The Legacy of the Alexandrian Library
Megan Throne
Background
It is difficult to pinpoint when the first library was established, because during ancient times most libraries were personal, private collections within one’s home rather than a communal placethat stored literary works and was accessed by many. Compilations of texts, usually on tablets, “have turned up in large quantities in almost every commercially active city of ancient Mesopotamia.”[1] Its literature “goes back to the third millennium B.C., and ranges from poetry to prayer, from epistle to account book.”[2]
However, historic scholars focus on King Ashurbanipal’s (who ruled from 668-672 B.C.) palace library in the city of Ninevah as “both a familiar and convenient departure point.” As Ashurbanipal conquered new lands, he collected records and literary works from other kings’ palaces so that he had quite a wide selection of works, which he made available to an exclusive number of his higher class subjects.1
Among other ancient civilizations that had larger collections of literary works, such as Egypt and Rome, Greece’s libraries were especially important. Polycrates, king of Samos, and Peisistratus, king of Athens, established the first libraries in ancient Greece during the 6th century B.C.[3] Aristotle’s personal library, however, acted as inspiration for the library of Alexandria. Though much of his library had been ruined over time, his works were among the first housed in the Alexandrian library.2
Turning Point
During his rule over Egypt, Ptolemy I Sater initiated the construction of the Alexandrian library in 284 B.C.E. The library was located in the middle of the “Museion, which served both as a place of study and as living quarters for resident scholars.” Ptolemy I’s son Ptolemy II Philadelphus continued work on the library with aims “to collect every book written in Greek as well as the sacred an famous works of people outside (Greek culture), to have the works of the Classical Greek poets and dramatists edited in authentic form,… and to establish a research library for scholars in all branches of learning.”[4]
Ptolemy II Philadelphus assigned the poet Callimachus to devise a system of organization for the library. Callimachus “conceived and supervised the compilation of the library’s catalog, the Pinakes (‘tablets,’ referring to shelf labels).”1 The Pinakes allowed for the works in the library to be organized alphabetically both by author and title. The labels also sorted the works into a catalog of subjects.[5]
The Alexandrian library was a scholarly hub during Greco-Roman times until the 300s when it was destroyed. Details, including the quantity of works the library held or the layout of the library, can only be estimated due to the library’s destruction.1
Effect
Despite its destruction, the Alexandrian library has acted as the model for public libraries over the globe to follow. Private libraries were, of course, still created and used after the Alexandrian library and are still popular today. However, the public library became a staple for societies that arose after the Alexandrian library’s existence because the Alexandrian library proved that a research library is a necessity for scholars in all fields. In addition, the organization of the Pinakes “forged for the first time the bibliographic tools that are still used today to create order out of the chaos of a large and growing collection of books.”2 The Dewey Decimal System of present times, for instance, organizes books by subject matter, just as the Pinakes did.[6]
The Alexandrian library was, in a way, elite; though it was a public library, only higher class citizens and scholars were allowed access to the works and resources inside. Still, it was more public than any prior library and offered as a stepping stone toward present-day public libraries that are open to all. Present-day public libraries are the literary hub of each community, just as the Alexandrian library was the scholarly hub of its time.
[1]Wiegand, Wayne A. Encyclopedia of Library History. 1994. p. 25.
[2]Battles, Matthew. Library: An Unquiet History. 2003. p. 25
[3]Wiegand, Wayne A. Encyclopedia of Library History. 1994. p. 249-250.
[4] Wiegand, Wayne A. Encyclopedia of Library History. 1994. p. 19.
[5] Wiegand, Wayne A. Encyclopedia of Library History. 1994. p. 21.
[6] “Dewey Decimal System.” Chambers Dictionary of Eponyms. 2004.
Bibliography
“Alexandria.” Encyclopedia of African History. London. 2004. Credo Reference. Web.
Aristeas. Edited by: Thackeray, H St. J. The Letter of Aristeas: Translated into English.
Macmillan and Co. London. 1904. Web.
Battles, Matthew. Library: An Unquiet History. W.W. Norton & Company. New York. 2003.
“Dewey Decimal System.” Chambers Dictionary of Eponyms. Chambers Harrap. London. 2004.
Credo Reference. Web.
Sophokles, Gavriel. Pinakes. Typois Paraskeua Leone. University of Michigan. 1898. Web.
Rodenbeck, John. “Literary Alexandria.” The Massachusetts Review, Inc. 42.4. Egypt. p. 524-
572. Web.
Wiegand, Wayne A. and Davis Jr., Donald G. Encyclopedia of Library History. Garland
Publishing, Inc. New York. 1994.
