Alexandria: Library of Dreams (Article) -- Ancient History Encyclopedia

Article

Alexandria: Library of Dreams

by Bagnall, Roger S. (Professor of Classics and History Columbia University) (submitted by Jan van der Crabben)
published on 04 June 2012

My title does not intend to suggest that the Alexandrian Library did not exist, but it does point to what I regard as the unreal character of much that has been said about it. The disparity between, on the one hand, the grandeur and importance of this library, both in its reality in antiquity and in its image both ancient and modern, and, on the other, our nearly total ignorance about it, has been unbearable. No one, least of all modern scholars, has been able to accept our lack of knowledge about a phenomenon that embodies so many human aspirations. In consequence, a whole literature of wishful thinking has grown up, in which scholars—even, I fear, the most rigorous—have cast aside the time-tested methods that normally constrain credulity, in order to be able to avoid confessing defeat. After sketching briefly the main lines of our ignorance of the Library’s history, I shall talk about three types of dreams that have beguiled commentators ancient and modern: dreams about the size of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina; dreams about placing the blame for its destruction; and dreams about the consequences of its loss. But there are some positive lessons as well, as I hope to show.

PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY, VOL. 146, NO. 4, DECEMBER (2002)

Written by Bagnall, Roger S. (Professor of Classics and History Columbia University), linked by Jan van der Crabben, published 04 June 2012. Source URL: http://archive.nyu.edu/bitstream/2451/28263/2/D172-Alexandria%20Library%20of%20Dreams.pdf.

Disclaimer: Ancient History Encyclopedia claims no authorship, intellectual property, or copyright on the material below. It is used solely for non-profit educational purposes, and none of the data is stored on our servers. If you want this content to be removed from the site, please contact us.

[+] Enlarge article [-] View article page

Donate and help us!

We're a non-profit organisation and we need your help! This website costs money and research material isn't cheap either. We are supported only by our donors. Please consider donating; even small amounts help. Thank you!