Alexandria ranked as the ancient world's second greatest city after Rome, home to 500,000 people, a legendary library, and famous lighthouse. Here stood the Caesareum—a temple honoring deified Julius Caesar with grand colonnades, libraries, and banquet halls. Two massive 200-ton obelisks from Heliopolis (Cleopatra's Needles) once flanked its entrance; one now stands in London's Victoria Embankment, the other in NYC's Central Park. Yet the temple itself lies buried beneath Alexandria—guests at the Hotel Metropole literally sleep above its ruins, and the ancient metropolis remains largely hidden under apartments, hotels, and warehouses.
Caesareum of Alexandria: Lost temple of Julius Caesar buried under modern city
Site mentioned
📍 Caesareum of Alexandria
Key facts
- Alexandria was the classical world's second greatest city after Rome with 500,000 inhabitants, a great library, and lighthouse
- The Caesareum was a temple dedicated to the deified Julius Caesar surrounded by a vast colonaded precinct
- The precinct included libraries, banqueting halls, groves, and courts
- Two 200-ton obelisks from Heliopolis (Cleopatra's Needles) framed the entrance
- One obelisk was moved to London in the 19th century, the other to New York
- Colossal foundations were glimpsed in the late 19th century but the site was then built over
- Guests at the Hotel Metropole sleep directly above the ruins of the Caesareum
- The ancient city remains largely covered by modern apartments, hotels, and warehouses
Sources
Caesareum of Alexandria: a Pleiades place resourcepleiades.stoa.org
Hellenistic temple constructed by Cleopatra VII and dedicated to Julius Caesar, and later rededicated by Augustus to himself.
Caesareum - Centre d'Études Alexandrinescealex.org
He built a temple dedicated to the imperial cult, the Caesareum, and in 13 BC he brought from the sanctuary of Heliopolis, which was then in ruins and being ...
The Caesareum of Alexandria in Egypttouregypt.net
It was a lavish temple with porticoes, propylalea, parks and libraries. The temple was rededicated to Caesar Augustus, Mark Antonio's conqueror. With the ...
Caesareum of Alexandria - Roman temple in Alexandria, Egyptaroundus.com
The Caesareum was a large temple complex in Alexandria combining Roman and Egyptian architectural styles through courtyards and rows of ...
THE CAESAREUM OF ALEXANDRIA - Don Dixoncosmographica.com
The Caesareum (or Caesarium) was a temple built by Cleopatra VII to commemorate the deification of her murdered lover Julius Caesar and to honor her husband ...
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