Alexandria

   Chief city of Byzantine Egypt (q.v.). As a cultural center, it had no peer in the East, rivaling Constantinople (q.v.) in every respect. Its university was renowned, and the famous Alexandrine library (destroyed by fire in 476) was the greatest library of the Late Roman world. Its theological school, which emphasized the divinity of Christ, supported the heresies of Monophysitism and Montheletism (qq.v.). The church of Alexandria (q.v.) produced strong bishops, such as Cyril and Athanasios (qq.v.), who often came into conflict with Jews and pagans in the city, as demonstrated by the death of Hypatia (q.v.). The Persians (q.v.) conquered Alexandria briefly in 618 and then again in 629. In 642 it was permanently lost to Byzantium when the Arabs (q.v.) captured it.