Why is the Library of Alexandria so fetishized when we talk about lost knowledge? What about all the libraries destroyed by war, natural disasters, fires, negligence? Was Alexandria really THAT important?
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normie hype
are you new
I've no idea but I can do research for you.
>The Great Library of Alexandria in Alexandria, Egypt, was one of the largest and most significant libraries of the ancient world.
>It is unknown precisely how many scrolls were housed at any given time, but estimates range from 40,000 to 400,000 at its height.
>Despite the modern belief that the Library was burned once and cataclysmically destroyed, the Library actually declined gradually over the course of several centuries.
>The Library of Alexandria was one of the largest and most prestigious libraries of the ancient world, but it was far from the only one.[7][134][135] By the end of the Hellenistic Period, almost every city in the Eastern Mediterranean had a public library and so did many medium-sized towns.[7][4] During the Roman Period, the number of libraries only proliferated.[136] By the fourth century AD, there were at least two dozen public libraries in the city of Rome itself alone.[136] As the Library of Alexandria declined, centers of academic excellence arose in various other capital cities. It is possible most of the material from the Library of Alexandria survived, by way of the Imperial Library of Constantinople, the Academy of Gondishapur, and the House of Wisdom. This material may then have been preserved by the Reconquista, which led to the formation of European Universities and the recompilation of ancient texts from formerly scattered fragments.[137]
According to my research, it's overhyped and the destruction was not as dramatic as the memes claim, but it was still one of the largest and most significant libraries of the ancient world. I used wikipedia for my research. I didn't read the whole article because it was too long and I'm a slow reader.
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Ok, I asked OP's quesntions from the chat. The first answer was an annoying list so I asked for prose and this was the second answer.
>The allure of the Library of Alexandria, when discussing lost knowledge, stems from its historical significance, symbolizing the wealth of human understanding and cultural achievement. Established in the 3rd century BCE in the vibrant city of Alexandria, Egypt, it drew scholars, philosophers, and scientists, fostering an intellectual haven that housed the brilliance of luminaries like Euclid and Archimedes. This grand repository of wisdom epitomized the accumulation of diverse disciplines, spanning arts, sciences, philosophy, and more, creating a captivating narrative of collective knowledge.
>Yet, it is the enigma surrounding its downfall that intensifies its mystique. The Library's demise is attributed to various factors including Julius Caesar's conquest of Alexandria, religious tensions, and accidental fires. This unresolved history evokes a sense of drama, tragic loss, and a missed opportunity to further human advancement.
>The Library's significance as a symbol of potential lost is another reason for its romanticization. The notion that its survival could have accelerated progress across various fields amplifies the sense of regret for what might have been. Its fall serves as a poignant reminder of the fragile nature of human creations and the potential consequences of short-sightedness.
>However, it's essential to recognize that while the Library of Alexandria stands as an iconic example, it's not alone in its fate. Countless other repositories of knowledge met similar fates, often through wars, disasters, fires, and negligence. The House of Wisdom in Baghdad during the Islamic Golden Age, the Nalanda University in India, and the National Library of Bosnia and Herzegovina are just a few examples of significant losses. Each of these instances underscores the diverse tapestry of human history and the profound impact of losing repositories of knowledge, reminding us of the need to preserve and protect our cultural heritage.
>However,
why in the world does it always do this
Its destruction is important because it was done to cover up evidence of the Torah being written at the same time as the Pentateuch.
i thought the torah was the pentateuch
>libraries destroyed by war, natural disasters, fires, negligence?
All lost work are super fetishized and sought after
>Was Alexandria really THAT important?
Yes, what made the library’s disappearance so tragic was the QUANTITY of information that disappeared over night. Imagine if all the information on the internet, technology, USBs… All gone. You still may have books at home, a personal library. But the world would change as we know it. That’s what it would have felt like.
Because it is a symbol. Of Alexander. Of Greece. Of Rome. The death of world. The death of a cosmos of free ideas, free movement, the freedom to learn and be the best you can be. A cosmopolitan mind. Great minds thought alike. That is why they merged Greco-Roman thought in a temple to science. As it burned it meant so much more than the slaughter and political collapse. People lost something few even know they had. They sacrificed a millennium to greed and the lust for power You can still smell Hypatia's blood on the floor. The library gets destroyed every day. Her mind is despoiled in a million minds around you. Don't soil it by looking for secrets within. Make sure that it's destruction never repeats.
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What we have from antiquity is very scant. Bear in mind that the Loebs classical library is the majority of surviving complete Greek and Roman texts between 1000 BC and 500AD and it numbers little over 500 volumes. That is like if from 1000 AD to 2023, there were only 500 surviving books.
>little over 500 volumes
Do you have a list of them?
This is by far the majority of what survives from antiquity. Also keep in mind that like half of them are fragments.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loeb_Classical_Library
If I were allowed to choose the 500 that wouldn't be so bad.
I know the point is to get across a vague sense of scale, But I think the amount of books published in the 1000-2023 period is on a whole different magnitude from 1000BC to 500AD, where the comparison really doesnt work.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_literary_work
Take a look at the "classical world" section, and imagine the unknown unknowns (greek authors rarely cited their sources and inspirations).
If incredibly major works like Aeschylus' plays or Aristotle's Poetic could be lost, there is a world of literary wonders that will never be known again.
Also, nearly every manuscript of ancient greek works is incomplete, something you notice when you look at bilingual editions : if 10% of the text is missing, the manuscript is considered to be in excellent condition.
Enlightenment historiography, particularly in relation to its anti-christian polemics. Alexandria is also famous for the death of Hypatia at christian rioters, another symbol who grew way out of control.
why didnt more people write on solid clay or stone tablets mesopotamian style if they wanted shit to last?
Yah, I get not doing it for your grocery list, but if you really thought something was the bees knees id think you would get it commissioned in eternity.
The Tsarevetsian library . . .
Total Greekoid Death.