The Burning of the Great Library of Alexandria

The Great Library of Alexandria, located in the Egyptian city of Alexandria, was one of the most renowned and significant…

By Staff , in Historical Events in Egypt , at September 28, 2024 Tags: fires

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The Great Library of Alexandria, located in the Egyptian city of Alexandria, was one of the most renowned and significant libraries of the ancient world. Founded in the 3rd century BC, it served as a hub of knowledge, learning, and scholarship, drawing scholars from around the Mediterranean and beyond. The library is often linked to famous figures like Ptolemy I, Ptolemy II, and Cleopatra, as well as scholars such as Euclid, Archimedes, and Eratosthenes.

The burning of the Library of Alexandria is one of the most tragic events in the history of intellectual pursuit, but its destruction is shrouded in mystery, myth, and misinterpretation. In reality, the library’s destruction likely happened in multiple stages over centuries, rather than a single catastrophic event. Here’s a breakdown of the history of the library and the key events that contributed to its loss.

Foundation and Importance of the Library
Ptolemaic Dynasty: The Great Library of Alexandria was likely founded by Ptolemy I Soter, a general under Alexander the Great, who became the ruler of Egypt after Alexander’s death. It was part of a larger cultural and intellectual complex known as the Mouseion (Museum), which housed scholars and promoted research and learning.
Collecting Knowledge: The library’s collection grew rapidly, aiming to gather all the knowledge of the known world. Ptolemy II and his successors sent agents to acquire manuscripts from various cities, and it is said that all books brought into Alexandria’s port were copied for the library, with the originals kept and copies returned to their owners.
Contents: The library housed works of literature, science, philosophy, mathematics, astronomy, and medicine from across the Mediterranean world. It is believed to have contained between 40,000 and 400,000 scrolls, though estimates vary widely.
Scholars and Achievements: Many famous ancient scholars were associated with the library, including Euclid (mathematics), Eratosthenes (who calculated the Earth’s circumference), and Archimedes (mathematics and engineering). The library also became a center for the study of Homeric literature, astronomy, and medicine.

Theories and Events Leading to the Library’s Destruction
The Great Library of Alexandria is famous for its destruction, but it is unclear when or how this happened. No single historical account definitively explains the loss, and it is more likely that the library’s vast collection was diminished over time through multiple events. Theories about its destruction often attribute it to several key historical moments:

Julius Caesar and the Siege of Alexandria (48 BC)
One of the most frequently cited events in the destruction of the library is the siege of Alexandria by Julius Caesar in 48 BC during his civil war against Pompey. Caesar was trapped in Alexandria by enemy forces, and in a desperate attempt to protect his fleet, he ordered the burning of the ships in the harbor.

Impact on the Library: According to the historian Plutarch, the fire spread to the city, potentially reaching the library or its storehouses and destroying part of its collection. Some sources claim that 40,000 scrolls were lost in the fire, though the extent of the damage is disputed.
Limited Damage?: Many modern historians believe that if the library was damaged by this event, it was only a partial loss and the library continued to function afterward. The Serapeum, a sister library or annex of the Great Library, likely remained intact.

Christian Mobs and the Serapeum (391 AD)
In the later Roman Empire, as Christianity became the dominant religion, there was growing tension between pagan institutions and Christian leaders. In 391 AD, the Roman Emperor Theodosius I issued a series of decrees outlawing pagan practices and temples.

Destruction of the Serapeum: The Serapeum of Alexandria, a temple dedicated to the Greco-Egyptian god Serapis and possibly home to part of the library’s collection, was destroyed by Christian mobs led by Patriarch Theophilus. The temple was razed, and any remaining texts or scrolls may have been destroyed at this time.
Pagan Knowledge Under Attack: This event is sometimes associated with the destruction of the library because it marked a significant loss of ancient knowledge and a turning point where Christian authorities sought to erase pagan influence, including classical texts.

Muslim Conquest of Alexandria (642 AD)
Another theory attributes the destruction of the Great Library to the Muslim conquest of Alexandria in 642 AD by the armies of the Caliph Umar. This account, recorded centuries later by Arab historian Ibn al-Qifti, claims that the general Amr ibn al-As asked Caliph Umar what to do with the books found in Alexandria.

Famous Quotation: According to the story, Umar supposedly said, “If those books agree with the Qur’an, we have no need of them; and if they contradict it, they are blasphemous.” Based on this logic, the books were allegedly burned.
Historical Skepticism: Modern historians doubt the authenticity of this story, as it was written down many centuries after the supposed event and lacks contemporary accounts. Furthermore, it is unlikely that the Great Library, if it still existed by the 7th century, would have had a vast collection remaining by this time.

Cumulative Decline
Rather than a single, cataclysmic event, many historians now believe that the destruction of the Great Library of Alexandria was a gradual process. Over the centuries, the library likely suffered from:
Political instability and warfare.
Decline in funding from successive rulers who were less interested in intellectual pursuits.
Natural disasters such as earthquakes, which were common in the region.
The eventual shift in religious and cultural priorities, particularly as Christianity spread and classical pagan texts became less valued.

Legacy and Impact
The destruction of the Great Library of Alexandria has become symbolic of the loss of knowledge and the fragility of intellectual achievements. The exact contents of the library will never be fully known, but its loss represented the disappearance of a vast body of ancient literature, science, philosophy, and history that could have transformed the development of Western thought.

Western Historical Consciousness: The burning of the library, whether in stages or in a single event, is often seen as one of the greatest cultural tragedies of antiquity. It is invoked as a cautionary tale about the preservation of knowledge and the consequences of cultural intolerance or negligence.

Influence on Later Libraries: Despite its destruction, the idea of a central library as a repository of knowledge persisted. Many later institutions, such as the Library of Constantinople and modern national libraries, were inspired by the ambition of the Great Library of Alexandria.