What was lost in the Library of Alexandria?
While 300 years after their military campaign they were charged with destroyed the library, it appears these accusations were mostly baseless. What was lost with the destruction of the Library of Alexandria is priceless — vast stores of manuscripts, history, and knowledge. But today, what remains is still significant.
What was the Library of Alexandria famous for?
Library of Alexandria, the most famous library of Classical antiquity. It formed part of the research institute at Alexandria in Egypt that is known as the Alexandrian Museum (Mouseion, “shrine of the Muses”).
Who burned the library in Alexandria Egypt?
Julius Caesar
Throughout its near 1,000-year history, the library was burned multiple times. According to Plutarch, the first person to blame is Julius Caesar. On his pursuit of Pompey into Egypt in 48 BCE, Caesar was cut off by a large fleet of Egyptian boats in the harbor of Alexandria. He ordered the boats to be burned.
Who really destroyed the Library of Alexandria?
Julius Caesar himself
The first person blamed for the destruction of the Library is none other than Julius Caesar himself. In 48 BC, Caesar was pursuing Pompey into Egypt when he was suddenly cut off by an Egyptian fleet at Alexandria. Greatly outnumbered and in enemy territory, Caesar ordered the ships in the harbor to be set on fire.
Did the Library of Alexandria actually burn down?
The Library, or part of its collection, was accidentally burned by Julius Caesar during his civil war in 48 BC, but it is unclear how much was actually destroyed and it seems to have either survived or been rebuilt shortly thereafter; the geographer Strabo mentions having visited the Mouseion in around 20 BC and the …
Why did Julius Caesar destroy the Library of Alexandria?
Ammianus Marcellinus thought that it happened when the city was sacked under Caesar, and Caesar himself reported the burning of Alexandria as an accidental consequence of his war against his great rival Pompey, in 48–47 BCE.