The Decline of the Great Library of Alexandria

Presented by Ms History. The Great Library was a center of knowledge. Its decline was not the single cataclysmic event that may seem to think, but its slow decline is perhaps, even more tragic. It is history that deserves to be remembered.
This is original content based on research by The History Guy. Images in the Public Domain are carefully selected and provide illustration. As images of actual events are sometimes not available, images of similar objects and events are used for illustration.
All events are portrayed in historical context and for educational purposes. No images or content are primarily intended to shock and disgust. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Non censuram.
Ms. History Guy is an avid reader and former reference librarian, and reviews around 100 books per year. Feel free to follow her progress or befriend her on Goodreads where she goes by the name "Heidi the Reader": / mshistory
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The History Guy: History Deserves to Be Remembered is the place to find short snippets of forgotten history from five to fifteen minutes long. If you like history too, this is the channel for you.
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Script by JCG
#history #thehistoryguy #library

[@robertshort9487]

You aren't a real nerd unless you still get sad thinking about the great library of Alexandria.

[@jafinch78]

I started to get emotional over the impact with so many libraries now. Patrons really do make a difference. Almost worth having a Carnegie Melon or similar Endowments related The History Guy or Ms. version. Shame the Goodreads and I think Amazon or I forget what was exactly... linking of books read to LinkedIn changed where used to list the books read. Doesn't help too when not able to verify the books checked out when I was doing some really interesting bio-equivalent medicine research... I forgot and lost those references. A book disappeared too when I was researching up at Michigan Tech about a decade earlier that I even recorded the title, author, publisher and ISBN. That was really disturbingly different... I don't think that was due to a book burning either as has been the case in history of some situations. The disappeared book was a modern version of "The Vitamins in Medicine" and detailed vitamins as parent molecules with the uses and synthetic or prescription analogues with chemical structures. I eventually was ran out of town and didn't (or may have somewhere still saved) take all my belonging with me after that communities incidents where I almost lost my life on more than one occasion. I recall one of the books I had checked out, read and linked on LinkedIn was regarding research on amino acids and in particular citing improvements in outcomes of conventional therapies when using. Another book was on research of lipids as medicines I had linked and not sure which ones if still even available. I'll have to check out Goodreads and see what I have still there on file. It's been a few years. Now in Michigan at least there is the mel.org system that does record a history of what has been checked out when using and is really nice since the cost of data has gone down dramatically compared to what used to be required in data physical volume costs too. Audio, video and hand held books are great and my preference. The history in electronic format is critical to invest in at the least since provides the reference. Great presentation!

[@jafinch78]

Darn... my black book of usernames and passwords was stolen when my mobile office/homestead was robbed or stolen and I don't seem to remember my Goodreads old account details. Looks like Amazon bought them out too. Man, I wonder if half.com has my history still.

[@dphorgan]

r/gatekeeping

[@sorellman]

You are not a conscious human unless you still get sad thinking about the great Library of Alexandria.

[@robertshort9487]

@@dphorgan lol. Not sure if you are joking or if you just don't know what that means.

[@JazznRealHipHop]

Reminds me, I gotta return those scrolls my late fees are gonna be biblical!

[@Allan_aka_RocKITEman]

GOD HELP YOU...😊😊😊😊

[@pointlessopinion611]

Funny🤑

[@Allan_aka_RocKITEman]

@JazznRealHipHop >>> Does this make you an *_"INTERNET SCROLL????"_* 😊😊😊😊😊😊😊

[@peterblood50]

HA!😜

[@Israel-nb7ip]

LMAO...one of the best comments I've ever witnessed on KZbin. Thank you

[@patrickwentz8413]

I talk about the loss of the library of Alexandria all the time as one of the great tragedies in the ancient world.... So sad. So much mindless loss that can never be regained.

[@No11Scalpel]

The library of Alexandria & that of Bagdad by the Mongols

[@Robert_Keel]

Don't forget the Chinese.

[@crysstoll1191]

Me too.

[@No11Scalpel]

@@Robert_Keel what about them??

