History of the LIBRARY OF ALEXANDRIA: Wikipedia of the ancient world. Ancient Egypt. History Calling
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- Опубликовано: 9 сен 2021
- The history of the LIBRARY OF ALEXANDRIA is one of the great examples of the lost knowledge of the ancient world. It’s not just the Library’s contents which are gone however, even reliable details of the history of the Library itself are few and far between. In this week’s History Calling video, we try to separate fact from fiction and establish what we actually know about this famous fount of knowledge.
Founded by either King Ptolomy I Sotor, or his son, Ptolemy II Philadelphos in around 300 BC, the Library was designed to bring together all the known books at the time, making it the Wikipedia of the ancient world. Estimates of its holdings range from 40,000 books (or scrolls) to 700,000, but some modern historians have sounded a word of caution about these numbers, asking how many books could even have existed between the fourth and second centuries AD? Whatever the true number, the Library was certainly a huge and an impressive accomplishment by the standards of the day. It attracted a number of famous scholars to the city including Eratosthenes, famous for calculating the circumference of the world to within a few miles (so if you’re wondering, ‘Did the ancients think the world was flat?’ the answer is no, or at least some of them knew better). When and how exactly the story of the Library of Alexandria came to an end is unclear. Some sources suggest it was destroyed by fire by Julius Caesar, however evidence of its continuing existence over 130 years later indicates otherwise. Others argue that it endured a gradual decline over many decades, even centuries, as its contents became worn and damaged through age and insect and rodent activity.
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Do you think the Library of Alexandria was as impressive as some ancient sources have claimed and/or how do you think it was destroyed? Remember to SUBSCRIBE with NOTIFICATIONS switched on so you never miss an upload and check out my PATREON site for extra perks at
Can I just say, I think your channel fucking rocks! Apologies for the expletives, but honestly, I've never know an independent history channel to be so accurate, concise, well scripted, eloquently and when appropriate, humorously delivered. Just wondrous, truly! ❤️ 😊
"Impressive," in my opinion, is a matter of comparison and time. By today's standards, maybe the Alexandria Library wasn't. But by the standards of the time, it probably was a very impressive place. I believe it was highly unusual to have that amount of written information in one location during this era. Either way, it's a terrible historic tragedy that it was destroyed, whether accidently or on purpose - history has bore out time and again that a lot of leaders were scared of people having too much knowledge. Can you imagine the number of historic locations that were destroyed that we'll never even know about?? 🤯 Ancient history is so fascinating - thank you so much for this great video! 💗
The Great Library of Alexandria has had a quasi mythological status for centuries. That is one of the reasons why we cannot be sure of the details of its foundation or demise. It must have been impressive by the standards of its days, as otherwise it wouldn't have made it to mythological status. I believe the knowledge was gradually lost to a series of events, some of the 'epic' kind, such as Caesar' actions, and most of the less romantic - but probably more realistic - kind, such as lack of funding, absentee administration during power transitions, deterioration of the materials the books were made of.
She's the only person on the planet that can make me watch a video about a library on a Saturday night. It's like witchcraft. ;-)
Wow,
I love listening to your videos while on my daily walk. your voice over is pleasant & the topics always interesting. appreciate you making these, keep up the good work :)
I was hesitant to watch this because the thought of losing all that knowledge hurts my soul. 😭 Good job though 😊
Great presentation! I always knew about the Library at Alexandria, but without actually knowing anything about it. Now I do.
Totally interesting! I love ancient history, it brings us back to times we couldn’t imagine, and maybe not want to live in. We can only dream what secrets this structure held within its walls. I also am inthralled with the and every aspect of the Egyptian’s and the Romans. I think I’ve seen every documentary on Egypt over the last 45 years. Any ancient cultures I’m all over it. My daughter and I were lucky enough to be able to witness objects from king Tuts tomb. I felt so little and overwhelmed with the priceless objects I was witnessing and the unimaginable craftsmanship. I was so overwhelmed I actually shed tears. Thank you very much for your videos. It’s such a shame all that information was lost.
I weep when I think of what we must have lost.
I have read that the library contained copies of the Pentateuch and other Old Testament books. It’s interesting to think that these may have been originals, since Ptolemy sent mostly the copied materials back.
Excellent narrative. Very informative, great details. Looking forward to every new video.
Remember that numbers were not always literal in those days and were represented by letters which have variable quantities assigned to them. Numbers were often used to assign greatness not a factual number.
Thank you, another interesting video. Just my opinion but the notion of a library has to be our greatest invention. Not sure if if the library would have been as magnificent as it is made out to be. I think it would have withered over time. Different events contributing to it's loss.
Congratulations on another video very well done. I love your honesty about how some sources can be wrong . These topics interest me very much because as I've told you my family is of Greek Egyptian heritage. Thank you for shedding some light on this topic.❤
Really enjoying your content. Keep up the good work. 😊
So excited to watch this when I get off from work!! Such an interesting topic!!
Thank you for this interesting and informative video on the Great Library of Alexandria. There have been so many theories on what happened from Roman invasion to cataclysmic events but this was very enlightening.
Very interesting. Thanks.