The Great Library of Alexandria on the balmy shores of the Mediterranean and the Nile delta is a center of intellectual activity by c. 3rd century BCE. The Library is just one part of a larger institution called the Mouseion, dedicated to the Muses, the nine goddesses of the arts.
The ancient world complex seeks to promote contemporary research, scholarship and pursuit of knowledge in various branches. The Ptolemaic kings spare no expense in acquiring texts, leading to a rapid accumulation of papyrus scrolls within the Library's walls.
The exact number of scrolls housed in the Library remains a mystery, with estimates ranging widely from 40,000 to 400,000 at its peak. Its vast collection covers a diverse range of subjects, making it an active circle of enlightenment in the ancient world.
The Library of Alexandria is not the first of its kind. A long tradition of libraries existed in both Greece and in ancient Near East. The earliest written materials come from the ancient Sumerian city-state of Uruk in around 3400 BCE, when writing begins to develop.
Scholarly curation of literary texts begins c. 2500 BCE. The later kingdoms and empires of the ancient Near East have long traditions of book collecting. The ancient Hittites and Assyrians keep massive archives containing records in many different languages.
Vibrant with history and culture, Alexandria rises to prominence as the epicenter of knowledge and learning during ancient times. International schools arise. Prominent Greek physicians including Hippocrates study at the Temple of Imhotep.
The Library of Alexandria attracts some of the most brilliant minds of the third and second centuries BCE. The scholars are visionaries who push the boundaries of human understanding and reshape the course of history.
Their contributions span a number of disciplines, from philosophy and mathematics to astronomy and medicine. Through their relentless pursuit of knowledge, these luminaries lay the foundation for future generations to build upon.
Within the walls of the Great Library, debates flourished, ideas clashed, and innovations blossomed. It was a sanctuary where intellectual curiosity thrived and where the pursuit of truth was revered above all else.
Under the rule of Ptolemy III Euergetes, a secondary library is founded in the Serapeum, a temple dedicated to the Greco-Egyptian deity Serapis. Serapis is worshipped by Imperial decree. The venerable snake god Agathodaemon is the divine protector of the city.
Over time, the Library's influence waned. The decline commence with the expulsion of intellectuals from Alexandria in 145 BC during the reign of Ptolemy VIII Physcon. This event led to Aristarchus of Samothrace, the chief librarian, stepping down and relocating to Cyprus.
Other scholars, such as Dionysius Thrax and Apollodorus of Athens, seek refuge in different cities where they continued their academic pursuits. Although Julius Caesar inadvertently set fire to the Library during his civil conflict in 48 BC, the extent of the damage remains unclear.
It appears the Library either survives or is reconstructed shortly after. Strabo, the geographer, reports visiting the Mouseion c. 20 BCE, and the work of Didymus Chalcenterus during this period suggests that he has access to the Library's resources.
The daughter library within the Serapeum may have survived beyond the destruction of the main Library. The Serapeum itself is ransacked and demolished in 391 AD following a decree issued by bishop Theophilus of Alexandria.
At that time, the Serapeum was not known to house any books. It primarily serves as a meeting place for Neoplatonist philosophers influenced by the teachings of Iamblichus, an Arabian Neoplatonist (c. 245 – 325).
Little is known about the Library during the Roman Principate (27 BCE - 284 AD). Emperor Claudius (r. 41-54 AD) is recorded to have built an addition to the Library. After Alexandria comes under Roman rule, the city's status and, consequently that of its famous Library, gradually diminishes.
While the Mouseion still exists, membership is granted not on scholarly achievement, but on basis of distinction in government, the military, or even in athletics. Members of the Mouseion are no longer required to teach, conduct research, or even live in Alexandria.
The reputation of Alexandrian scholarship declines as those of other libraries across the Mediterranean improve, lowering the Library's status. By the second century AD, the Roman Empire is less dependent on grain from Alexandria, and the city's prominence sinks further.
Eventually, the word "Alexandrian" becomes synonymous with editing texts, correction of errors, and writing of commentaries from those of earlier scholars. In 297 AD, Alexandria supports a usurper, and Diocletian, the Roman Emperor lays siege to the city.
When he eventually regains control he removes the right of Alexandria to mint its own coinage. Despite his reputation for book burnings in later Christian persecutions, Diocletian shows little interest in the Library. Later rumors of alchemy book burnings are not supported.
Reports come from later Arab conflicts of library destruction at their hands. There wouldn't be much left to destroy. However, the Islamic scholars are intrigued by the ideas of the Alexandrians, and through their conquest of Egypt, the tradition continues.
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