a long and narrow rock, lay off the northern coast of Egypt, at the distance of 7 stadia from the ancient town of Alexandria. In early times it was merely occupied by the huts of a few fishermen. Yet no sooner had the adjacent city been founded, in 332 B.C., than the island began to assume importance. Alexander the Great turning it into a breakwater for the harbour of his new capital, connected it with the mainland by the Heptastadium, or Seven-Furlong Mole. Ptolemy I. began to build on its N.E. point the lighthouse of Pharos, which became one of the wonders of the ancient world. (See Lighthouses.) Meanwhile its population was steadily increasing. At length a street of houses extending along the mole formed it into a suburb of Alexandria. Pharos retained some of its importance till the time of Julius Caesar. After that period it degenerated once more into a mere fishing station.