ABSTRACT

This chapter provides the vital role played in history by the ancient Library of Alexandria, and illuminates the ideals which have inspired the new Alexandria Library. The fact that the Alexandria Library was the first universal library in history is taken for granted, without any real appreciation of the intellectual processes which led to its formation. The enquiring mentality of the Greeks was eventually given full expression during and after Alexander's campaigns of world conquest. There is evidence that works from Near Eastern cultures were included in the Alexandrian Library. When the Arabs rose to power and their rule spread throughout the Near East, they encountered a culture permeated by the standards of Alexandrian learning. A great deal of translation was needed to bridge the language gap between the new Arab governors and their subjects. The interaction between Egyptian priests and Greek scholars would have provided the opportunity for the translation of Egyptian writings and records into Greek.