Alexandria, Egypt was home to the greatest library of all time. During the height of its existence as the center of learning, its grand objective was the collection of all knowledge in the known world.
The library was a large complex of buildings that included lecture halls, meeting and reading rooms. There were gardens and walkways. The massive collection of documents were most likely in the form of scrolls, although the codex was being developed in Rome around this time.
No one knows exactly what happened. There are at least three different versions of the tragedy that occured around the 3rd century A.D. The only sure thing is that nothing survived but the legends.
Most recent edit: July 21, 2011
I love the images the Library of Alexandria evokes. I like to imagine the ultimate library, a place where people gather because they are so darn curious about everything and they come to experience limitless resources at their disposal.
Everyone in my ideal library loves learning. Many love to talk and share their ideas. Some simply love to sit in silent absorption of a good book. In my library you could sit for hours reading, take a stroll through the gardens, find a group of people to discuss your ideas, and a cat to purr on your lap.
The mystery behind the tragedy of the burning of Alexandria made it perfect for creating my own version of what happened. Although the setting for Guardian Cats is in the present time, the legends of the Library of Alexandria created the perfect springboard for the origin of the Lost Books. Cicero, the elder Guardian, pays an occasional visit to the past, this time with his unsuspecting new apprentice.
The fourth video in this selection shows the recently rebuilt library. What do you think of it?
Bibliotheca Alexandrina: The new Library of Alexandria
The Library of Alexandria
"The place of the cure of the soul."
Guardian Cats
and the Lost Books of Alexandria
