The Library of Alexandria

The Library of Alexandria

Introduction: The Library of Alexandria was once as renowned as the Lighthouse of Alexandria. It existed for nearly 800 years, and its vast collection of books and contributions to human civilization were unparalleled by other ancient libraries. Unfortunately, this world-famous center of ancient culture was completely destroyed by war in the late 3rd century.

The Library of Alexandria was first built in the 3rd century BC. It was one of the largest and oldest libraries in the world. At that time, after Alexander the Great had conquered many places across Asia, Europe, and Africa, he hoped to establish a global empire and sent many people to distant regions to gather information. In 323 BC, Alexander passed away, and his dream of a world empire was shattered. However, people’s enthusiasm for understanding the world around them did not diminish. In 295 BC, Pharaoh (Demetrius), a disciple of the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, came from Athens to Alexandria and suggested to Ptolemy I, the successor to the Egyptian throne, that a library and a Mouseion (also known as the House of Wisdom) be built in Alexandria. Ptolemy I immediately agreed and allocated substantial funds to build the library and the museum within the royal palace of Alexandria, modeled after the Lyceum in Athens, Greece. He appointed Pharaoh as the first head librarian.

The unique geographical location of Alexandria enabled the well-stocked Library of Alexandria to quickly become a treasure trove and hub for the dissemination of science, culture, philosophy, and art at the time. Many famous scientists, philosophers, thinkers, and artists such as Archimedes, Aristarchus, Euclid, Dionysius, Herophilus, Rhodius, Theocritus, and Alexis came here to conduct research, give lectures, write books, and engage in other academic exchanges. The Library of Alexandria was also a translation center, and one of its most important tasks was translating Greek texts into other languages.

As a royal library, the Library of Alexandria received high attention from all sides and developed rapidly. By the time of Ptolemy II, it had evolved into a multifunctional center, combining a library, academy of sciences, museum, translation center, and publishing house. The ancient Greek epic "Iliad" by Homer was first printed and published at the Library of Alexandria. In addition, the library translated and published the "Five Books of Moses" as well as works by leading scholars such as the Greek mathematician Euclid, the tragic master Sophocles, and the astronomer Ptolemy. Successive heads of the Library of Alexandria were highly learned scholars who placed great importance on the collection and organization of books, insisting on “collecting books from all over the world.” It is said that there was once a decree stipulating that all ships passing through the port of Alexandria had to surrender a copy of all the books or documents on board to the Library of Alexandria for collection. As a result, the library's collection grew rapidly. Moreover, books at the time were made of papyrus or parchment, which were bulky and large in volume, making it difficult for the existing library buildings to accommodate so many volumes. Therefore, Ptolemy II ordered the construction of a “daughter library” at the Temple of Serapis, referring to the original library as the “mother library.” Together, the two libraries housed over 700,000 volumes. To facilitate reader access, Ptolemy II also appointed the Greek scholar Callimachus as the head of the library’s cataloging department. Under his leadership, 120 volumes of classified catalogs were compiled, containing complete information on book titles, author names, authors’ biographies, major works, and summaries. 　

The Library of Alexandria established the city’s status as a global cultural and scientific center at the time. The Ptolemaic Dynasty also produced a large number of talents who made outstanding contributions to world science and culture, including astronomers, geographers, mathematicians, physicians, and linguists. As Professor Mustafa Al-Abbadi, a historian and author of "The Historical Fate of the Library of Alexandria," said: “Before the Library of Alexandria was built, knowledge was largely regional; but since the establishment of the first international library, knowledge became international.” Regrettably, in 48 BC, Roman Emperor Caesar attacked Egypt, and the Library of Alexandria was more than half destroyed by fire. By the end of the 3rd century, the remaining parts were destroyed in civil wars during the reign of Emperor Aurelian in Egypt. The destruction of the Library of Alexandria is considered “a catastrophe in the history of human culture.” Most tragically, among the destroyed books was the 30-volume "History of Egypt," written in ancient Greek by the Egyptian high priest Manetho at the request of Ptolemy I. His work not only recorded events from ancient times but also described folk customs and religious practices. Before the invention of printing, duplicating books relied on copying. In a major library like Alexandria, many books were unique copies. In 391 AD, the “daughter library” was also destroyed in a fire, and the surviving books that had escaped the disaster of 48 BC were all lost this time. From then on, the “temple of knowledge” in Alexandria ceased to exist. By around 450 AD, not only could no one decipher ancient Egyptian texts, but even works written in Greek by Egyptians to help occupiers understand Egypt had also disappeared.

Alexandria, Egypt