More than two thousand years ago, in the Egyptian city of Alexandria, stood one of the most famous libraries in history. It was created during a time when the city was a great centre of trade and learning, attracting scholars from many different lands.
The people behind the library had an extraordinary ambition: they wanted to gather all the knowledge in the known world under one roof. In those days there were no printed books. Instead, texts were written by hand on long rolls of papyrus called scrolls, and the library is said to have held a vast collection of them. Officials reportedly searched ships arriving in the harbour for any books they could copy.
Because of this treasure of knowledge, brilliant thinkers travelled to Alexandria to study mathematics, astronomy, medicine and much more. The library did not disappear in a single dramatic moment, as legends sometimes claim. Instead, it declined gradually over centuries, through neglect, conflict and changing times. Even so, it remains a powerful symbol of humanity's desire to collect and share knowledge.
