The famous library in Egypt is often imagined going up in flames in a single day. Historians think it faded over centuries instead, through cuts in funding, political purges and several separate fires.
Truth label: Established. Strong evidence and broad agreement among experts.
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Julius Caesar's fire
In 48 BCE, a fire Caesar's forces started in the harbour may have burned some books, but the library seems to have carried on afterwards.
A slow decline
Scholars were expelled, money dried up and the city was fought over many times. Knowledge was lost bit by bit.
Learn
- What it held. Estimates range widely, from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of scrolls.
- Why the myth lasts. One dramatic fire makes a better story than centuries of neglect.
Test yourself
What do historians think ended the library?
A slow decline over centuries. It declined gradually, with several fires along the way.
Sources
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