[@pointlessopinion611]

@@ThyerHazard And I decree,"Doth Dees Nuts"

[@brokenarrow7871]

“The only things new in the world is the history we don’t know” It is a great loss when writings from the past are lost. Thank you Mr. and Mrs. History for bringing us some of your knowledge

[@HemlockRidge]

Lovely to see you again, Ms. History Guy (Gal), and History Cat as well. Great subject! I learned more about the Great Library this morning, than I ever have before.

[@sameyers2670]

I second this. I hope we see more of Ms History Gal and History Cat soon

[@Balon-Breakspear]

Such a lovely family.

[@davidhollenshead4892]

My Avatar sez that the "History Cat" is an Enemy Cat !!!

[@haroldhenderson2824]

The dynamic duo of history, Ms. History and the History Guy!

[@HighSpeedNoDrag]

Reverent to say the very least.

[@brucemckay6937]

Nice BowTie 👍.Regards Bruce McKay 🇦🇺🙃🏄‍♂️.

[@dilligaf0220]

All that's left is a History Guy treatment of their cat.

[@pugle1]

​@@dilligaf0220 He did one on cats. It was awesome! I loved these two before, but now that's I've seen their Cat... even more so! (I love dogs too, and have one of each right now, and have had many of both over the years. Dog and cat people rule!)

[@signizmz1]

"Herstory"?

[@tarlach1280x960]

I've spent so many hours in libraries. So many of my fondest memories we're in libraries. Thank you for keeping history alive.

[@spookyshadowhawk6776]

Nice to see you again! The loss of the library of Alexandra is even more tragic, because of ancient writers and men of letters commenting on what was lost, giving us a idea of the magnitude of our loss. We can only imagine what it actually held, as through time, the knowledge of the ancients slipped away in disaster after disaster.

[@vickimarmillot5705]

The Library of Alexandria has always fascinated me - thank you for this information!

[@kari7403]

It's heartbreaking to know all that knowledge has been lost. Such a passion and love for preserving history was poured into this library. It really is a tragedy the way it was lost and the total lack of respect or care for this wonderous collection and knowledge.

[@rpbajb]

The importance of libraries cannot be overestimated. My interest in science and history were sparked by browsing through the open stacks of the main branch of Carnegie Library in Pittsburgh. It was the internet of its day for many. Indeed, the marble stair treads are deeply worn by the footsteps of millions.

[@Bruciando]

People forget that the whole reason Harvard has its place as the preeminent institution of higher learning in the USA is because at the time of its founding, the initial endowment consisted of John Harvard's personal library, which contained more volumes than all other books in the colonies combined [ie, it was BIG.] As Stonewall Jackson would say "They got there fustest with the mostest..." And the rest is, as they say, history! ;-)

[@matthleep930]

Parallel libraries?! Never heard that part before, thanks. That made me smile!

[@matthleep930]

@Hannibal at the Gates Thanks, I did look into it further and for once I was happy with what I found!

[@michelleeaton7955]

That was amazing. I've always had a deep interest in what really happened to the Alexandria Library. I love going to the library to this day, and I'm 52, soon 53, years old. I love being able to just browse the isles of books and I love the quiet. Our town's library is a bit of a historic building which makes me love it more. And, I still love actual books. I love to turn the pages, love the feel of a good book in my hands. Loved seeing Mrs. History give this presentation. You should do more 😊😊😊.

[@aliafzaalgondal3349]

The house of wisdom in Baghdad was another similar tragedy. It was burned by Mongol forces during the seige of Baghdad

[@karlbush89]

Never heard of it. I'll have to look that up sometime.

[@andrewwaterman9240]

History Gal and History Cat! Absolutely perfect pairing.

[@CommodoreNapalm]

You forgot History Bow Tie for the Trifecta. I hope Purrito has one as well

[@davidhollenshead4892]

@@CommodoreNapalm Nah, it's always best not to try to make your cat wear a bow, tie, shirt, etc. unless you want to bleed...

[@spikespa5208]

@@davidhollenshead4892 You've met my cat?

[@kari7403]

This video is amazing. It kept me engaged the entire time. I had read multiple comments about the History Guy's wife, Mrs. History Guy, to be very well loved by the viewers. And this being the first video that I've watched with her hosting, I can understand %100, why those people had said so. I can respect the fact that she prefers being behind the camera instead of in front of it. But Wowwie! She has such a sweet and engaging disposition. I genuinely enjoy watching her hosting the videos also. BTW, I'm loving the bow tie you're rocking, Mrs. History Guy. 😊 Thank you, for doing this fully engaging and educational video. You two are a super sweet and cute couple. I wish you both the best. Take care.

