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Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics Podcast
Alexandria: The Library

Alexandria: The Library

Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics vor 1 Jahr

Natalie explores the great library of Alexandria. With Edith Hall and Islam Issa.

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27:30

Natalie is joined by Professors Islam Issa and Edith Hall to tell
the story of the great library of Alexandria. It was included in
Alexander the Great's original design for his city, located in
the Nile Delta. Alexandria was to be a city of knowledge.

The founders of the library were ambitious: they wanted nothing
less than to collect all the books in the world. They were
willing to pay huge sums, but they were also ruthless and
unscrupulous. The Ptolemies would write to fellow rulers and
wealthy friends and ask to borrow their priceless texts. Then the
library would copy the scrolls, and return the copies. Or
alternatively they'd just steal them.

Handily, papyrus, the principal reading material of the era, grew
in great abundance around Alexandria. So there was plenty of it
for those copies. Less fortunately, it's extremely flammable. So
in 48 BCE, when Julius Caesar's besieged army set fire to ships
in the harbour in order to block the invading fleet, the fire
spread and destroyed a significant part of the library.

'Rockstar mythologist' Natalie Haynes is the best-selling author
of 'Divine Might', 'Stone Blind', and 'A Thousand Ships' as well
as a reformed comedian who is a little bit obsessive about
Ancient Greek and Rome.

Islam Issa is Professor of Literature and History at Birmingham
City University. His book 'Alexandria, the City that Changed the
World' is the Winner of the Runciman Award and The Times, Sunday
Times, TLS, Booklist, Epoch Times and Waterstones Book of the
Year.

Edith Hall is Professor of Classics at Durham University,
specialising in ancient Greek literature. She has written over
thirty books and is a Fellow of the British Academy.

Producer...Mary Ward-Lowery