subject: The History Of Libraries In Greece And Egypt [print this page] Libraries or at least the collection of written knowledge, have been around for many years. Some historians claim libraries have been around as long as civilization itself.
One of the first found included about 30,000 clay tablets in ancient Mesopotamia. These writings date back more than 5,000 years.
Archaeologists have uncovered papyrus scrolls from 1300-1200 BC in the ancient Egyptian cities of Amarna and Thebes. Papyrus is a thick paper-like material that was commonly used to write on.
Early collections may have surfaced from the Near East, but the ancient Greeks propelled the idea through their heightened interest in literacy and intellectual life.
In Greece, public and private libraries flourished through a well-established trustworthy process. This three-step process included authors who wrote on a variety of subjects, scriptoria or copy shops that produced the books, and book dealers who sold them.
Copying books was an exacting business and one in high demand. It took a long time to produce a copied book, but that was the only way they had to mass produce the books.
Though the public library first appeared by the fourth century BC, the private library was more prevalent. At the time, only wealthy people could afford to have books, not to mention that they were educated enough to read. Many in society were illiterate and so reading was not an option for them.
In ancient Greece, many of the philosophers had their own private libraries. For example, Aristotle amassed a large private collection of writings for his own personal enjoyment and learning.
There is one library that has made probably the biggest impact on the ancient world. This library was the Great Library of Alexandria.
The Great Library of Alexandria was a public library open to those with the proper scholarly and literary qualifications. It was founded about 300 BC.
Aristotle's disciple Demetrius of Phalerum was greatly involved in the Great Library. It was Demetrius who suggested setting up a universal library to hold copies of all the books in the world.
Egypt's King Ptolemy I, 305-282 BC, and his successors also encouraged the growth and development of the Great Library. They wanted to come to a better understanding of the people under their rule.
The people who they ruled over consisted of many different cultures including Latin, Buddhist, Persian, Hebrew, and Egyptian works. At the Great Library they would take the writings and then translate them into Greek.
The library's lofty goal was to collect a half-million scrolls and the pharaohs took serious steps to accomplish this goal. Ptolemy I actually composed a letter to all the rulers telling them not to hesitate to send any works to Egypt by authors of every kind.
Some stories relate that any book was immediately confiscated if it was not already in the library from passengers arriving in Alexandria.
Another story tells that Ptolemy III (246-222bc) deceived Athenian authorities when they let him borrow original manuscripts of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. They let him borrow them, using silver as collateral. According to the story, Ptolemy kept the originals and sent the copies back, allowing the authorities to keep the silver.
More traditional means included book purchases from the markets of Athens, Rhodes, and other Mediterranean cities. Older copies were more highly favored because they would be considered more highly trustworthy. At its height, the library held nearly 750,000 scrolls.
Much of what is now considered to be literary scholarship began in the Alexandria Library. Funds from the royal treasury paid the chief librarian and his scholarly staff.
In the Great Library, books were not what we think of today, but rather scrolls. These scrolls were mostly made of papyrus, but sometimes of leather. They were kept in pigeonholes with titles written on wooden tags hung from their outer ends.
Fires and warfare during the Roman period gradually destroyed the Library. When Julius Caesar occupied Alexandria in 48 BC, Cleopatra allowed him to help himself to the books.
Julius Caesar shipped tens of thousands to Rome. Later, Marc Antony was rumored to have given Cleopatra the 200,000-scroll collection of rival library Pergamum to replace Alexandria's losses.
Thanks to the Great Library, Alexandria assumed its position as the intellectual capital of the world and provided a model for other libraries to follow.
Libraries throughout history, whether private or public have been founded, built, destroyed and rebuilt. The concept of the library has survived throughout its long history and has changed and improved throughout the years.
In our modern world, we still have both public and private libraries. Public libraries provide us with easy and often free access to a vast amount of books.
For the real enthusiast, a private library can be a fascinating venture. With the help of these libraries we can all gain greater understanding of the world around us.
