What texts do we have today that were in the library at alexandria?

Answer 1

When the library was being built, a huge collection of manuscripts was put together at the Library of Alexandria.

It would be a safe bet that the Library of Alexandria had a copy of every Greek or Roman book that existed at the time, and many ones from India as well. (Indian ships traded with Egypt at the time). Likely many texts from Persia, Mesopatamia, and perhaps even China were in there. Since the whole place was burned by the Arabs, we don't know, can't know, and will never know what exactly was and wasn't in the Library.

As was said earlier, the Arabs had the library burned after they took the city. It is said that the reason was this. "If the books disagree with the Koran, they are heresy and should be burned because they are evil. If they agree with the Koran then they are redundant and should be burned because they are not needed."

So none of the books in the library survived, and we don't know exactly what was lost in the fire. There are many books and plays that we know existed (because other works that did survive in other places quote from them) that we do not now have copies of. It is likely there were copies of these books in the Library, and they were lost.

It is very likely that there were many books in the Library that we know nothing of.

It is also a virtual certanty that there were copies of what ancient texts that did survive (elsewhere) in the Library as well. I'm certian that there were copies of the Iliad and the Odyssey there, probably the Gospels (Alexandria had been Christian for several centuries before the Arabs took it...in fact it is probable that some of the Christians burned a few of the books earlier) and there was probably a Torah as well (Alexandria had a large Jewish community), and works by Heroditus, Plato, Galen, Tacitus, Virgil's Aeneid, Plutarch's book on Alexander, Julus Cesar's Gallic Wars, etc. were undoubtedly all there.

Books were rare and expensive in the ancient world, but copies were often made of the more important books of the time. Even though none of the books from the Library of Alexandria survived, other copies of these same books did, elsewhere, which is why we have them today. Many were preserved in monastaries (ironcicly enough in Ireland), and in Constantinople.

Answer 2

As far as I know, none. Perhaps a scholar of ancient literature would know of something. The library burned down during the Roman occupation of Alexandria under Julius Caesar. Alexandria was a very cosmopolitan city which although located in Egypt had a Greek culture. It was a center for all sorts of learning and scholars from all over flocked there. The library must have contained the highest knowledge of that time. What a shame and a loss!!!!

Answer 3

None of the actual bits of paper.

It is reasonable to suppose that it contained all the works of Greek and early Roman philosophers, historians, poets and dramatists of which we now know. Fortunately those that we have were preserved by the Arabs and in monasteries and survived the chaos that existed after the fall of the western Roman Empire.

Answer 4

Very few were saved of the approximately 300000 scrolls. The Arabs using them for heating their baths did incalculable harm. There are only rumors what was in there.