The Royal Library of Alexandria which is also known as Ancient Library of Alexandria in Egypt. It was one of the largest and most significant libraries of the ancient world. It thrived under the assistance of the Ptolemaic dynasty and functioned as a major center of scholarship from its construction in the 3rd century BC until the Roman conquest of Egypt in 30 BC.
It was dedicated to the Muses, the nine goddesses of the arts. The most renowned thinkers of the ancient world studied there with collections of works, lecture halls, meeting rooms, and gardens, the library was part of a larger research institution called the Musaeum of Alexandria.
The library was created by Ptolemy I Soter, who was a Macedonian general and the successor of Alexander the Great. Most of the books were kept as papyrus scrolls, and though it is unknown how many such scrolls were housed at any given time, their combined value was colossal.
The library is famous for having been burned down, resulting in the loss of many scrolls and books; its destruction has become a symbol for the loss of cultural knowledge. A few sources differ on who is responsible for the havoc and when it occurred. Although there is a mythology of the burning of the Library at Alexandria, the library may in truth have suffered several fires or other acts of destruction over many years.
The famous burning of the Library of Alexandria, including the enormous loss of ancient works, has become a symbol of the irretrievable loss of public knowledge. Although there is a mythology of “the burning of the Library at Alexandria”, the library may have suffered several fires or acts of destruction of varying degrees over many years. Ancient and modern sources identify several possible occasions for the partial or complete destruction of the Library of Alexandria.
