The Great Library of Alexandria: Was any knowledge saved?

reply to post by Sirius777

The Villa of the Papyri, in Herculaneum

I am glad you mentioned that because that was the first thing that came to mind when I read the OP.

Archaeologists have resumed their search for a library of Greek and Latin masterpieces that is thought to lie under volcanic rock at the ancient Roman site of Herculaneum.

The scrolls, which have been called the holy grail of classical literature, are thought to have been lost when Mount Vesuvius erupted in AD79, burying the wealthy Roman city of Herculaneum and neighbouring Pompeii.

Previous digs have unearthed classical works at a building now known as the Villa of the Papyri, thought to have belonged to Julius Caesar’s father-in-law, Lucius Calpurnius Piso, who was known to be a lover of poetry.

They have done some amazing work with the charred remains of the scrolls :

The carbonised scrolls recovered so far were deciphered by computer-enhanced multispectral imaging.

entertainment.timesonline.co.uk...

As has been already mentioned in previous posts I would have hoped there may be copies of some of the material that existed in Alexandria.

And a thank you to Hanslune for his comprehensive posts on the subject, it is easy to see where your interest and expertise lies.

A star for both Sirius and Hanslune.

Wow!

I'm impressed by the amount of information already compiled here! You guys are incredible!

I have not heard of the digging activity going on under the rubble of Pompeii. Fascinating stuff! Who knows what might be found there.

Also, it seems that perhaps not all of the scrolls at the Library At Alexandria have been destroyed after all.

When was the Pompeii dig being done, and is it still a work in progress?

reply to post by livingtorch

When was the Pompeii dig being done, and is it still a work in progress?

Well to be accurate it isn't actually Pompei but another sight on the other side of Mount Vesuvious which was also buried under a pyroclastic flow from Vesuvio.

Just Google Herculaneum and you are sure to get all the information you need.

I hope that helps.

How many important works were lost forever when the Library at Alexandria was destroyed and how much knowledge was lost forever?

Imagine if every Univerisity library in the world and the books housed in them were destroyed tomorrow. The world would be at a loss as their are many books, journals, manuscripts, and other writings that could only be found at Univerisity libraries. This would not mean, however, that all the world's important knowledge would be lost.

Many people may still have important books in their own personal collections that may contain all the general knowledge of various fields. For example, many physicians have their own personal copies of medical textbooks and/or major medical journals. If all the University Libraries were destroyed, the knowledge contained in obscure medical studies may be lost, but knowledge contained in textbooks and major medical journals would still be in existence. It is not as if physicians would start saying "What is that thing in the chest that goes lub dub?!" if all the University libraries in the world were suddenly destroyed.

Similarly, many people have copies of important works like Romeo and Juliet the Bible. If all the Univeristy libraries were destroyed tommorrow, the works of obscure authors would disappear, but Shakespeare and the Bible would still exist.

[edit on 9-5-2008 by hotpinkurinalmint]

And a thank you to Hanslune for his comprehensive posts on the subject, it is easy to see where your interest and expertise lies.

I only wish I could find the paper I wrote on this same subject while getting my MLS. Had all the quotes from various ancient authors on the Library - I probably had every mention of the Library by ancient and dark ages writers = even a very iffy one from a Chinese writer. The last copy of the Pinakes was probably destroyed during the first sack of Constantiniople.

Thanks for the mention Sherpa- oh is your picture of Tinzing? Nepal is my favorite foreign country.

[edit on 9/5/08 by Hanslune]

Originally posted by livingtorch
Anyone know/heard any rumors of any scrolls/knowledge was ever saved/taken/recovered from the ruins of the Great Library of Alexandria?

I don't know any rumors of this.

The only thing to hope that they were saved somehow is to invent a conspiracy, Government coverup, to take the books from the Great Library. Lets see then, perhaps the Illuminati never liked the hellinistic Greeks & their freedom of thought. They wanted that knowledge gone because it could expose their secret society. Also the Illuminati wanted to horde the information for thier own uses & power. So they helped fund the Roman Empire in its rise to power & staged a burning of the Great Library with the help of Julius Caesar. The books were already safely hidden in Illuminati hands before the fires were set. Roman guards killed the librarians days before & helped in the removal of scrolls/books. Once enough flamible material was in place instead of the books the fires were lit, accidentally of course as Caesar was chasing Pompey. Thats how the cover story goes at least. And the flames couldn't be contained before they reached the Great Library, which went up like dry tinder.

Hows my story so far?

Ever since then when the time was right, & for the right price, the Illuminati would create wars & extort money from Nations in return for their Great Library knowledge & advances in warfare tech.

I should write a book like Dan Brown does, lol.

reply to post by Hanslune

Thanks for the mention Sherpa- oh is your picture of Tinzing? Nepal is my favorite foreign country.

Yes, it is Tenzing Norgay and at this point I should point out that although I admired his achievments I did not choose the forum name because of it.

In fact I don't know how I chose that name other than it was short, but when it was suggested I have an avatar Tenzing was the obvious choice.

Regretfully I do not have nor have I pursued an interest in mountain climbing

I have never been to Nepal but do find their religion interesting and if I was religious at all then I would probably chose that one.

Howdy Sherpa

Avatars and names sometimes just seem to create themselves. Afraid of heights myself but did make it to the base camp of Everest. Went to Nepal five times in the last few years, to include my honeymoon.

Great place, good people.