Megan Throne
Background
It is difficult to pinpoint when the first library was established, because during ancient times most libraries were personal, private collections within one’s home rather than a communal placethat stored literary works and was accessed by many. Compilations of texts, usually on tablets, “have turned up in large quantities in almost every commercially active city of ancient Mesopotamia.”[1] Its literature “goes back to the third millennium B.C., and ranges from poetry to prayer, from epistle to account book.”[2]
However, historic scholars focus on King Ashurbanipal’s (who ruled from 668-672 B.C.) palace library in the city of Ninevah as “both a familiar and convenient departure point.” As Ashurbanipal conquered new lands, he collected records and literary works from other kings’ palaces so that he had quite a wide selection of works, which he made available to an exclusive number of his higher class subjects.1
Among other ancient civilizations that had larger collections of literary works, such as Egypt and Rome, Greece’s libraries were especially important. Polycrates, king of Samos, and Peisistratus, king of Athens, established the first libraries in ancient Greece during the 6th century B.C.[3] Aristotle’s personal library, however, acted as inspiration for the library of Alexandria. Though much of his library had been ruined over time, his works were among the first housed in the Alexandrian library.2
Turning Point
During his rule over Egypt, Ptolemy I Sater initiated the construction of the Alexandrian library in 284 B.C.E. The library was located in the middle of the “Museion, which served both as a place of study and as living quarters for resident scholars.” Ptolemy I’s son Ptolemy II Philadelphus continued work on the library with aims “to collect every book written in Greek as well as the sacred an famous works of people outside (Greek culture), to have the works of the Classical Greek poets and dramatists edited in authentic form,… and to establish a research library for scholars in all branches of learning.”[4]
Ptolemy II Philadelphus assigned the poet Callimachus to devise a system of organization for the library. Callimachus “conceived and supervised the compilation of the library’s catalog, the Pinakes (‘tablets,’ referring to shelf labels).”1 The Pinakes allowed for the works in the library to be organized alphabetically both by author and title. The labels also sorted the works into a catalog of subjects.[5]
The Alexandrian library was a scholarly hub during Greco-Roman times until the 300s when it was destroyed. Details, including the quantity of works the library held or the layout of the library, can only be estimated due to the library’s destruction.1
Effect
Despite its destruction, the Alexandrian library has acted as the model for public libraries over the globe to follow. Private libraries were, of course, still created and used after the Alexandrian library and are still popular today. However, the public library became a staple for societies that arose after the Alexandrian library’s existence because the Alexandrian library proved that a research library is a necessity for scholars in all fields. In addition, the organization of the Pinakes “forged for the first time the bibliographic tools that are still used today to create order out of the chaos of a large and growing collection of books.”2 The Dewey Decimal System of present times, for instance, organizes books by subject matter, just as the Pinakes did.[6]
The Alexandrian library was, in a way, elite; though it was a public library, only higher class citizens and scholars were allowed access to the works and resources inside. Still, it was more public than any prior library and offered as a stepping stone toward present-day public libraries that are open to all. Present-day public libraries are the literary hub of each community, just as the Alexandrian library was the scholarly hub of its time.
[1]Wiegand, Wayne A. Encyclopedia of Library History. 1994. p. 25.
[2]Battles, Matthew. Library: An Unquiet History. 2003. p. 25
[3]Wiegand, Wayne A. Encyclopedia of Library History. 1994. p. 249-250.
[4] Wiegand, Wayne A. Encyclopedia of Library History. 1994. p. 19.
[5] Wiegand, Wayne A. Encyclopedia of Library History. 1994. p. 21.
[6] “Dewey Decimal System.” Chambers Dictionary of Eponyms. 2004.
Bibliography
“Alexandria.” Encyclopedia of African History. London. 2004. Credo Reference. Web.
Aristeas. Edited by: Thackeray, H St. J. The Letter of Aristeas: Translated into English.
Macmillan and Co. London. 1904. Web.
Battles, Matthew. Library: An Unquiet History. W.W. Norton & Company. New York. 2003.
“Dewey Decimal System.” Chambers Dictionary of Eponyms. Chambers Harrap. London. 2004.
Credo Reference. Web.
Sophokles, Gavriel. Pinakes. Typois Paraskeua Leone. University of Michigan. 1898. Web.
Rodenbeck, John. “Literary Alexandria.” The Massachusetts Review, Inc. 42.4. Egypt. p. 524-
572. Web.
Wiegand, Wayne A. and Davis Jr., Donald G. Encyclopedia of Library History. Garland
Publishing, Inc. New York. 1994.