No! Oh my stars!!!!!!!!!!! Is this for real????
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
Oh. *sad* No books. It's still amazing, though.
Posted by Jim-Me (Member # 6426) on :
yeah... but man, what a find...
Posted by Dan_raven (Member # 3383) on :
Actually, Ceasar's destruction of the Library is debated.
It is likely that Ceasar, being a book lover, was given 3000 books by Cleopatra. While loading them on his ships for Rome, there was an inserection and a fire. Those books were destroyed, but the library remained.
It is discussed in some writings that post-date Ceasar.
However during the Arab conquest of Egypt, the general in charge asked the reigning Caliph what he should do with all the books.
The Caliph replied: "If they are not about the Koran, then they are useless. Destroy them. If they are about the Koran, they are redundant for we have the Koran. Destroy them."
Posted by Telperion the Silver (Member # 6074) on :
Actually the destruction of the Library was the straw that broke the camels back and began the Dark Ages. Fanatic Christians burned the Library because of all the "heretic" information there, aka: science. Civilization basically committed mental suicide with it's destruction and it took us 1000 years to pull out of it.
[ May 21, 2004, 01:47 PM: Message edited by: Telperion the Silver ]
Posted by fugu13 (Member # 2859) on :
(there are extensive citations throughout).
Posted by Jim-Me (Member # 6426) on :
Telperion, just for the record I was taught that idea in High School world history, but I have come to disbelieve it.
Edit to say "nice link Fugu..."
I have always rather favored the Caesar hypothesis myself, but I appreciate the info regarding the purging under Theophilus
[ May 21, 2004, 02:51 PM: Message edited by: Jim-Me ]
Posted by Telperion the Silver (Member # 6074) on :
But as far as I know the Middle-Ages were supposed to have started with the destruction of the Library... you say you don't believe it...could you clarify? Posted by Jim-Me (Member # 6426) on :
tried to on the edit...
I always believed the "Ceasar did it" version of the story.
The Christian burning was iconoclastic, not an attack against learning... The church throughout the Dark Ages was the one constant attempt to preserve the knowledge of the ancients, particularly Plato and Aristotle of whom church philosophers were extremely fond.
At any rate, don't confuse the Dark Ages with the Middle Ages... two very different periods.
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