PAGE UNDER CONSTRUCTION- PLEASE CALL BACK AGAIN SOON

The Library of Alexandria in Egytpt had it beginning in the Ptolomaic Egyptian kingdom (named after the founder of the dynasty Ptolemy I one of Alexander's generals when the empire was divided on his death).

 

The Library was planned by Ptolemy I Soter (died 283bce) and was brought into being by his son Ptolemy II Philadelphus (308-246bce) with the collaboration of  Demetrious of Phaleron, their adviser.

 

It became perhaps the greatest library in the world.

 

It was partly destroyed by Julius Caesar, rebuil  after gifts by Marc Antony who stole collections from the Pergamum Library; later burnt again by early Christian zealots (who also murdered Hypatia the last priestly Librarian) and finally erased from history by the Caliph when Egypt fell to early Islam. 

 

It was designed to be the repository of knowledge of the entire known world. In its heyday it is reputed to have had many hundreds of thousands of volumes in papryus and vellum. Some of its scholars included such illustrious characters as:

Aristarchus of Samothrace;  Callimachus; Erastosthenes.