Our Fake History

Episode #140- What Became of the Great Library of Alexandria? (Part II)

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Sep 22, 2021
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ANECDOTE

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.
INSIGHT

Strabo's Account

  • Twenty years later, Strabo described the Library as thriving.
  • This contradicts the narrative of its destruction by Caesar's fire.
ANECDOTE

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.
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