Practically no learning institution among the ancients was so luxurious, academic, or renowned as the Library of Alexandria in Egypt. The Egyptians had had libraries before, but nothing on the scale seen here. Having dominated the Egyptians in battle, Alexander the Great made Alexandria the new capital of his empire and may have planned to build a library there. Though he never lived to see his brainchild become reality, the library began construction circa 295 BCE under Ptolemy II Philadelphus's rule.

The library, or Biblion, was conjoined to the Museion, or “museum,” where instruction took place. Together, they stood as an intellectual powerhouse, particularly focusing on the humanities, although earlier the museum had promoted scientific studies as well.

Because it was the most famous of libraries, we know more about it than we do about other institutions of the ancient world. The library is said to have held the whole body of Greek literature, including works attributed to Plato, Aristotle, and Homer. Zenodotus served as the first librarian, and he conducted the invaluable task of annotating the epics (such as The Iliad and The Odyssey) and arranging them in chronological order.

From this learning center came copies of classics and, through the academic discourse it fostered, new works were written. After Zenodotus, Apollonius Rhodius filled the shoes as head of the library. Some sources suggest he got into a disagreement with the poet Callimachus, who believed the Greeks could no longer produce lengthy epic poems. To prove him wrong, Apollonius wrote the Argonautica, a story which readers may be familiar with through the film adaptation, Jason and the Argonauts (1963).

The Library of Alexandria came to an end under circumstances neither fully understood nor wholly agreed upon by modern scholars. Most sources allude to the library or its contents being burned. As for the perpetrator of this crime, well, his identity changes depending who you ask. However, no less than Julius Caesar is among the chief suspects. Exactly what the grand library was like in its heyday, and how it met its downfall, are mysteries lost to the past...

7 Amazing Libraries of the Ancient World

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