[@bonniebranciaroli700]

First time I've seen you, you did a fantastic job. I loved not only the history lesson but the way you are so color-coordinated and shades of purple with a lap cat. A little wisp of purple in your hair, the purple bow tie and even purple fingernails! Good job.

[@aaronlewis9769]

I love the fact that every ship that docked was searched for scrolls to be copied.

[@misledprops]

What an incredible loss. I can barely even fathom Another great video and great to see Mrs History Guy again

[@robertnelson8979]

B R O V O young lady !!! How impressive are the MASTER STORYTELLER'S that can bring B A C K into your lost history in a way that you REALLY want to experience " HISTORY THAT DESERVES TO BE REMEMBERED " and truly involves A L L of us. Tank's History Guy for turning on the LIGHT of ENLIGHTENMENT for all . 😻✌😎

[@JoesWebPresence]

Someone once said that you could accurately gauge how middle class someone was by how upset they were about the library of Alexandria burning down. You seem pretty upset. Nice bow tie!

[@mickey4125]

Lindybeige!

[@Ken-sc3gx]

Tragic loss, the library of Alexandria. While we still have libraries, much of our "knowledge" is digitally kept. Wouldn't it be a tragedy if it were to pass that some catastrophe rendered these digitally based records of knowledge unrecoverable. All the more reason to make certain that the printed word be given the same priority as digital. Lest a similar tragedy befall the world. Great vids, as always!

[@Nierez]

The Maya, Timbuktu, Alexiandria, Constantinople. The printed word already had it's run and it's failed a couple of times.

[@jppitman1]

The writer of the futuristic 1975 movie Rollerball had just that in mind. There was a scene where I think it was James Caan`s character talking to the the head of a massive repository of all the world`s history and knowledge up to that point and in demonstrating the computer machine, he pressed a particular button. He then half apologized by saying something to the effect, "Oops, there went 1972."

[@johninwaynenewjersey5253]

Thank you Ms History. The Great Library of Alexandria was probably humankind's first attempt to really learn from history and the magnitude of what it's loss means still to the present day is immeasurable. The endeavor of science lost 100's of years and many of the problems we face today very well may have been solved 100's of years ago if we didn't have to relearn so much of what was lost. Thanks too for the cameo of History Cat :-)

[@margaret-marywhite299]

Thank you, Mrs History Guy! I am also a big fan of public libraries and use them weekly. The Library of Alexandria is a favorite topic and I loved this History That Needs to be Remembered episode immensely.

[@macbuff81]

Similar to how we now have a Seed Vault to preserve genetic diversity in the case of a global catastrophe, we should build a "Knowledge Vault" to preserve all past and current knowledge we as humans have gathered ever since our brave ancestors came down from the trees. It is a grand project which requires trust and cooperation. Two things we as humans tend to struggle with; however, we need to get this done esp. since we currently only occupy one planet.

[@CAPDude44]

Put an archive on the moon.

[@JosieJOK]

As a woman, a reader, a history buff, and a cat lover, this episode hit all my pleasure centers! Great job, History Gal, and loved the cameo by History Cat!

[@ooee8088]

Phrasing! I also find this pleasuring myself

[@julymiller2308]

Just as soft-spoken as her husband, Mrs. History Guy kept me riveted as to what really happened to The Great Library of Alexandria. I also learned where we get our modern word of "museum" which in olden days were more than just artifacts. It was a true place of learning and included a zoo! Now that truly is history worth remembering!

[@nozdormu89]

Lovely cat, lovely lady, lovely presentation of History. I am greatly saddened that such a great reserve and font of knowledge and wisdom was lost to us. A true tragedy to the scholarly and academic pursuits.

[@DeclanMBrennan]

A beautifully told story - the perfect fusion of entertainment and education, thank you very much. When you talk about information loss due to the fragility of the storage medium, in this case papyrus, that's still a serious problem. Clay tablets are almost as old as writing itself. As the human race worked through papyrus, velum, paper and now magnetic media, this lifetime has been steadily decreasing until now it is a mere decade or two. On the cloud, the copying happens automatically and information is distributed to make it less vulnerable to local disasters. However if there is ever a hiatus in this careful choreography, it is scary how little might be left for future historians or rebulders for that matter.

