At the end of the Bronze Age, Egypt faced numerous threats. Following the Persian conquest in 525 BC, another foreign power seized the throne in 332 BC, although Alexander the Great allowed the Egyptians to maintain their customs. After his death, the Ptolemies revitalized the kingdom and turned Alexandria into a major cultural center. The Ptolemaic dynasty reigned for nearly 300 years, but the specter of Rome loomed, and Egypt ended up under its control as an agricultural center. Cleopatra VII forged strategic alliances with Roman rulers and liaised with Isis and Hathor to legitimize her reign. More than 3,000 years of pharaonic rule came to an end when one life was suddenly snuffed out, but Egypt and its pharaohs continued to fascinate the world more than 2,000 years later.