I had planned to stick to American library facts since it is National Library Week, but because several people have mentioned the Library of Alexandria and since it is a library that has become legendary, I thought I’d find some facts about it.
Alexandria was once the largest library in the world. It was founded during the reign of Ptolemy II at the beginning of the third century BCE. The library was initially organized by Demetrius of Phaleron, a student of Aristotle’s. Other head librarians included Zenodotus, Apollonius of Rhodes, Eratosthenes, Aristophanes of Byzantium, and Aristarchus of Samothrace.
The library was actually contained in several buildings and it is not quite clear what the destruction of the library meant. Was it one building or all of them? And it isn’t even clear when it happened and why. The story of Caesar torching the place is questionable. There are actually four different stories about the library’s destruction all them precipitated by different conquerors at different times. The only thing that is certain is that by the eighth century BCE, the library was no longer a significant institution.
In 2003, the New Library of Alexandria, the Bibliotheca Alexandria, was opened in Egypt and dedicated to recapturing the openness and scholarship of the original library.
Further Reading:
- Wikipedia. Presents a nice overview of the library’s founding and history. Includes references, external links, and a section on the Library of Alexandria in fiction
- The Library of Alexandria. A collection of papers by students in the Greek Science course at Tufts University in 1995. The papers are assembled into one comprehensive paper with a linked table of contents hosted by the Perseus Digital Library.
- eHistory Archive. A nice, succinct article on what we know and don’t know about the Library and its history
- Bibliotheca Alexandria.The new library. Also has some information about its predecessor.
I’ve enjoyed your factoid posts! I can’t wait to see what you’ll share with us tomorrow.
These posts also had me reaching for my copy of The Most Beautiful Libraries in the World. I got to “see” the Library of Congress. Beautiful indeed!
I’ve enjoyed your factoid posts too. Alexandria has always been interesting to me.
Very interesting. But I’m guessing the library wouldn’t contain books as we know them? Would people have written on scrolls back then? Or a different kind of manuscript? These posts remind me how little history I know and what huge gaping holes exist in my general knowledge!
Woo hoo! Thanks for giving me more fodder for Alexandria enthusiasm.
Alexandria has always captured my imagination. Thanks for this post!
In the Library’s maturity, it primarily housed scrolls; but by the time of its final destruction what remained were mostly codices of the writings of the Church Fathers.
There’s an agonizing—almost unbearable—scene in Carl Sagan’s Cosmos in which he walks through a reconstruction of the Library, reading off the title tags of the scrolls containing lost books.
(I see it’s on YouTube: http://youtube.com/watch?v=jixnM7S9tLw).
What a loss! Wouldn’t it be fabulous to be able to look through the original library??
I’ve always been fascinated by the Library of Alexandria and sorrowed by its loss. Thanks for giving some interesting, new tidbits.
Iliana, I’m glad you enjoyed the factoid posts. I’ve only ever seen pictures of the Library of Congress too. If I never end up working there, I will definitely make pilgrimage.
Brandon, thanks! I think one of the most tragic things about Alexandria is that we have an idea about all that was lost. Somehow if it was all left to the imagination, it doesn’t make me as sad.
Litlove, I do believe the library had mostly scrolls. Thousands and thousands of them.
Andi, anytime
Heather, it is a fascinating topic for us bookish folk, isn’t it?
Paul, thanks for the link!
Dorothy, it would be fabulous to look through the original even if I couldn’t read a single word of any of the books.
Emily, I think all who love reading and learning feel that same sorrow.