The Library of Alexandria has become more the stuff of legend than reliable history. What do we know about the origins of the Library? What were the scope and size of it's holdings did it really contain hundreds of thousands of book rolls and did it hold ancient, arcane wisdom? And, finally, what was responsible for the destruction that allegedly plunged the west into the Dark Ages. Let's separate the myths from historical evidence by situating the founding of the library in Hellenistic empire building, the size of the library using what we know about ancient books and libraries and learn that the library probably died as much from neglect as conflagration.

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