TWO HELLENISTIC CITIES: ALEXANDRIA AND PERGAMON

​Monday 17 August 2026 5:45 PM - 7:15 PM (UTC+10)
TWO HELLENISTIC CITIES: ALEXANDRIA AND PERGAMON
Presented by James Renshaw
Venue: ANSC Caloundra: Caloundra RSL Functions Room, 19 West Terrace, Caloundra

James takes us on a fascinating journey of Greek art and architecture in the Hellenistic age. In this period, two cities emerged as centres of extraordinary culture and learning. In Egypt, Alexander the Great conceived a vision of a new city to take his name: Alexandria. Meanwhile, in north-west Asia Minor, the Attalid kingdom developed a new capital city, Pergamon, as a cultural centre to rival Alexandria.

This talk explains how these two cities changed the intellectual and artistic landscape and examines their legacy.

With a degree in Classics from Oxford University, James has taught secondary school Classics since 1998, including an early stint at Sydney Grammar. He currently teaches at Godolphin and Latymer in London and runs the school’s Ancient World Breakfast Club.

James has published classics textbooks such as In Search of the Greeks and In Search of the Romans and also lectures for the V&A Academy on the Classical World and its Afterlife courses. He is a keen traveller and photographer of ancient sites.