Who killed the library of Alexandria?
The trail of the centure.
What is the greatest mystery of the ancient world? Was it Atlantis? The location of Alexander the Great's tomb? Or perhaps the pyramids of Egypt? Now, take a look around you. What do you see? Books. Well, as it turns out, one of history's most intriguing enigmas is the Library of Alexandria itself. Did it truly exist? And if so, where did it disappear to?
The Truth Buried Under the Sand
For many historians, the Library of Alexandria wasn't just a library; it was the beating heart of the Musaeum—the "shrine of the Muses" and the world's first real university! It was founded back in the 3rd century BC by the Ptolemies as part of a massive project to collect all the knowledge in the world.
They had agents scouring the markets of Athens and Rhodes for scrolls. They'd even search incoming ships at the port and "borrow" any books they found for copying (and the originals didn't always make it back). Legend says they amassed a staggering 700,000 papyrus scrolls—everything from Homer’s poetry to Babylonian astronomy texts.
The brightest minds of the era worked there: Archimedes drawing his plans, Euclid laying the foundations of geometry, and Eratosthenes figuring out the Earth's circumference with incredible precision. All happening in one place. It was the ultimate information hub of the ancient world.
Three Suspects: Murder or Miraculous Survival?
So how did the Library of Alexandria actually die? And who was responsible?
The First Suspect is Julius Caesar:
Winter, 48 BC. Caesar is trapped — surrounded in the royal quarter of Alexandria by the armies of Ptolemy XIII. To save himself, he set alight enemy shipping. The flames spread…But what exactly burned? The Roman historian Livy, as quoted by Orosius and Seneca, mentions 40,000 scrolls going up in smoke. These, however, were not the library's treasures — they were copies destined for sale, stock held for wealthy Roman buyers.
The Musaeum itself sat in the royal quarter, well away from the harbor. The geographer Strabo visited Alexandria just twenty years after the war and left a detailed account of the Musaeum and the Alexandria’s library — with no mention of fire damage. Even more telling, Caesar himself never brings up the library in his own Commentaries, which is a curious omission for such a meticulous record-keeper. The most likely explanation? What burned was a warehouse of scrolls awaiting export, not the library itself.
Winter, 48 BC. Caesar is trapped — surrounded in the royal quarter of Alexandria by the armies of Ptolemy XIII. To save himself, he set alight enemy shipping. The flames spread…But what exactly burned? The Roman historian Livy, as quoted by Orosius and Seneca, mentions 40,000 scrolls going up in smoke. These, however, were not the library's treasures — they were copies destined for sale, stock held for wealthy Roman buyers.
The Musaeum itself sat in the royal quarter, well away from the harbor. The geographer Strabo visited Alexandria just twenty years after the war and left a detailed account of the Musaeum and the Alexandria’s library — with no mention of fire damage. Even more telling, Caesar himself never brings up the library in his own Commentaries, which is a curious omission for such a meticulous record-keeper. The most likely explanation? What burned was a warehouse of scrolls awaiting export, not the library itself.
The Second Suspect is Christians and the Destruction of the Serapeum (391 AD):
In 391 AD, Patriarch Theophilus led a Christian mob in storming the Temple of Serapis — the most powerful symbol of pagan Egypt. The temple was destroyed, its treasures looted, its scrolls burned.But this was not the main Library of Alexandria. The Serapeum was a satellite branch, housing copies of texts from the Musaeum — around 42,800 scrolls.
The last known scholar associated with it was Hypatia, a mathematician and philosopher who was murdered by a mob in 415 AD. The Library of the Serapeum was undoubtedly lost, but the fate of the Royal Library lies elsewhere.
In 391 AD, Patriarch Theophilus led a Christian mob in storming the Temple of Serapis — the most powerful symbol of pagan Egypt. The temple was destroyed, its treasures looted, its scrolls burned.But this was not the main Library of Alexandria. The Serapeum was a satellite branch, housing copies of texts from the Musaeum — around 42,800 scrolls.
