What was lost when the library of Alexandria was burned?

Question

Do you think it significantly hindered social and technological development?

What major writings were presumed lost?

Answer 1

Originally there were two section of the Great Library of Alexandria which was started by Ptlomey I and greatley built up by Ptolomey II. The SEPHORIUM(the arts, history and literally section)containing 400,000 volumes and the BOCCHORIUM(the scientific and technical section)containing 300,000 volumes. All told 700,000 volumes which made it the greatest library up till the zenith of the Roman Empire and was not matched, except for this, until the middle of the nineteenth century.

The first burning was accidental. When Caesar was fighting the Egyptian fleet, to preserve his two legions and fulfill Rome's contract with Egypt-a ship caught fire, fell on the shore and spread the fire to amonst other things, the great library. However Caesar orginised fire fighters who saved almost all of it. The second burning was in the in the fifth century under the likes of fanatical christians as Cyril of Alexandria and Peter the Reader(who led a band to murder the scholar Hypatia). This destroyed most of it. The second was in the seventh century when the Arabs conquered the country. When asked if they should spared the contents(that which was left) the reply was either they were of the Koran- and having the Koran-there was no need of them OR they were not of the Koran-therfore they were an abomination and had to be burnt. What was left of the contents of the great library after the first deliberat burning fueled the bath houses of Alexandria for months. Hence barbarians-one religous and one political-religous destroyed a great legacy.

In the arts/history section there were books (scrolled volumes) of the early history of Mespotamia and the history before the flood(the Mespotamians had a legend of the flood too). In the scientific section there were lost books on machines invented and theorised in the ancient world-machines that could have added much more development. There were scientific discourses and blueprints for such things as the steam engine. Yes, much was lost on a technical and scientific nature which could have improved development and given society much more advancement in the comming dark age after the fall of the roman empire. Much much more was lost in the history/arts cateorgory. Knowledge that we would have had about very ancient history. A wealth of knowledge. Also the wealth of plans and ideas of a technical and scientific nature was an invaluelbe and tragic loss to humanity as a whole. The east, after the fall of Rome, kept what it could and monks in the west faithfully copied what they could. However the knowledge(both scientific and literal) that has been lost ensured centuries of lost time in the progess of humanity. In the whole scheme of history(and history is pretty large) it is but a bump. But consider the few centuries we could be more advanced than we are now-today. It is significant to us. However, in the end knowledge and science always win. This is how we are made. It gives the great advantages. For ignorance and fanatisism can howl and cackel all it likes. But knowledge and civilization will win in the end and will bury ignorance and fanatisism in the rubbish pit of history where they belong. For ignorance and fanatisism are but a phase in the development of a species. But knowlege and civilization-have all the eras, epochs and aeons-all of history to come. Hope this helps.

Answer 2

Lost Library Of Alexandria

Answer 3

The tragic burning of the great library of Alexandria destroyed over 500,000 scrolls amassing the collective thought of the ancient Greeks, Egyptians, Macedonians, Babylonians, and unknown others, depriving these priceless items from future scholars.

The original copies of the Homeric texts where presumed destroyed.

The original handwritten copies of the Old Testament from the Aramaic and Hebrew into Greek were destroyed.

Original scrolls about ancient medicines, geometry, astronomy, and mathematics were lost forever.

These scrolls could have provided modern scholars and historians with answers about the life and thought of the ancients, instead of having to guess or deduce from third hand sources.

Answer 4

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
What was lost when the library of Alexandria was burned?
Do you think it significantly hindered social and technological development?

What major writings were presumed lost?

Answer 5

Ancient Egyptians in summer could look down some of their water wells and see the reflection of the sun at noon. However, a few hundred miles away at the same time the sun cast a shadow. By pacing out the distance and measuring the length of the shadows at local noon they calculated that the earth had an arc and came to the conclusion that the earth was round and roughly estimated the earths circumference.
After the library at Alexandria was burned, it took civilaztion 1500 hundred years (Columbus' voyages) to rediscover the earth was round.

Answer 6

All of the major work of civilization up until that point was lost. Have you read The Alexandria Link by Steve Berry? Very interesting book about the library. Pax - C

Answer 7

it was a terrible lose to humanity....thousands of works were lost and i don't think we will ever know how much was lost forever..... we are still discovering things that are surprisingly advanced that we would have most like known about had the library not been burned...and it was not just a library it was an observatory, a garden and i think a couple other things........ and it probably has had lasting impact...there might have been scatter in the scrolls ways to cure diseases that wiped out millions and methods of farming that would have feed millions and all that might have been needed was someone to study the scrolls and make the connection......most scholars realized the world was round before Columbus sailed...they just didn't know that America existed

Answer 8

Lost was mankind s ability to increase in knowledge to quickly, as with the Tower of Babel, the Great Flood, ect.
what is scary is the increase in knowledge in the past one hundred and so years, and it is increasing quicker and quicker now, I say scary because, could the halt of knowledge increase, end again?

Answer 9

The entire written body of work of

Answer 10

Maps!