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Libraries might seem too modern a topic for an ancient history compilation that focuses elsewhere on the first bit of thread or shaped dish. Libraries do come much later in sequence. By definition, libraries are historic rather than prehistoric, since writing has to exist in order for someone to keep collections of it. Yet even if today’s examples are all after 3300 BCE, it’s true that most societies that developed writing also created a way of storing it.
One of the most famous ancient institutions–a wonder perhaps bigger than the other seven ancient wonders–was the Library of Alexandria. It was the most ambitious and likely biggest: the Internet of its day. But Alexandria was by no means the first or even only great library of the ancient era. Moreover, different cultures took different approaches to what they stored, and that difference says something about what cultures value.
As we explore libraries, we should consider:
- What constitutes a “library”?
- What cultures created libraries in ancient times?
- What did the creation of libraries suggest about humans, and what lessons can be learned from Alexandria?
