Some of you may have happened upon the article “Raising Alexandria” in a recent issue of Smithsonian Magazine. The article chronicles archeological excavations conducted beneath the city 2,000 years after its founding by Alexander the Great, and the race to preserve some of the rich history in the face of modern development. Over the centuries, civilizations have built cities, seen them conquered and leveled, only to have new cities built on top of the last, often reusing the same materials to erect new structures. (And you thought recycling was a fairly new idea?)

So what drives people’s desire to build and then rebuild in the very same place? Not surprising, it’s the same three criteria associated with the sale and purchase of prime real estate; location, location, location. Certain factors like climate, transportation and natural resources repeatedly draw people to specific geographic areas or locations to live and work. In the case of Alexandria, its strategic position on a narrow spit separating the Mediterranean Sea and Lake Mareotis was a key to this great harbor metropolis that linked ancient Greece and Egypt. As a property acquisitions manager of sorts, Alexander would have agreed that a good location is worth fighting for. ...

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