In Our Time The Library of Alexandria
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Mar 12, 2009 
Serafina Cuomo, Roman historian focused on ancient science and medicine; Matthew Nicholls, classics lecturer who studies urbanism and book-technology; Simon Goldhill, classicist expert in Hellenistic culture. They explore the Library's royal patronage and scholarly life. They map Alexandria's layout, shelving and cataloguing. They debate acquisition practices, famous scholars it drew, and stories of its decline and legacy.
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How Alexander Made Greek The Eastern Lingua Franca
- Alexander's conquests made Greek the elite language across the eastern Mediterranean for centuries.
- Simon Goldhill notes Greek became the elite language even in places like Jerusalem, shaping culture and scripture for 800 years.
Alexandria Built From Scratch As A Polyglot Metropolis
- Alexandria was a rapidly planned new metropolis attracting Egyptians, Greeks, Jews and Syrians into a polyglot port city.
- Matthew Nicholls describes five named quarters and a fast expansion that made it the largest city within decades.
Library Embedded In The Palace With Organised Bookrooms
- The royal library sat inside the palace district and likely stored hundreds of thousands of papyrus scrolls across organised rooms.
- Matthew Nicholls compares the layout to Pergamum and explains wooden shelving and subject divisions.
