⏳ History & Biography
The Library of Alexandria Did Not Burn in a Day
Ptolemaic Alexandria
The Modern Polymath@modern_polymath•2 min read
A Library to Hold Everything1 / 3
Founded under the Ptolemies in the third century BCE, the Library of Alexandria aimed to collect the books of the known world. Scholars there edited Homer, measured the Earth and catalogued knowledge.
“
Collecting knowledge is only the first step; caring for it is the long one.
Not One Fire2 / 3
Popular stories blame a single dramatic fire. In reality the library declined over centuries: Julius Caesar’s fire in 48 BCE may have destroyed some books, royal funding faded, scholars were expelled and the city suffered wars.
“
Great institutions rarely fall in one moment; they fade through neglect.
Discover the Rest of This Thought
The remaining cards of this series and the full in-depth essay are waiting for you in the Epigram app.