About - The New Alexandria Foundation

The objective of New Alexandria is to develop and nurture an open environment for learning, teaching, and research about premodern civilizations that is inclusive, collaborative, and restlessly innovative. Instead of flattening the differences between ancient and current ways of representing the world, we seek to see more clearly the lively unfamiliarity of the ancient way. Instead of selectively extracting elements of ancient life from their historical contexts, we seek a holistic approach that is interdisciplinary and that integrates anthropological and other socially-informed methodologies. The basic rationale is that cultural and human differences are “good to think with,” vital for humanism and even for humanity.

For more information, drop us a line at hello@newalexandria.foundation.

October 1, 2023: We are saddened to report that a charter member of our Advisory Board, Gloria Ferarri Pinney, has died. Please see this account of her life and work: https://continuum.fas.harvard.edu/in-memory-of-gloria-ferrari-pinney-1941-2023/