What was the Library of Alexandria?
The Library of Alexandria was a legendary research institution founded by Ptolemy I of Egypt. In the modern era, the Library of Alexandria is probably better remembered for its fate: according to numerous historians, the library was sacked and burned, although probably in a series of events, rather than all at once. The precise nature of the Great Library is a topic of some argument among scholars, since little information about the actual library exists, and mythology and legends have obscured the real picture quite thoroughly. This institution was most certainly established in the third century BCE, with the goal of collecting written materials from numerous surrounding cultures. In fact, two separate libraries held the collections of the Library of Alexandria, which included scrolls from Greece and Rome in addition to Egypt. The Library of Alexandria also had meeting rooms, dormitories, and other spaces for the use of scholars, scribes, and copyists.
