The Pillar Of Shame: Diocletian’s Victory Over Human Knowledge

#summervacay Alexandria, Egypt • Founded 246 BC • Destroyed 391 AD *"Ptolemy III’s backup library for scrolls too hot for the main vault. Reduced to one defiant pillar, 15 pigeon-stained steps, and the ghost of Hypatia screaming into Mediterranean winds. Now: a $3 taxi bribe from oblivion."* CORE IDENTITY Scholarly Sacrilege: Satellite of the Great Library → housed forbidden texts (alchemy, heretical star charts). Contradictions: Sanctuary of Serapis (man-made god) vs. Christian lynch mobs • Granite grandeur vs. rubble field. Ultimate Irony: Pillar of Pompey → misnamed Roman general’s tribute → actually Diocletian’s victory column over Alexandria. THE DESCENT (Into Academic Massacre) Approach Ritual: ⦿ Taxi drops you mid-slum → "Pillar! Pompey! $20!" → walk past goat-butcher alleys → staircase emerges like a broken tooth. ⦿ Soundtrack: Street hawkers ("Cold water! Fake coin!") • Bus brakes shrieking • Pigeon wings clapping. Ruins Walkthrough: ⦿ The Stump: 15 steps → all that remains of the temple platform → glass shards (sacrificial bottle rituals). ⦿ Pompey’s Pillar: 30m of red Aswan granite → dedicated to Diocletian → stolen from Pharaonic sites (chisel scars). ⦿ Tunnel Mouths: Collapsed catacombs → once held 700K scrolls → now sewage runoff. TACTICAL SCAVENGING (Knowledge Raider’s Guide) Zone Why Brave Trash & Hustlers? Pro Archaeo-Hack Pillar Base Pharaonic graffiti → Ramses II cartouche Wet the stone → water reveals erased "Property of Amun" marks Sphinx Alley Two beheaded sphinxes (Christian purge) Bribe guard $2 → lift tarp → see paws gripping Hermetic texts Oracle Drain Tunnel to Cleopatra’s palace (collapsed) Drop glow stick → vanishes after 10m → "Library still down there" whispers Sound Vortex Pillar’s NW corner Ear to stone → wind hums like chanting → guard demands $1 "acoustic tax" Subbasement 9 Sealed since 391 AD Night raid → thermal cam shows hollow chamber → city denies access Siege Strategy: Timed Strike: Sunset → long shadows hide trash → avoid Fridays → prayer crowds trample you. Taxi Baksheesh: Agree to "papyrus factory" detour → then refuse → price drops 50%. Guard Play: "No climbing pillar!" → but $5 = photo hugging base. SIEGE CONDITIONS Urban Assault: Garbage drifts against pillar → feral cats patrol like furry minions. Vendor PsyOps: ⦿ "Library scroll fragment!" = fried goat intestine scroll. ⦿ "Hypatia’s amulet!" = broken sink faucet. Guard Traps: "Ticket not valid here!" (lie) → forces $10 "site donation". Escape Route: Sprint to Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa → lose pursuers in underground corpse lanes. HIDDEN TRUTHS God Factory: Serapis was invented here → fusion of Osiris + Apis bull + Zeus → marketing ploy to unite Greeks/Egyptians. Scroll Holocaust: Burning lasted 6 months → ash rained on Rhakotis district → ink-poisoned soil still grows stunted figs. Hypatia’s Last Stand: Murdered by monks → skin flayed with oyster shells → her ghost haunts pillar winds. Pillar’s Secret: Hollow core → rumored stuf