[@evanames5940]

Thank You, as I have always interested in the Library. Great to see you again.

[@Tingobill]

We love when Mrs. History Guy shows up... She has the same Passion for History we do... Well done!!!

[@Iskelderon]

Thank you for giving this topic the attention it deserves! As tragic as it is, the tale of the loss of the library has become an important lesson about the importance of preserving the world's knowledge.

[@admiralradish]

Great Video! So much knowledge lost of the old world.

[@catsupchutney]

All those books, all that study, and yet after the first fire nobody thought of keeping a fire brigade nearby?

[@Ni999]

Nicely done. Support your local library!

[@robertreisner6119]

Thank you, l have been a student of history since l was young....Years and decades ago. I believe that this is the very best history podcasts. So once again thank you, please stay happy and healthy during this pandemic and God Bless you.

[@tinamclaughlin1991]

Knowledge is wonderful! To know what was on those scrolls would be so facinating! Thanks for your shared love of libraries lost!

[@crazybrit-nasafan]

Great history. History Lady and History Cat. An awesome start to my weekend.

[@britwokay8577]

I can't think of a better way to start the day than seeing your wonderful "read" on the story of this lost library. What a treat to see Ms History Guy, her cool bow tie and even one of the History Cats! 10/10 a very gripping edition indeed! Thanks for a great video and the head's up I got from your Patreon page! Gotta go now, I need to return some overdue books....

[@Balon-Breakspear]

Wow I haven’t seen a episode hosted by Ms history guy. You did an amazing job. Thanks for the hard work.

[@GathKingLeppbertI]

I was a librarian in High School. Azle Tx. '83. Calmest and most precious hours of my life were spent there. Thanks to Mrs.Fox!

[@patpatterson12]

Thank you for a heart-felt presentation. It’s a good day whenever a new teacher appears, and as I have not seen any of your prior appearances, today qualifies!

[@dannynicastro3207]

PapaPat .Patterson ....ooh. You are going to love this channel. Enjoy!🤗😁😄

[@bf1255]

Nice to see you! What an awesome family

[@johnkelley9877]

Mrs. History Guy has done another excellent job of presenting a very interesting part of history.

[@Mai353]

A thousand Thanks for this episode

[@jeffbangkok]

I always wonder how you 2 keep churning out all this great content and hope you keep it up for a long time...Thank you Mrs. THG and THG cat..You got this one in before i went to bed...hehe

[@constipatedinsincity4424]

Hey History Gal, top of the morning to you and HG. Now I'm listening!

[@greygibson2443]

Is it History Gal or Herstory Guy ?

[@greygibson2443]

Nice cat. Not a Hissstory cat.

[@skydiverclassc2031]

@@greygibson2443 A purrfect companion.

[@davidkleinthefamousp]

Mrs H G

[@stephenle-surf9893]

That is an e mail tag that deserves to be remembered laughing my bloody ass off

[@youtube.youtube.01]

It took a lot of effort to establish the collections and treat them as a national treasure. The power of information and literacy divided classes of people then, just as it does today. Good presentation!

[@gordoncavis1374]

This topic has always fascinated me and arguably it was the greatest tragedy to yet strike humanity. *Great* presentation & truly a pleasure to 'meet' Mrs. THG. You have the most beautiful and expressive eyes I've ever seen !!

[@glennroberts7183]

A favorite period of history for me. Thank you!

[@skychildoflight9867]

Good teamwork History Guy and Gal! Awesome research and very informative. Such a tragedy the library was lost and, honestly, I never knew the library existed, now I do!!!

[@BillHalliwell]

G'day Mrs History, Thank you fror a fascinating story even though there are sparce details to be told. It's safe to say it existed somewhere at some time otherwise why would it have been a story that has lasted for so long. Yes, right again, no books back then. Some time ago I read about Christopher Columbus's son who spent most of his life scouring the world for a copy of every extant book.He ended up with so many books they became a serioius storage problem, also he had to devise a way he could find books quickly so, yes, he invented the bookshelf! A piece of furniture that everyone takes utterly for granted. It was really interesting to discover it was a relatively new concept. I really enjoyed your presentation and I think the bow tie is an absolute hoot! Thank you, BH

[@JackB733]

Such an awesome couple!! As a grad student in history I can say without reservation this is one of my absolute favorite channels on KZbin!

