Why did the Library of Alexandria gradually decline in importance up to 275CE?
The Great Alexandria Library, arguably one of the most significant intellectual hubs of the classical era, was founded in 283BCE, probably during the reign of Ptolemy I Soter (however, there are some sources suggesting that the library was organised by Demetrius Phalerum, an exile from Athens previously taught by Aristotle). The library, also recognised as a museum, was dedicated to the Muses (a group of lesser goddesses who represent each artistic discipline). It consisted of a garden, a zoo, shrines and lecture rooms. Moreover, the library was thought to accommodate between 200,000 and 700,000 books, separated into two sectors. Books were arranged into the following subjects: rhetoric (technique of persuasion); law; epic (long poems from ancient oral tradition); tragedy; comedy; lyric poetry (poems which expressed emotions or feelings); history; medicine; mathematics; natural sciences and others. Not only was the library a place of intelligence but it also accommodated around one hundred scholars who performed research in the library. Sadly, however, due to several reasons that will be explored in this essay, the library saw a slow decline and it was destroyed during the year 275CE during an invasion devised by the Roman emperor at the time, Aurelian. In order to evaluate the aspects of the decline of the library, we need to consider the environment in which it was situated. During 48BCE, Julius Caesar became involved in a war with Cleopatra, and Alexandria was soon besieged by land and sea. Caesar began to think that the only way he could defeat the incoming forces was to set the fleet on fire – in this way he managed to secure a better position to defeat them. However, authors such as Plutarch report that the fire spread from the boats to the dockyard and eventually destroyed the library. After this initial destruction, an attempt was made to restore the library. However, during the period of Roman rule, the library was not directly destroyed, but slowly diminished due to the lack of academic popularity. This was mainly because membership of the library was not granted for academic distinction (which it had been previously) but instead for power or work in the military. As a result, scholars were no longer required to carry out research or teach, and so the reputation of the library started to decline. In contrast, many other libraries around the Mediterranean began to prosper and develop, adding to the depreciation of the library’s reputation. Due to the lack of scholarly enthusiasm and interest, the value of the library decreased.
27
