Oldest Public Library of Germany found in Downtown Cologne

[BillTre]

Apparently Roman built, it is though to have held 20,000 scrolls.
Guardian story here.

 

[e-pie]

Great!

 

[AlexTheParticle]

The Library of Alexandria was one of the largest and most important libraries in the ancient world. While the exact date of its construction is unknown, it is believed to have been built during the reign of Ptolemy II Philadelphus, a ruler of the Ptolemaic dynasty in Egypt, in the 3rd century BC.The library was located in the city of Alexandria, which was founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BC. Under the rule of the Ptolemies, the city grew into a major center of learning and culture, attracting scholars, scientists, and philosophers from all over the Mediterranean world.The library was originally built as part of the Musaeum, a center of learning and research that also included lecture halls, gardens, and other facilities. The library itself is thought to have been a large rectangular building with a central courtyard, surrounded by a series of rooms and galleries that housed the scrolls.The exact number of scrolls that the library held is unknown, but some estimates put it at around 20,000 scrolls. These scrolls contained works from various fields, including literature, philosophy, science, mathematics, and medicine. The library also had a section dedicated to government documents and official records.The library was not only a repository of knowledge, but it also served as a center for research and scholarship. Scholars and scientists would gather there to study, discuss ideas, and exchange knowledge. It was also a place where translations of important works from other languages were made, allowing for the dissemination of knowledge across different cultures.Unfortunately, the library was not able to survive the test of time. It is believed that it was destroyed in a series of fires, the most famous of which occurred during the siege of Alexandria by Julius Caesar in 48 BC. Other fires and invasions over the centuries also contributed to the library's decline and eventual destruction.While the exact fate of the Library of Alexandria is still debated by historians, its legacy continues to live on. The library was a symbol of the pursuit of knowledge and the importance of education in ancient times, and its loss is still mourned by scholars and historians today.