[@birdsdaword]

Always good to see you Mrs. History Guy! I really wanted to know more about the history of the library of Alexandria. And you published this video on my birthday two years ago. Thanks!

[@blacksmith67]

It’s a tragedy that hurts me too, as both a history buff and an extreme bibliophile 😢

[@efs83dws]

My wife has always wanted to be a Librarian, but there are so many that work in the library for free, it’s just not a possibility. So, she volunteers her time and reads as many books as possible.

[@steveclark4291]

Awesome video on the Library of Alexandria I had always wondered about it and what really happened to it ! Thank you for a great video and history lesson that I had longed to know about ! Please keep history alive !

[@emilinebest3241]

Excellent presentation. I love your mannerisms, your honest enthusiasm.

[@jacksavage197]

Love this channel and now we have 2 historians to lead us on these journeys.

[@UpcycleElectronics]

I imagine the "library" has changed in it's cultural definition quite a bit. I think of the Library of Alexandria as more of an ancient university. I imagine it would have been more of a center for teaching than a repository of information available to the plebs to take advantage of as they wish, but that is just my speculative imagination. I wonder how the libraries of today will fair in the coming decades. Regardless, I've acquired a modest collection of eBay'd ex-library treasures in the golden age of library liquidation.

[@haydenwaller1924]

I've been waiting for this episode!!

[@johnlogan9431]

Ex-librarian , myself. Very interesting, thank you !

[@bubblenhalf]

This episode should be called History Gal. Great information thank you

[@Mondo762]

Too late, there already is a History Gal. kzbin.info/door/OOKnYn6gNjawRrs08svSyg

[@chazmclean6014]

Daaaamn...history guy married up! Love the bow tie.

[@Iskelderon]

She's smart, beautiful and kind. Lucky guy!

[@3rdFloorblog]

The bow tie was a great touch! Very nice video. Thanx!

[@prof2yousmithe444]

Hey Mrs. History Guy (and History Cat!) It is impossible to k ow the impact of the loss of the Library of Alexandria. While I am a pastor and ardent fan of ”History that deserves to be remembered” (a terrific tagline I might add), I am also a student of koine Greek and ancient Hebrew. I too four years of the Greek in my first seminary and threes years of Hebrew. This library fascinated me since I was a child and read a book of the ”A Great Fire at the Library” many years ago. While our bodies wear out and our minds sometime ”go” our written words, even in the internet remain forever. There is no limit to their timeliness. The written works for centuries was considered foolishness to many as it is believed that ninty.eight percent of the world at that time could not read anything! That is a terrible number however, humanity was more agricultural at that time so reading was thought of as aristocracy. I love books. I'm one of my many moves the moving company ”lost” five boxes. In those lost boxes were many booknbut ones had a particular meaning. It was a book on the proper pronunciation in Koine Greek. Boring to 99.998% if the word, it was precious to me. Why? Because one of my many professors was its author! He was a major player in my life and a great deal of who I am is because of his influence. That life is a history that deserves to be remembered. The book wants widely popular amongst those in the chosen ”line of work” lol. However, he helped so many people in his life. He truly played out the ”Golden Rule” in his life and we who knew him were much better for that opportunity. Books are important. They, in fact, are vital. Without them, our technical age could come quickly to an end one day. Imagine one fairly large nuclear device launched by an enemy nation aimed at a specific point of sky near the east coast of the United States. It detonates tend of thousands of feet above the earth. A white flash. A large rumble. Perhaps some people are temporarily blinded. No one does. However. Almost every circuit, outlet, powerline, fuse panel, cannot work because of the devices E.M.P., electromagnetic pulse, of the weapon. It will take decades to repair. What do we do then for information, research, and getting the correct farm animals in the right barn on Farmville!? (Hey, my priorities are in order, right? LOL!). We must fall back on books to look things up and guess what? We might have to actually learn to talk to people once again face-to-face. Oh, the tragedies! 😊 LOVE this channel! You guys truly understand the role history plays in our lives and the need to study such events as to learn the errors and try not to repeat it! My apologies this is a tad bit lengthy, however, just a simple ”thumbs up” didn't seem appropriate for such a valued and historic topic! What a loss tors to history and history buffs alike! It boggles the minds to the works that were losses in that fire, whenever it occurred. Thank you for a quick journey through this traffic event! Say hi to the History Cat for me!

