In November 332 BC, the Egyptians met Alexander the Great as a liberator from the yoke of the Persian king Darius. The country was struck by the Greek commander: natural wealth, fertile land, pyramids, and most importantly - the oldest culture. Impressed by what he saw, Alexander decided to build a city here that would combine the Greek and Egyptian principles.
Beautiful Alexandria
Macedonian founded the city on the Mediterranean coast, which later became the capital of Egypt. From the very beginning, the architectural appearance of Alexandria involved the breakdown of parks, wide streets and the construction of magnificent palaces. Later, the ruler of the city and the founder of the new dynasty became a close friend and ally of Macedon - Ptolemy.
It took several decades for a convenient harbor on the seashore to become one of the largest cities in the ancient world. Crafts, art and commerce flourished here. Soon, thousands of people began to come from all over the world to rich Alexandria, which promised them a well-fed life. However, the main concern of Ptolemy was the intellectual superiority of his capital over Athens.
Library creation
In 295 BC, at the initiative of Ptolemy, a museion (museum) was founded in Alexandria - a prototype of a research institute. Greek philosophers were invited to work in it. Truly royal conditions were created for them: they were offered maintenance and accommodation at the expense of the treasury. Nevertheless, many refused to come, since the Greeks considered Egypt to be the periphery.
Then Demetrius Falersky, an adviser to the tsar, proposed creating a library. The calculation was simple - it was the books that were supposed to attract scientists to Alexandria. The adviser was not mistaken. The first to arrive was the philosopher and physicist Plato, who became the teacher of the sons of Ptolemy.
The Greek poet and philologist Zenodotus of Ephesus, the first curator of the library in Alexandria, received funds from the treasury to purchase as many books as possible around the world. According to information that has reached us, Zenodot managed to collect from two to five thousand copies.
How to complete the book fund
All ships entering the city were checked for the presence of manuscripts in their holds. If there were any, they were seized, copied, and then a copy was returned to the owner, while the original remained in the library. A legend has survived, according to which the Athenian Archive received from Ptolemy the Third a fabulous pledge amount of 15 talents, for the originals of the tragedies of Euripides, Sophocles and Aeschylus. They were promised to be sent back to Greece after making copies. However, these texts never returned to Athens.
Thus, the collection of books of Egyptian kings from the Ptolemaic dynasty, according to various estimates, totaled from 700 thousand to 1 million manuscripts. This included not only examples of Greek literature, but also the works of Egyptian, Jewish and Babylonian thinkers. The walls of the library were the first to translate the Old Testament from Hebrew into Greek.
Prominent scientists working in the museon
The life of many ancient scholars was associated with the library in Alexandria of Egypt. In modern language, they were on state scholarships, that is, they could carry out studies of interest to them with the full support of the ruling dynasty.
- One of the first to work in the library was invited mathematician Euclid. His work "Beginnings" for more than two thousand years has been the basis for the study of geometry.
- Aristarchus of Samos was the first (long before Copernicus and Galileo) to express the idea of heliocentrism.
- Hipparchus calculated the duration of the solar year with an accuracy of 7 minutes and compiled a catalog of stars.
- The philosopher, mathematician and astronomer Eratosthenes is known for introducing the word "geography", becoming the founder of the mathematical direction in this science, from which cartography and geodesy later developed.
- Gerophilus, the founder of the medical school in Alexandria, was one of the first to anatomize the human body. In Greece, this was considered sacrilege, but in Egypt, where embalmers have been doing this for millennia, the scientist was not in danger.
- The inventor Geron also worked in Alexandria, whose works were used not only by ancient but also medieval scholars, including Leonardo da Vinci.
Knowledge Center
In the III century BC under Ptolemy the Second, the library and museum in Egypt of Alexandria reached the peak of their glory. Funds grew, various studies were conducted. It was here that the size of the globe was calculated for the first time, the number of visible stars in the sky was calculated, there were laboratories, a medical school and gardens right there.
