The famous Library of Alexandria in Egypt was one of the most important repositories of knowledge in the ancient world, built in the fourth century BC, and flourished for about six centuries. It was the cultural and intellectual center of the ancient Hellenistic world. It is rumored that it contained half a million papyrus manuscripts - the largest manuscript collection in the ancient world. Including the works of Plato, Aristotle, Homer, Herodotus and many others she also embraced the teaching of some of the brightest minds of the period in the library.
The story of the rise of the Library of Alexandria is still told through scholarship and archeology. Alexander the Great founded the city of Alexandria, at the northwest end of the Nile Delta in 331 BC.
When he died eight years later, his empire was divided among his generals, one of them, Ptolemy I Soter, became ruler of Egypt and established his capital, Alexandria.
During his reign and the rule of his descendants the city grew into one of the greatest and most prosperous of the Hellenistic period (323 BC to 30 BC) - a prosperous trading center and sea port on the Mediterranean.
"It is possible that the library was established shortly after the founding of Alexandria around 331 B.C., but it is unclear whether the library was founded by Alexander or Ptolemy," Williki Wendrich, professor of Egyptian archeology at the University of California, Los Angeles, told Live Science. The first or Ptolemy II, but most likely it was built during the reign of the latter, who ruled from 284 to 246 BC.
However, there is a legend that says that the library began when one of the subjects of Ptolemy I, an Athenian called Demetrius of Phalerum, proposed building a building to house all the known manuscripts in the world.
According to Encyclopedia Britannica it was Demetrius's quest for a place of learning to rival Aristotle's famous Lyceum, a school and library near Athens and Ptolemy I apparently approved the plan.
"It was called the Museum or Place of Inspiration and named after the nine gods of the Greek arts," says Fenderish.
The library expanded in size and scope over the years, as the Ptolemaic rulers saw the advantages of strengthening the center of learning and culture within their city. Generous royal subsidies led to a complex of surrounding buildings and although the exact layout of the library is unknown, in its heyday the library was famous for having lecture halls, laboratories, meeting rooms, gardens, places to eat, and even a zoo, according to ancient historian Diodorus Siculus. There was also a medical school whose students practiced dissection of human corpses - a unique skill rarely practiced in Europe before the Renaissance in the fifteenth century.
Wed, Jan. 19, 2022