[@kristinalphamegamia1890]

Amazing. Thank you

[@JustJohnny]

You should do something on Hypatia! Highly fictionalized history at this point but there's something to be said about the legacy she managed to achieve.

[@Mattthewanderer]

I watched to the very end. Thank you for stepping into the spotlight to share your knowledge and personality with us!

[@donnahaynes8766]

This is the 2nd episode that I've seen presented by Mrs. History Guy. Not only a fascinating subject, but also well -presented! And the sound quality is better than the other episode I saw. Thank you!

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@jamesbunn751]

Absolutely fascinating details about the library. Thank you.

[@thomaslegal2053]

We definitely need an episode about egyptian cats presented by the History Cat. Great episode thanks!

[@dannynicastro3207]

Thomas Le Gal ...wonderful idea. Those beautiful Abyssinian Cats.

[@ozymandiaspbs]

My Egyptian Mau, Elsa, would love that! 😸

[@garywiseman5080]

The best short history of the library I’ve ever seen or heard. Thanks!

[@shanemize3775]

Simply outstanding! Your passion and storytelling pulled me in and kept me in suspense. It's always been a topic of interest to me and I'm so pleased that y'all did a video on it. Thank you both so much and God bless y'all, my friends!

[@josephdimen4278]

Indeed.

[@mikeapplin7889]

Hey Mrs. History guy, good to see you. Love the bow tie, keep up the good work, both of you.

[@aldemir6127]

Destroying the library means destroying humanity, dignity and the honesty.

[@aldemir6127]

@DefinitelyNotDan You think so, well than that was yesterday but today's Stalin is Isis, whabbs, make believe kingdoms and democratic systems, dictators, Zionists and swamps. Did I miss anything else?

[@johnathandamron3162]

I have host loyalty, like brand loyalty. Ms did a great job, not really the obscure content the channel usually produces but still a nice video. Maybe you all could dive into history from the far east that is barely taught in the west schools. Our USA public schools touch on China but all we hear of India is that Alexander conquered it and they probably discovered the idea of zero. The history of China and India is as rich as the west's history. And it deserves to be remembered.

[@chuckvt5196]

Fantastic video, MS History! Such a tragic lost for mankind, and yet, such an influence. Thank you for remembering it. I love how you hair matches that bow tie! Well done!

[@Paladin1873]

As goes the great library of Alexandria, so goes the Mark Twain Branch of the Detroit Public Library.

[@sharpbends]

Great story and presentation. It is always an eternal shame that the enormous ongoing efforts and artifacts of our knowledge and history are slowly lost over time. Oh for the perfect preservation media that would endure for eternity without the endless copying of copies...

[@yestfmf]

