After two centuries^[1]http://www.timemaps.com/history/ancient-egypt-500bc (off and on) as a province of the Persian empire, Egypt was conquered by Alexander the Great.^[2]http://www.timemaps.com/history-middle-east-200bc After his death in 323 BC, Egypt passed into the hands of his general, Ptolemy, and his descendants.

Under them, Egypt has become the wealthiest and most highly organized of the “Hellenistic” kingdoms. Although the Ptolemaic monarchs have adopted the traditional titles of the ancient pharaohs, and they worship Egyptian gods, the ruling class is largely of Greek origin, and has a Greek-speaking, Hellenistic culture.

On the coast, Alexandria is the largest and wealthiest city in the Greek-speaking world, and, with its magnificent library, is one of the leading centres of Hellenistic civilization.^[3]http://www.timemaps.com/civilization/Hellenistic-period