The Library
of Alexandria

The Universal Archives

As the most famous library of Classical antiquity, the legendary library of Alexandria was a hub of knowledge and information, attracting scholars and intellectuals from around the world.

Libraries and archives were known to many civilizations in the ancient world, but the earliest of these institutions were of a local and regional nature, primarily concerned with the conservation of their own particular traditions and heritage. The idea of a universal library, like that of Alexandria, arose only after the Greek mind had begun to envisage and encompass a larger worldview. The Greeks were impressed by the achievements of their neighbors, and many Greek intellectuals sought to explore the resources of “Oriental” knowledge.”