I realize you posted a year ago, but here goes. So let's say the perfect media is discovered and utilized. we manage to copy everything needed to rebuild our technology. a necessary part of that would be a description of that technology and what it did, before getting into the designs and theories of operation. we would describe airplanes, cell phones, cars, computers, television, etc. What happens in a few centuries after technology is lost? eventually, if things go right, someone will emerge who is able to translate the ancient text into whatever current language is in use. once it is translated, here is what will happen….someone will decide that it is too fantastic and we were describing our mythological gods. everything is ritualistic and the entire thing is religious text. I don't know enough to suggest an opinion about it, but in Hindu culture there is a book that describes aircraft called Vimana. here is a quote from Wikipedia: "Vimāna are mythological flying palaces or chariots described in Hindu texts and Sanskrit epics. " What is described in the Hindu text includes aircraft, wars, nuclear weapons, and probably other things that sound familiar to the modern mind. What little I know about it suggests it is a history book, not a religious text. Could a 747 not be described as a flying palace? Could an F-16 be considered a flying chariot? We have modern equivalents of all these things, but does anyone take these Hindu texts seriously? of course not, since we are so much smarter than anyone else who ever lived, right? people 3000 years ago were so stupid that all they could build were primitive stone structures like the pyramids. (in case you missed it, that was sarcasm. We still don't know how they built the pyramids or a whole list of other ancient artifacts. or why---if we don't understand it, it MUST be religious, right? If you look into it objectively, the ancients seem to have known a lot of things we still don't.) So let's re-read the above quote: Airplanes are mythological flying palaces or chariots described in American texts and English epics." When we go thru another dark age, history and technology books will be destroyed as "witchcraft." America will become as legendary as Atlantis. where WAS America, anyway? we think it existed on the western coast of the northern continent, but there is no water in that area. People near the Mississippi river claim to be descendants of Americans, too. and so on, and so forth. Our skyscrapers will be nothing but distorted legends, having rusted away over the centuries. our roads will grow over and the asphalt and concrete crumbled to nothing. what will be left will be made out of items that don't rust or crumble. Even things like silver and gold items will disappear due to corrosion or being re-used for precious metals. Only stone structures will remain, or mountain tunnels, or the like. Perfect medium or not, hardly anyone in the future will believe that we did any of this. After all, the Americans back then were primitives and we are so much smarter today, right? After all, we have muskets! And if such a hypothetical ancient library was discovered, would it ever see the light of day, or would it be snatched up by the military? Would it sit in the library of some collector of antique books? It would be a miracle if ANY of our knowledge remains even 500 years from now. The odds against it getting into the proper hands to be properly utilized are astronomical. We think we are so much smarter than the ancients. They may have actually been smarter than us, no way to know. But one thing is for sure, stupidity remains unchanged.

[@sharpbends]

@@yestfmf The perfect preservation media would be one that cannot be (easily) destroyed by mere man.

[@yestfmf]

@@sharpbends and I would agree, but the human stupidity factor remains. and someone can always hide the perfect media from the world. Human nature. I personally would love to know what ancient information was lost at Alexandria. It is a tragedy. however, all knowledge is lost by and by and has to be rediscovered anew. aside, I wonder what is hidden in the libraries under the Vatican? what I hear is hardly anyone gets to go there, particularly Protestants. Ah well, que serra serra.

[@filiosstangos]

Keep up the great work!!! A couple of facts associated with the Library of Alexandria worth mentioning: 1. The Old Testament was codified in Greek at the Library through the translation of the Seventy (Septuagint). 2. In the hellenistic world there was such a competition over the acquisition of literary works, that Ptolemaic Egypt banned the export of papyrus, leading to the perfection of alternative scripture materials, such as goat skin. The modern word "parchment" (in Greek "περγαμηνή") derives from Pergamon, another hellenistic kingdom in Asia Minor which regarded equally scientific knowledge as a commodity and developed its own library using parchment.

[@therenumerator9198]

Absolutely perfect. Meets every standard you expect from The History 'Guy', up to and including the bow tie.

[@jessicamoores181]

Very Nicely Done, History Gentlewoman. Nice history cat too. Your A Sheer Pleasure to watch. ❤️

[@blamb42]

Truly one of the greatest tragedies of history. PS - Biggles said "Hello." to The History Cat.

[@7ismersenne]

Thank you, Ms History, for your evocative account of the Great Library and of its influence on modern day libraries. Its history illustrates how importance the culture of learning and scholarship is and its vulnerability to the destructive forces of irrationality and fanaticism. A more recent example of this is the destruction of the library at Leuven in 1914.

[@lesliefranklin1870]

The decline of the Library of Alexandria was a huge loss to the World. Thank you Ms History for the history of that great institution. Nice bow tie. Also nice History Cat, so appropriate for Egypt.

[@ironhanglider]

The loss of all those library texts leaves me a little Dewey eyed.

[@raydunakin]

Good one!

[@donb7113]

This cleared up some questions I had about the library, thank you. I would loved to see text written by Archimedes.

[@johnbockelie3899]

This fire led up to how people became so dull in certain ways to think. Intelligence should be preserved.

