Unveiling secrets of Alexandria's legendary library

The Library of Alexandria, one of the greatest intellectual centres of the ancient world, stands as a symbol of humanity's pursuit of knowledge and understanding.

The ancient Library of Alexandria, located in the city founded by Alexander the Great, was one of the greatest marvels of the ancient world, attracting scholars from around the globe who delved into science, history, and various other fields of knowledge before its tragic destruction, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

As one of the largest and most important libraries of antiquity, the Library of Alexandria was part of a larger intellectual hub known as the Mouseion, dedicated to the Muses, the nine goddesses of the arts in Greek mythology. While the first major public library in ancient Greece was reportedly established by the Athenian ruler Peisistratos in the 6th century BC, it was from this combined Greek and Near Eastern tradition of book collections that the idea for the Library of Alexandria emerged. It is believed that Demetrius of Phalerum, an exiled Athenian statesman residing in Alexandria, proposed the idea of founding a library to Pharaoh Ptolemy I Soter.

However, the library was likely not established until the reign of his son, Ptolemy II Philadelphus. What made the Library of Alexandria extraordinary was the vast scale of the Ptolemies' ambition. Their goal was to create a comprehensive collection of all the knowledge known to humanity at that time. To achieve this, the Library amassed an impressive number of papyrus scrolls, thanks in large part to the Ptolemaic rulers’ determined and well-funded efforts to acquire texts. They sent agents with substantial funds to purchase and collect as many manuscripts as possible, on every subject and from every author, both Greek and foreign.

A well-known tale passed down through history recounts that during the reign of Ptolemy II, it was decreed that any books found on ships arriving at the port of Alexandria were to be taken to the Library, where they would be copied by official scribes. While the exact number of scrolls housed in the Library at any given time remains unknown, estimates range from 40,000 to 400,000 at its peak. 

Over time, a medical school was also established at the Library, where pioneering work in human dissections was carried out. This practice alone contributed invaluable knowledge to the field of medicine. Alexandria rapidly gained a reputation as the epicenter of knowledge and learning, largely due to the Library’s remarkable influence. Many prominent scholars of the third and second centuries BC worked there, making significant contributions to various fields. 

The Library remains one of history's greatest mysteries. As Dr. Bob Brier, Chair of the Philosophy Department at the University of Long Island, explains, “The amazing thing about the library in Alexandria is that it was the most important place of learning in the ancient world and we don’t know where it was or where it is now. We don’t know what it looked like. We don’t know the details of what books it had; we don’t know everybody who (worked) there. There’s more that we don’t know than what we do know. But it was the most important intellectual event perhaps in the history of mankind.” 

By Naila Huseynova