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Question: The LIBRARY in Alexandria !!?
Is the Library of Alexandria (that burned down !!?!) a myth, or a historical fact!? Do we actually KNOW it existed!?Www@QuestionHome@Com


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
Back in 2004 a Polish-Egyptian team found what they think is the site of the great Library of Alex!.

http://news!.bbc!.co!.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3707!.!.!.

The library at Alexandria is not a myth, it existed and it was burnt down by that barbarian murderer Gaius Julius Caesar and his gang!.

Thankfully, hardly any of the books from the library at Alexandria were lost!. I'll explain why!. Back in those days if a person wanted to borrow a book from the library, they had to have it copied, thus they kept the copy!. So, even though the library at Alex burnt down, there must have been hundreds of copies of almost all of the books out there in the hands of their new owners, over many years etc!.

We know for a fact that the Arabs had vast collections of books from the Classical periods of both Greece and Rome!.

http://www!.crystalinks!.com/libraryofalex!.!.!.

There is also a modern Library of Alexandria VA, founded in c1794!.
http://www!.alexandria!.lib!.va!.us/

more Alex etc!. !. !.
http://www!.greece!.org/Alexandria/Library!.!.!.

Alexander
http://scriptorium!.lib!.duke!.edu/papyrus/!.!.!.

Classical Egyptian Dance with what I think looks like Greek influence
http://uk!.youtube!.com/watch!?v=k2CJew86cO!.!.!.

Cleopatra visits Roma
http://uk!.youtube!.com/watch!?v=yuSl2spOWS!.!.!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Yes it existed!. We can be certain it was there, founded by Ptolomy II Soter, and we can be equally certain it is not there now!. It formed part of the Museum which was located in the Bruchion or palace quarter of the city of Alexandria!. This great ancient city, occupying a spit of land on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea, had been founded by Alexander the Great in his flying visit to Egypt and became the capital of the last dynasty of Pharaohs descended from Alexander's general Ptolemy!. The Great or more properly Royal Library formed a part of the Museum but whether or not it was a separate building is unclear!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Library of Alexandria, famous ancient library, considered to have the greatest collection of books in the ancient world!. Founded by Ptolemy I Soter, king of Egypt, in the city of Alexandria, it was expanded by his son Ptolemy II Philadelphus early in the 3rd century bc!. The scholars in charge included the ablest men of letters in contemporary Alexandria!. Zenodotus of Ephesus, whose speciality was the classification of poetry, was the first to hold the position of librarian!. The poet Callimachus produced the first general catalogue of its books and apparently also served as librarian!. The two most noted librarians were Aristophanes of Byzantium (c!. 257-180 bc) and Aristarchus of Samothrace (c!. 217-145 bc), both great editors and grammarians!. Under Ptolemy II, the main library in the Alexandrian Museum apparently contained nearly 500,000 volumes, or rolls, while an annex in the Temple of Serapis housed about 43,000 volumes!. Most writings of antiquity were preserved in these collections from which copies were made and disseminated to libraries throughout the civilized world!.

It is largely through such copies that ancient works have survived to modern times, for the Alexandrian library was partially or wholly destroyed on several occasions!. In 47 bc, during the civil war between Julius Caesar and the followers of Pompey the Great, Caesar was besieged in Alexandria; a fire that destroyed the Egyptian fleet spread through some stores of books, about 40,000 of which were burnt!. According to legend, the library itself was destroyed by fire on three occasions: in ad 272 by order of the Roman emperor Lucius Domitius Aurelian, in 391, when Emperor Theodosius I razed it and other pagan buildings, and in 640 by Muslims under Caliph Umar I (c!. 581-644)!.

In October 2002 a new library—Bibliotheca Alexandrina—was opened on the site of the ancient library!. It took 12 years to construct and cost US$220 million!.Www@QuestionHome@Com