The Library of Alexandria
Centre of Learning in the Ancient World
Published on 14. January 2005
208 pages
978-0-85771-438-1 (ISBN)
Description
The Library of Alexandria was one of the greatest cultural adornments of the late ancient world, containing thousands of scrolls of Greek, Hebrew and Mesopotamian literature and art and artefacts of ancient Egypt. This book demonstrates that Alexandria became - through the contemporary reputation of its library - a point of confluence for Greek, Roman, Jewish and Syrian culture that drew scholars and statesmen from throughout the ancient world. It also explores the histories of Alexander the Great and of Alexandria itself, the greatest city of the ancient world. This new paperback edition offers general readers an accessible introduction to the history of this magnificent yet still mysterious institution from the time of its foundation up to its tragic destruction.
More details
Edition
Digital original
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Edition type
Digital original
ISBN-13
978-0-85771-438-1 (9780857714381)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
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01/2010
I.B. Tauris
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06/2002
I.B. Tauris
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Persons
Roy MacLeod is Professor of History at the University of Sydney. Educated at Harvard, the LSE and Cambridge, he has taught in England, France, the Netherlands and the US, and is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries in London.
Content
- Cover
- Contents
- Notes on Contributors
- Preface
- Introduction: Alexandria in History and Myth
- Part I. Alexandria in History and Myth
- Chapter 1. Before Alexandria: Libraries in the Ancient Near East
- Chapter 2. Alexandria: The Umbilicus of the Ancient World
- Chapter 3. Cloistered Bookworms in the Chicken-Coop of the Muses: The Ancient Library of Alexandria
- Chapter 4: Aristotle's Works: The Possible Origins of the Alexandria Collection
- Part II. Scholarship in the Alexandrian Manner
- Chapter 5. Doctors in the Library: The Strange Tale of Apollonius the Bookworm and Other Stories
- Chapter 6: The Theatre of Paphos and the Theatre of Alexandria: Some First Thoughts
- Chapter 7. Scholars and Students in the Roman East
- Chapter 8: The Neoplatonists and the Mystery Schools of the Mediterranean
- Chapter 9: Alexandria and its Medieval Legacy: The Book, the Monk and the Rose
- Bibliography
- Index
