

Episode #140- What Became of the Great Library of Alexandria? (Part II)
6 snips Sep 22, 2021
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Caesar's Alexandrian Fire
- Julius Caesar, trapped in Alexandria in 48 BC, set fire to Egyptian ships.
- This fire spread, accidentally destroying the Great Library of Alexandria.
Strabo's Account
- Twenty years later, Strabo described the Library as thriving.
- This contradicts the narrative of its destruction by Caesar's fire.
Cleopatra (1963)
- In the 1963 film Cleopatra, Caesar is blamed for the Library's destruction.
- Cleopatra delivers a dramatic speech condemning the loss of knowledge.