The last known scholar associated with it was Hypatia, a mathematician and philosopher who was murdered by a mob in 415 AD. The Library of the Serapeum was undoubtedly lost, but the fate of the Royal Library lies elsewhere.
The Third suspect is The Arab Conquest (641 AD):
This is the most dramatic version of events — and the most dubious. A 13th-century Arab chronicler, Ibn al-Qifti, tells a compelling story. An elderly philosopher, John Philoponus, pleads with the Arab general Amr ibn al-As to spare the library's books. Amr writes to Caliph Omar for guidance. The Caliph's reply has become infamous: "If these books agree with the Quran, they are superfluous. If they contradict it, they are harmful. Either way, they must be destroyed."
This is the most dramatic version of events — and the most dubious. A 13th-century Arab chronicler, Ibn al-Qifti, tells a compelling story. An elderly philosopher, John Philoponus, pleads with the Arab general Amr ibn al-As to spare the library's books. Amr writes to Caliph Omar for guidance. The Caliph's reply has become infamous: "If these books agree with the Quran, they are superfluous. If they contradict it, they are harmful. Either way, they must be destroyed."
It sounds convincing. But the doubts are difficult to dismiss.
First, the timing doesn't add up: John Philoponus almost certainly died well over a century before the Arab conquest, around 517 AD. Second, the Musaeum had already been destroyed in the late 3rd century, when Emperor Aurelian sacked the Brucheion quarter. Third, not a single contemporary source from the 7th century mentions a library being burned. And finally, the story itself only surfaces in the 13th century — some 600 years after the events it claims to describe.
In all likelihood, it's a colorful legend, shaped by medieval chroniclers long after the fact.
First, the timing doesn't add up: John Philoponus almost certainly died well over a century before the Arab conquest, around 517 AD. Second, the Musaeum had already been destroyed in the late 3rd century, when Emperor Aurelian sacked the Brucheion quarter. Third, not a single contemporary source from the 7th century mentions a library being burned. And finally, the story itself only surfaces in the 13th century — some 600 years after the events it claims to describe.
In all likelihood, it's a colorful legend, shaped by medieval chroniclers long after the fact.
Fading Away
The truth is far less dramatic — and far sadder. The Library of Alexandria didn't burn down in one catastrophic moment. It died slowly, ground down over centuries by war, fire, looting, and plain indifference. A few key events hastened its end.
Italian historian Luciano Canfora put it well: "The history of the Library of Alexandria is really the story of how it became a symbol — a symbol of lost knowledge. And like any symbol, it follows its own logic, one that doesn't always match the facts.".It raises an interesting question: was the library ever really one building? Or just a sprawl of storerooms packed with scrolls?
I decided to ask my History teacher
The Symbolism
We'll probably never know exactly how the library was destroyed — archaeologists haven't found any reliable traces of the building. Too much has changed over the centuries.
Maybe there was no grand building at all. Just warehouses full of scrolls, and a legend that grew over centuries. But does it really matter? The Library of Alexandria became a symbol of knowledge and the love of learning. The mother of all libraries in the world. And that is what makes it truly immortal.
Maybe there was no grand building at all. Just warehouses full of scrolls, and a legend that grew over centuries. But does it really matter? The Library of Alexandria became a symbol of knowledge and the love of learning. The mother of all libraries in the world. And that is what makes it truly immortal.
Alexandria was not alone in this dream. Throughout history, rulers and scholars tried again and again to gather all human knowledge in one place — Pergamon in Turkey, the House of Wisdom in Baghdad, the imperial libraries of China. Books have always been and will continue to be considered a great value throughout time.
Today books are increasingly moving into digital format, but the library hasn't disappeared — it has multiplied. Anyone with a smartphone now has access to more knowledge than Alexandria ever held. Every city still has its library. And every library still has its readers. The form changed. Light dreams and faith in the future.
Well, now you can take part in a small quiz on the topik "Which books have never been in the Alexandria library?"
