Library of Alexandria: an ancient treasury of wisdom, destroyed by human foolishness

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Two millennia ago, the largest educational and research center of the Ancient World operated in Egypt. The library of Alexandria concentrated unique knowledge and made the greatest discoveries that have survived to this day. Unfortunately, people themselves destroyed the great monument to science out of their own stupidity. Nowadays history can repeat itself again.

The Library of Alexandria is believed to have been founded in the 290s-280s. BC. in the eponymous ancient city on the northern coast of Africa. Its first patron was the Egyptian king Ptolemy I Soter, the half-brother of Alexander the Great. During his reign, a religious, research, educational and cultural complex called Museion ("museum") was built. One of its elements was the famous library. The entire complex was dedicated to the muses, the nine daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, who were considered patrons of the arts. Under the patronage of the kings of the Ptolemaic dynasty, Museion flourished.

Scientists-researchers of astronomy, anatomy, zoology constantly lived here. Outstanding philosophers and scientists of Antiquity worked and experimented in Alexandria: Euclid, Archimedes, Ptolemy, Edesia, Pappus, Aristarchus of Samos. They had at their disposal not only an extensive collection of books and scrolls, but also thirteen lecture halls, classrooms, banquet dining rooms and beautiful gardens. The building was decorated with Greek columns that have survived to this day. It was here that Euclid developed the doctrine of mathematics and geometry, Archimedes became famous for his works on hydraulics and mechanics, Heron created a steam engine.

Now it is difficult to determine the size of the collection of the Library of Alexandria. Until the 4th century, mainly papyrus scrolls were kept here, after which books began to gain popularity. Researchers estimate that during its heyday, the library held up to 700,000 scrolls.

The collection was replenished by painstaking copying of the original manuscripts, which were obtained wherever possible. There were inevitably mistakes in copying, but librarians found an interesting way out. Thus, the Roman physician, surgeon and philosopher Galen reports that all the books and scrolls were seized from all ships entering Alexandria. After the scribes made copies of them, they were given to the owners, and the originals remained in the library of Alexandria.

For scholars and wealthy patrons and members of the royal family, exact copies of books were made, which brought a lot of income to the library. Some of these funds were spent on attracting scientists from other cities. They were paid travel, accommodation, and even stipends to support their families. A lot of money "revolved" around the library.

Galen wrote that King Ptolemy III once asked the Athenians for the original texts of Euripides, Sophocles and Aeschylus. They demanded a deposit of 15 talents (about 400 kilograms of gold). Ptolemy III made a contribution to the Athenians, copies were made from the documents received and, according to the worked out scheme, the Alexandrians returned them, leaving the originals for themselves.

To protect their scrolls and improve conditions, Athenian scholars living in Alexandria began looking for a better place. And in 145 BC. Ptolemy VIII, by his decree, removed all foreign scientists from Alexandria.

After centuries of prosperity, the Library of Alexandria faced difficult times. Around 48 BC. Julius Caesar captured the city and set fire to enemy ships in the harbor. The fire spread and damaged buildings in the harbor. At the same time, part of the library collection burned down. During the war, the Egyptians fell into dependence on Rome, and from that moment the decline of the Alexandrian library began, because the Romans preferred to use it for their own needs. The next disaster happened in 273 AD, when during the uprising the troops of the Emperor Aurelian captured the city. Much of the library's precious collection was burned or plundered.

After the library was destroyed, scholars used the "daughter library" at the Serapeum Temple. But in 391 A. D. the worship of pagan gods was outlawed, and Patriarch Theophilus closed all the temples of Alexandria. Socrates describes how all the pagan temples in the city were destroyed, including the Serapeum. Thus ended the glorious 700-year history of the Library of Alexandria, about which very little is still known.

Two millennia later, the famous library was revived. In 2002, Alexandrina was opened, which now houses 8 million books from around the world, as well as a huge archive of electronic sources. Unfortunately, political and religious intolerance of certain sections of the population of the Arab countries threatens it again. Local residents together protect the library from fanatics. They are afraid of repeating the history of the period when local public baths were heated with scrolls and books.