Ancient Greek and Roman Libraries

Although Mesopotamian civilisations had assembled texts, the ancient Greeks brought the idea of the universal book collection to its near-legendary consummation in the Library of Alexandria, which edited and housed thousands of papyrus rolls on every subject and attracted brilliant scholars from all over the ancient world. But there were many other libraries, serving also as scientific laboratories, public record offices, restaurants, mausoleums and even baths.
This illustrated lecture investigates their history and the continuing influence on our modern world.
A lecture by Edith Hall
The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-an...
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[@loolylooly81]

Edith Hall is a gem 🌺🌹

[@lordhogarth]

An important lecture in light of the new fundamentalism that threatens our heritage, and therefore our libraries.

[@CaptainGrimes1]

Yes the left wing cancel culture grown from the universities and Islam

[@MrTorleon]

Unlike some other comments here, I consider Prof. Edith Hall to be extremely well qualified and knowledgeable on the subject of this lecture. Her understanding and grasp of the Ancient Greek world is formidable, and she presents the creation, and the history of these Greek and Roman libraries with her customary flair for detail and depth of understanding - brilliant and fascinating :)

[@DarkBardess]

Fascinating thank you

[@matthewkelly2399]

More lectures like this please

[@danremenyi1179]

Thank you.

[@fabiodeoliveiraribeiro1602]

I loved the Library at the University where I studied. It no longer exists, as the old buildings that housed the institution were sold and demolished. I assume that the collection was preserved in the Library of the University's new building, but I'm not sure as the institution as a whole has gone through serious financial problems in recent decades. If NATO achieves the war it wants against Russia, it is very likely that most of the magnificent European Libraries will be reduced to dust. Tragically, no one will miss them, as those who did not die in the explosions will be stunned, starving, and slowly dying of radiation sickness. Books are essential, until they become irrelevant because they helped maniacs build weapons and find arguments for any unnecessary war. The paradox of Libraries is evident: they preserve and destroy entire civilizations.

[@ArtDocHound]

Libraries ❤️ Librarians ❤️❤️❤️

[@perlefisker]

38:12 ???

[@spensert4933]

Don't mess w librarians.

[@EyeLean5280]

Great lecture but Lord, all those people bunched in there without masks! And look what happened with Covid right after this. You'd think Gresham College would know better.

[@CaptainGrimes1]

Oh no its like they made their own free choice! It's annoying when the sheep don't comply isn't it?

[@jeangove01]

99% utter bunk re: Hypatia. The violence that killed her was political/factional in nature rather than religious Christian vs Pagan. At this point in time, the presence of Hypatia as a teacher was controversial for Pagans just as well as Christians.

[@calmeilles]

I thought that it was fairly clear that Hall was recounting the drama of the film and then the story told by Kingsley rather than any accurate historic account. The point being the influence of libraries on culture, not what actually occurred in them.

[@jeangove01]

@@calmeilles don't be ridiculous - she's clearly recommending the film as faithful to history.

[@johnmalovitch3569]

@@jeangove01 Keep deluding yourself.

[@meikala2114]

an example of antiwoke wokeness

[@jeangove01]

@@meikala2114 No an example of actually following the historical sources, instead of relying on a 200 year old misrepresentation.

[@michaeldoerr5810]

SwSWSW

[@HebaruSan]

56:33 - Interesting that she says Athenians had to be literate to write ostraca, when another lecturer recently recounted the story of an illiterate Athenian asking someone else to write Themistocles for him

[@RonJohn63]

*By definition* you must be literate to be able to write, and someone who is illiterate must ask a literate person to write for him/her.

[@tavuzzipust7887]

More imaginary hype about Hypatia.

[@kovshegub882]

Laughingly not to regret the loss of 40 volumes Greek history?! Just another hunveibiness.

[@kovshegub882]

@@jackpapenburg8837 female hunveibin.

[@kovshegub882]

@@jackpapenburg8837 Mao's Red Guards. You can spell them also otherwise like hongweibing, but that's what I meant.

[@CaptainGrimes1]

Mary Beard school of classical history, wish these academics could stop viewing the past through their left wing diversity lense

[@barrycrump6189]

This was a very interesting lecture. I am so glad that the Gresham College is moving away from all those recent woke lectures.

[@michaeldoerr5810]

AWw

[@meikala2114]

libraries are the original woke