A response to... Will you read of a reference concerning the Library of Alexandria?

Question

((( My responce to HH comment about the fact that Shakespeare was not borne on Morpheus sand (Hellas, Greece). Not becoming partial to any, I am just referring to the people that read of one Shakespeare And THOUSANDS of ancient Hellenic authors/scriptures to learn from. I am pretty sure that Shakespeare. got educated studying the ancient Greeks. (despite also of the the fact, that most of the scriptures got burned). I allow to my contacts, that have the intention to use this post of mine benevolently, to copy - paste it, so HH and all colleagues will see it, and understand, if they do not already know, which is most probably a fact. )))

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_of_Alexandria

The Royal Library of Alexandria, or Ancient Library of Alexandria, in Alexandria, Egypt, was the largest and most significant great library of the ancient world. It flourished under the patronage 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. The library was conceived and opened either during the reign of Ptolemy I Soter (323–283 BC) or during the reign of his son Ptolemy II (283–246 BC).[1]

Plutarch (AD 46–120) wrote that during his visit to Alexandria in 48 BC Julius Caesar "accidentally" burned the library down when he set fire to his own ships to frustrate Achillas' attempt to limit his ability to communicate by sea.[2] After its destruction, scholars used a "daughter library" in a temple known as the Serapeum, located in another part of the city.

Intended both as a commemoration and an emulation of the original, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina was inaugurated in 2002 near the site of the old library.[3]

In 2004, a Polish-Egyptian excavation team announced that they had discovered the remains of the Library of Alexandria.[4]

The first known library of its kind to gather a serious collection of books from beyond its country's borders, the Library at Alexandria was charged with collecting all the world's knowledge. It did so through an aggressive and well-funded royal mandate involving trips to the book fairs of Rhodes and Athens[8] and a policy of pulling the books off every ship that came into port. They kept the original texts and made copies to send back to their owners.[1] This detail is informed by the fact that Alexandria, because of its man-made bidirectional port between the mainland and the Pharos island, welcomed trade from the East and West, and soon found itself the international hub for trade, as well as the leading producer of papyrus and, soon enough, books.

Other than collecting works from the past, the library was also home to a host of international scholars, well-patronized by the Ptolemaic dynasty with travel, lodging and stipends for their whole families. As a research institution, the library filled its stacks with new works in mathematics, astronomy, physics, natural sciences and other subjects. Its empirical standards applied in one of the first and certainly strongest homes for serious textual criticism.[citation needed] As the same text often existed in several different versions, comparative textual criticism was crucial for ensuring their veracity. Once ascertained, canonical copies would then be made for scholars, royalty and wealthy bibliophiles the world over, this commerce bringing income to the library.

The editors at the Library of Alexandria are especially well known for their work on Homeric texts. The more famous editors generally also held the title of head librarian. These included, among others,[9]

* Zenodotus (early 3rd century BC)
* Callimachus, (early 3rd century BC), the first bibliographer and developer of the Pinakes — the first library catalog.
* Apollonius of Rhodes (mid-3rd century BC)
* Eratosthenes (late 3rd century BC)
* Aristophanes of Byzantium (early 2nd century BC)
* Aristarchus of Samothrace (late 2nd century BC).

It is now impossible to determine the collection's size in any era with any certainty. Papyrus scrolls comprised the collection, and although parchment codices were used after 300 BC, the Alexandrian Library is never documented as having switched to parchment, perhaps because of its strong links to the papyrus trade. (The Library of Alexandria in fact had an indirect cause in the creation of writing parchment — due to the library's critical need for papyrus, little was exported and thus an alternate source of copy material became essential.)

A single piece of writing might occupy several scrolls, and this division into self-contained "books" was a major aspect of editorial work. King Ptolemy II Philadelphus (309–246 BC) is said to have set 500,000 scrolls as an objective for the library.[10] ................................................

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_of_Alexandria

Answer 1

I wish I could visit the Library of Alexandria, but I can't! Well, thanks for the information about it... You're a great friend! :))

Answer 2

Are you a self-appointed Greek ambassador or were you actually hired by their government? Just curious... (I couldn't read the whole thing, cause you do go on. And on.) Don't belabor your point so much, Gio



PS And what's up with the copy & paste history lesson anyway? Makes me suspect you don't know your own country's history all that well.

The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and number of books. The head of the Library is the Librarian of Congress, currently James H. Billington.



The Library of Congress was built by Congress in 1800, and was housed in the United States Capitol for most of the 19th century. After much of the original collection had been destroyed during the War of 1812, Thomas Jefferson sold 6,487 books, his entire personal collection, to the library in 1815.[2][3] After a period of decline during the mid-19th century the Library of Congress began to grow rapidly in both size and importance after the American Civil War, culminating in the construction of a separate library building and the transference of all copyright deposit holdings to the Library. During the rapid expansion of the 20th century the Library of Congress assumed a preeminent public role, becoming a "library of last resort" and expanding its mission for the benefit of scholars and the American people.



The Library's primary mission is researching inquiries made by members of Congress through the Congressional Research Service. Although it is open to the public, only Members of Congress, Supreme Court justices and other high-ranking government officials may check out books. As the de facto national library, the Library of Congress promotes literacy and American literature through projects such as the American Folklife Center, American Memory, Center for the Book and Poet Laureate.



See how annoying that is? ha ha ha

Answer 3

What boggles my lopsided brain is that Hiram thinks you are me...

or vice versa...

...

I need a drink!