focuses on Egypt, because that is where Alexander's legacy left its clearest and most widespread marks. The fusion of centuries-old cultures produced a renewed élan and provided new impulses for art, technology and science. The Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt endured until 30 BC, when the last pharaoh of Egypt, the famous Cleopatra, lost her power to the Romans. However, Alexander's legacy was not lost, making its mark on the Roman Empire and Europe.