42 | ORIGINS The famous Library <strong>of</strong> Alexandria (located in Alexandria, Egypt) has captured <strong>the</strong> interest <strong>of</strong> people for hundreds <strong>of</strong> years across <strong>the</strong> world. The Library was said to be home to thousands <strong>of</strong> scrolls and books; a center <strong>of</strong> learning unlike any o<strong>the</strong>r in <strong>the</strong> world. It was thought to be a library filled with knowledge from various Old World cultures which were translated over time to Greek. Unfortunately <strong>the</strong> library faced destruction hundreds <strong>of</strong> years after it was built. The Library and <strong>the</strong> knowledge within were burned, leaving only ashes as a distant memory. How did such a great library meet this catastrophic fate? I n Agora Hollywood, <strong>of</strong> course, has tried to answer this question for us. According to <strong>the</strong> movie Agora (2009; Alejandro Amenábar), <strong>the</strong> Library was sacked and burned down by a mob <strong>of</strong> Christians. In <strong>the</strong> movie, a group <strong>of</strong> Christians ga<strong>the</strong>red within <strong>the</strong> agora to mock <strong>the</strong> Pagans’ gods. In order to answer this insult, a group <strong>of</strong> pagans marched into <strong>the</strong> agora and killed any Christian found. Bloodshed ensued, but <strong>the</strong> pagans were soon outnumbered and driven back to <strong>the</strong> Library <strong>of</strong> Alexandria, where <strong>the</strong>y barred <strong>the</strong> gates to wait for <strong>the</strong> Roman troops to come and restore order. Emperor Theodosius was a Christian, and under his decree <strong>the</strong> pagans would be forgiven as long as <strong>the</strong>y turned <strong>the</strong> Library over to <strong>the</strong> Christians at <strong>the</strong>ir will. The pagans were to be banned henceforth from entering <strong>the</strong> Library. As <strong>the</strong> pagans fled out <strong>the</strong> back gate <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Library with whatever <strong>the</strong>y could carry, <strong>the</strong> Christians began flooding into <strong>the</strong> library and destroying whatever was left in <strong>the</strong>ir path. Once <strong>the</strong> mob settled down, almost all <strong>the</strong> scrolls within <strong>the</strong> library had been burned and <strong>the</strong> statues vandalized. In order to make use <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> now empty library, <strong>the</strong> Christians set up a place <strong>of</strong> worship and stored livestock within <strong>the</strong> now vacant rooms. Although this makes for a very entertaining movie, is this truly what happened to <strong>the</strong> Library <strong>of</strong> Alexandria? I n Histo r y Truthfully, Hollywood could possibly be right on this one. Unfortunately, no one really knows. Historically, <strong>the</strong>re are multiple accounts <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> series <strong>of</strong> events that lead up to burning <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Library <strong>of</strong> Alexandria. To make matters even more confusing, <strong>the</strong>re are actually two libraries <strong>of</strong> Alexandria. The first library was built sometime between 300- 290 BCE by Ptolemy I and was referred to as <strong>the</strong> “Mo<strong>the</strong>r.” Later, sometime before 200 BCE, ano<strong>the</strong>r library was built in Alexandria and was referred to as <strong>the</strong> “Daughter” library. Modern literature rarely distinguishes <strong>the</strong> two. If that is not already an indication as to how convoluted <strong>the</strong> history is...<strong>the</strong>se multiple accounts do not even have a defined time frame. Not only is it unclear when <strong>the</strong> Library burned down, but which library, <strong>the</strong> location <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> library, and who did <strong>the</strong> burning are mysteries (if a library called Alexandria ever burned down at all). Due to a series <strong>of</strong> earthquakes and floods in <strong>the</strong> North East section <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> city <strong>of</strong> Alexandria, <strong>the</strong> Library may also have been destroyed by nature, obscuring any possible archaeology. This makes it difficult for researchers and archaeologists to discover new information, and limits what evidence can be compared to <strong>the</strong> various historic accounts. Three hypo<strong>the</strong>ses on who burned down <strong>the</strong> Library <strong>of</strong> Alexandria include Julius Caesar, Theodosius, and Caliph Omar. We know that Julius Caesar visited <strong>the</strong> city in 48 BCE while at war. The area managed to separate his fleet <strong>of</strong> ships and in order to win a battle, Julius had to burn down <strong>the</strong> Egyptian fleet which was blocking him from continuing. The fire managed to win Julius <strong>the</strong> battle, but it had unexpectedly spread, burning down parts <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> city (including, possibly, <strong>the</strong> Library). In ano<strong>the</strong>r story, Theophilus <strong>the</strong> Great was in <strong>the</strong> process <strong>of</strong> converting all <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Roman Empire to Christianity. In 391 CE, he burned down and sacked <strong>the</strong> Library <strong>of</strong> Alexandria. Knowing that <strong>the</strong> Library contained works from cultures and religions which would oppose his faith, he had <strong>the</strong> Pagan temple within <strong>the</strong> Daughter Library converted into a Christian Church. According to different accounts, Theophilus, who was <strong>the</strong> patriarch <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> city <strong>of</strong> Alexandria, appealed to <strong>the</strong> Emperor Theodosius to lend his support in driving out <strong>the</strong> www.knowyourorigins.org
REVIEW IT | 43 Screen capture <strong>of</strong> Hypatia holding scrolls from <strong>the</strong> Library in <strong>the</strong> 2009 film Agora. “The <strong>Burning</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Library at Alexandria in 391 AD” Illustration <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> lithograph from Hutchinsons <strong>History</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Nations ca. 1910 by Robert Ambrose Dudley (1867-1951) | The Bridgeman Art Library (Object 357910). Origins Scientific Research Society