Although the library on your campus might not exactly be your favorite place (or maybe it’s a place you avoid at all costs), that doesn’t mean that all libraries were lame. In fact, some of the libraries in the ancient world are still renowned today for the mass amounts of information that they stored. Here are a list of some of the most impressive libraries from back “in the olden days”:

Alexandria

The library at Alexandria, Egypt is probably the most well known ancient library. It was one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World, and the loss of its contents is still mourned today. Although the dates of it’s opening aren’t known for sure, archaeologists have determined that it was built sometime between 323-246 BC, in the reign of the Ptolomies. It was the first library to begin collecting works from outside of its own country, and was even given the responsibility of collecting the world’s knowledge. The library was actually a part of the Museum at Alexandria, which was a whole complex that had different areas for learning—it featured a zoo, and different rooms for the different study of things like astronomy, mathematics, science, etc.

Sadly, the Library at Alexandria was accidentally set on fire by Julius Caesar in the year 48 BC, when he decided to set fire to the ships docked nearby. The wind swept the fire out of control, and the flames destroyed a good portion of the library. [Read more...]