[@williamj.stilianessis1851]

As the spouse of a teacher/librarian, father to a fan of the Netflix special, The Librarians and faithful patron of our local tome repository, I adored this special episode. I had not yet had the privilege of hearing Mrs. History Guy but am happy to have finally done so. Kudos. Have you ever done an episode on the Battle of Valcor Island on Lake Champlain. We have several wonderful museums here on the Vermont side to that end. Might be . . . History worth Remembering.

[@kesmarn]

I learned so much from this history session. Thanks! And give a pat to History Cat as well.

[@JamesD92763]

Good to see Mrs. History,... and The loss of the Library is probably the greatest crime in history

[@sorellman]

It is a crime, indeed, and the account here of what happened is pretty accurate. The Library was destroyed in the end when the Christian emperor Diocletian ordered all the pagan temples closed, which, of course, included Serapeum. The Christian mob would burn the Library of Alexandria too, killed Hypatia, a brilliant woman savant, and they would also destroy the Oracle of Delphi.

[@jerrylong381]

Unfortunately this was no isolated incident. Rulers learned that if you destroy a peoples history, many times in the name of "God", they are much easier to manipulate. The Mayans are the first example that comes to my mind. Isis was doing the same, and will again if allowed. I fear, as a whole, we are no more enlightened now then in 1500 B.C.E.

[@sorellman]

@@jerrylong381 Also, the Mongols went all the way to today's Iraq to destroy the Grand Library of Bagdad, another marvel of the ancient world and repository of significant knowledge. Why? Who sent them there? The same entities that gave us slavery and the institution of religion. As you mentioned, the Catholic Church has destroyed most of the Mayan codices. Significant knowledge was lost there too. The new Christian church would seek to burn all Gnostic texts, closed the schools of thought of the Hellenistic era. Why? Because by keeping humans poor in spirit, by forbidding them to feed on the fruits of the tree of knowledge you could manipulate them into accepting submissively their condition of slaves. This is where we are today as a civilization.

[@dannynicastro3207]

sorellman ....because of SOME...NOT ALL AND NOT THE MAJORITY. NOWDAYS. YOU MUST KNOW THAT. IF NOT YOU ARE BLIND. TRULY.

[@Tula1940_LB]

I was hoping this video would come out at some point.

[@ChancetheCanine]

Thanks Ms History, well done!!

[@eleanormckelvaine6939]

Breaks my heart every time I think of all the knowledge we lost.

[@yclepe]

The loss of the Library at Alexandria was indeed an especially huge loss;unfortunately history is full of such losses, big and small,of knowledge, art,and technology

[@f3xpmartian]

A thumbs up to the "History Cat" for making an appearance. As for the library of Alexandria, I thought the movie "National Treasure" explained that... ;-)

[@DanielBrown-sn9op]

Movie not accurate.

[@InfamousGUNN]

This was possibly one of the better small documentaries for sure even longer ones never had this much depth that I know of. Thank you for this one this is now one of my favorite ones😎 P.S. Ms History you are great!

[@chrisbusenkell]

FANTASTIC CHOICE OF TOPIC!!!! i'm in total agreement with you

[@confusedwolf7157]

Guest appearance of The History Cat too!!

[@greygibson2443]

Why are predators kept as pets ? Dogs, cats, ferrets ( painting of lady with weasel ). Cats made agriiculture profitable. lnca graves with large rodent skeletons show they lacked suitable cats. The ship's cat. Felix, Sylvester, and Claude.

[@greygibson2443]

Why are there yellow canaries ? Haldane's Rule. What is sex of a mule ?

[@BHuang92]

I think it might've been a good thing some of the scrolls were stolen, in other words, overdue books. Would be a bit humorous if some guy came in to return his overdue scroll.

[@christineparis5607]

When he returned it, I wonder if it had also been chewed by his dog...

[@christineparis5607]

😂😂😂

[@gpwgpw555]

How could you pay the fine. Who would have a dollar a day for 2300 years.

[@derekmills5394]

Now let's see 2000 years at a penny a week - that late fine is gonna hurt!

[@JTA1961]

Interesting that I found this as I was scrolling down

[@malcolmandrews4942]

The bow-tie is ESSENTIAL! Excellent presentation.

[@elaineandjohn9599]

What a delightful surprise! And of course well done as always. Thank you both. p.s. the loss of the library is one of the great tragedies of history. (Still have and use my library card.)