Moreover, the foundation of modern science was also laid in the galleries of the library of Alexandria. It lasted for more than six centuries. It was not just a book depository, it was the largest scientific center of antiquity. Nevertheless, it remains a mystery where he was originally and where to look for him now.
What was the library in Alexandria of Egypt
There is no information about how she looked. Descriptions of the appearance of the library, dated to the period of its existence, were not found. Therefore, it is impossible to say for sure, for example, how many floors it had, how it was lit, etc. It is only known that it was surrounded by parks and gardens.
Probably the main library building was located next to the harbor. It is believed that it was part of a museum located in the royal district of the city. When the book depository was full, its branch was opened in another place.
Indeed, no one can describe the library of Alexandria today. Even its exact location remains one of the main issues of concern to researchers. It is believed that its ruins are under water. But where exactly, no one knows. Thus, historians can neither give a description of the library in Alexandria, nor name all the scientists who worked in it, nor establish the exact number of books. Surprisingly, we know little about the famous book depository today.
Who burned the library in Alexandria?
The reign of Ptolemy the Fourth marked the beginning of the decline of the ruling dynasty. This was reflected in the fate of the museum, which ceased to be a world center of knowledge. But with the years of Cleopatra's reign, scientists attribute the beginning of the collapse of the famous library.
In a dynastic struggle with her brother, Cleopatra drew Caesar to her side. When the Roman ships were surrounded in the harbor, the commander gave the order to set fire to numerous enemy ships. The fire spread to the port docks, spread to coastal urban areas, destroying books in the library of Alexandria. A description of the picture of the grand fire and its consequences can be found in the writings of Plutarch. However, some modern researchers believe that the fire destroyed only part of the book stock.
After Caesar's death, Mark Anthony presented Cleopatra with thousands of scrolls purchased from the Pergamon Library. But with the death of the queen in 30 BC, the reign of the Ptolemaic dynasty, which founded and financed the library of Alexandria, ended. The city became a Roman province, but under the new government the center of knowledge no longer flourished as before.
Final oblivion
It is not possible to establish the real cause of the death of the Alexandria Library. Ancient sources contradict each other, therefore, until now, scientists have not come to a single conclusion on this issue.
According to one version, the library could be destroyed by Christians when Emperor Theodosius ordered the destruction of all pagan temples and monuments. According to another version, she finally died during the conquest of the city in the VII century, first by the Persians, and then by the Arabs.
However, it is believed that a significant part of the funds before the Arabs came to Alexandria was exported to Constantinople. Thus, in the book depositories of Byzantium there was a huge number of ancient scrolls. Before the invasion of the Turks in the 15th century, part of the manuscripts was sent from Constantinople to the monasteries of Athos.
Russian trace
There is an assumption that some manuscripts that once belonged to the Alexandria Library, and then ended up in Byzantium, were brought by Sofia Paleologue to Moscow as a dowry. But this is not confirmed.
Assumptions
The fate of the books of the Library of Alexandria to this day excites scientists. According to some researchers, part of the book fund was not taken out of the city, but was hidden in local caves. Employees of the Cairo Museum claim that several of these scrolls were transferred to the library of Alexandrin, which opened in 2002 at the place where its legendary predecessor was supposedly located. However, there is no evidence of the authenticity of these scrolls.
Value
If 2300 years ago, Ptolemy did not decide to demonstrate his power to the world, science would be born much later. But thanks to his brainchild, the Library of Alexandria, scientists specializing in various fields (medicine, biology, astronomy, etc.), and not just philosophers, gained access to the treasures of thought gathered in one place.
Historical fact: the Library of Alexandria played a huge role in the origin of European science. Many of the works rewritten by Arabs at one time were originally in the collections of the famous book depository. In the Renaissance, they fell into Western Europe, rediscovering the works of Aristotle and other scholars of the Hellenic period.