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TED-Ed

What really happened to the Library of Alexandria? - Elizabeth Cox

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2,300 years ago, the rulers of Alexandria set out to fulfill a very audacious goal: to collect all the knowledge in the world under one roof. In its prime, the Library of Alexandria housed an unprecedented number of scrolls and attracted some of the Greek world’s greatest minds. But by the end of the 5th century CE, it had vanished. Elizabeth Cox details the rise and fall of this great building.

Additional Resources for you to Explore

Today, there's a new library in Alexandria. The modern Library of Alexandria has an expansive collection and digital archives. Learn more about it here

Learn more about the ancient library here, or read up on key figures in it's history, like Ptolemy I and Hypatia

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Meet The Creators

Educator
Elizabeth Cox
Director
Inna Phillimore
Narrator
Adrian Dannatt
Content Producer
Gerta Xhelo
Editorial Producer
Alex Rosenthal
Associate Producer
Bethany Cutmore-Scott, Elizabeth Cox
Fact-Checker
Francisco Diez

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