Tales of the Royal Library Trivia Quiz

Answer: Alexandria

Founded by Alexander the Great in the 331 BC, Alexandria became one of the most important cities of the ancient world. During the Hellenistic Age it was not only the capital of ancient Egypt, it was also a center of culture and intellect for many different groups of people, and remained so until the Muslim conquest in 641. Known for the Pharos Lighthouse, one of the wonders of the ancient world, Alexandria is believed to have been the site of Alexander's eventual burial, which many people, including Julius Caesar, were reported to have visited. Of course, the Royal Library, which was also known as the Great Library, also attracted many different visitors to the city in ancient times.

Answer: Muses

In ancient Greek mythology there were nine Muses (according to experts like Homer; others say there was only three), who were believed to be the patrons of the arts, literature, and science. Also adopted in the Roman pantheon, the Muses were believed to provide inspiration for poetry, songs, and other cultural pursuits. One doesn't need to think very long to come up with modern words which relate to the muses: music, amuse, musing, and, of course, museum, which was the place where the muses were worshipped. According to Hesiod, the Muses were the daughters of Zeus and the goddess of memory, Mnemosyne, and Apollo was their recognized leader.

Answer: Ptolemy I Soter

When Alexander the Great was dying, he was asked who his successor should be. He replied "To the strongest!". His generals almost immediately set out to see who the strongest was; they battled for 25 years before the vast empire was divided into three kingdoms. Alexander's general, Ptolemy, had been appointed by Alexander as governor of Egypt in 323 BC.

He was able to maintain control of what was considered to be the wealthiest part of Alexander's empire; this included Egypt along with much of the territory, such as Syria-Palestine, that had been claimed by earlier pharaohs.

There seems to be some uncertainty as to whether Ptolemy I or perhaps his son, Ptolemy II actually founded the Royal Library; sources differ in their information. The family, however, did continue to rule Egypt with Alexandria as the capital until the death of Cleopatra VII Philopator in 30 BC.

Answer: Musaeum

The "Mouseion" or "Musaeum" at Alexandria was supported by the Ptolemy family. Unlike the modern concept of a museum, it was an institution that brought together the greatest thinkers of the time in a setting very much like a modern university. According to Strabo, the buildings and garden area were beautifully decorated; there was a communal dining area, study rooms, lecture halls, and theaters.

Many subjects, including anatomy and astronomy, were studied, and the complex even contained a zoo; the Royal Library was just one part of the complex.

Answer: Scrolls

Although the exact number of scrolls housed at the Royal Library is unknown, it is believed that papyrus scrolls made up the bulk of the collection. In fact, the Royal Library created such a demand for papyrus, there was very little left for trade. With the Muslim invasions in the 7th century, trade was cut off altogether, and other materials, such as parchment, were used for writing.

Some estimates claim the Royal Library housed 400,000 scrolls, while other sources say it more likely contained 40,000.

It was written that Ptolemy II set 500,000 scrolls as a goal of acquisition for the library; it is also said that Marc Antony gave Cleopatra 200,000 scrolls taken from the Library of Pergamum for a wedding present. Unfortunately, the Royal Library's index, known as "Callimachus' Pinakes", has been lost.

Answer: Printing presses were used to duplicate the scrolls.

According to Galen, ships that came to Alexandria were expected to turn over any written information they carried; scholars at the Royal Library would then copy the document, keep the original, and return the copy it its owner. Galen also wrote that the Royal Library asked the Athenians to borrow works from some of their most distinguished scholars, including the great playwrites Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides.

The Athenians demanded fifteen talents of precious metal to guarantee the return - which the Royal Library paid after keeping the originals! In addition, the Royal Library housed works by visiting scholars, who would be paid travel expenses, and given free lodging, as well as stipends, for not only the scholar, but also his family.

The staff at the Royal Library consisted mostly of scribes, who would copy the books by hand; the printing press did not exist at this time.

Answer: Euclid and Archimedes

It is believed that Euclid, known as the "Father of Geometry", wrote his famousbook, "Elements", while studying at the Royal Library. The book, which lists the principals of Euclidean geometry, served as the main textbook for teaching geometry until the early 1900s in some areas. Although these is disagreement among scholars as to who wrote "Elements", many today believe the scholar Proclus, who said that Euclid was the author, was correct.

Archimedes, called the "Father of Engineering", travel to the Royal Library to study when he was eighteen years old; after that he returned to his hometown, Syracuse, where he devised machines such as the screw pump, and war machines, such as the Claw of Archimedes. Perhaps best known for the Archimedes' Principle, about the displacement of water, the list of his accomplishments is long and impressive.

Answer: Julius Caesar

After nearly ten years in Gaul, Caesar broke the law by crossing the Rubicon River in northern Italy with his troops. Pompey, who had taken control of Rome, declared a state of war. After being soundly defeated near Pharsalos in Greece, it was decided that Pompey would ask for asylum in Egypt.

The advisers of the young king of Egypt, Ptolemy XIII, convinced him to order Pompey's murder, after which the king returned to Alexandria with his army. Caesar's army followed, and "the rest is history".

He became involved in a civil war between the young king and his sister/wife, Cleopatra VII. Some sources claim that during Caesar's siege of Alexandria, he ordered his ships to be set afire, and the fire spread to the Royal Library. The validity of this claim is uncertain due to the fact that Strabo, a later scholar, claimed to have studied at the Royal Library.

Answer: All pagan institutions were ordered to be closed.

While Emperor Constantine legalized Christianity in the Roman Empire in 313, it did not become the state religion until a proclamation made by Emperor Theodosius I in 391. The Royal Library had a sister library in Alexandria called the Serapeum; some hypothesize that when the Royal Library burned in 48 BC, the documents that were saved were stored there. Since the Serapeum was also a pagan temple, by order of Emperor Theodosius, it had to be destroyed.

It really is not known how many, if any, documents were lost at the time; there is no contemporary source that contains that information.

Answer: Caliph Omar

There are many Arab sources that make the claim that Caliph Omar, also spelled Umar, ordered that the Royal Library be destroyed in 642, but modern scholars still express uncertainty as to how long the Royal Library actually survived. In fact, some hypothesize that the information stored there actually survived and found its way into other institutions, such as the Imperial Library of Constantinople or the House of Wisdom in Baghdad.