If I Could Spend One Day Anywhere in History...

 



Good evening my friends. Please sit down make yourself comfortable, the ceiling fan is working overtime to cool us. Lady Cora Cat and Mouse are lounging somewhere in the Scriptorium so let’s not disturb them.

Let me ask you something, if you were granted a seat in a time machine and could spend one day anywhere in history, where would you go? I’ve thought about this a lot, and I know where I would feel right at home. 

The Library of Alexandria

Sit back, enjoy something cold and let’s talk about the day ahead. 


The Heart of the Ancient World

In the heart of the ancient world there was a place by the Mediterranean that holds mystery, knowledge and romance. Imagine, the cool breeze blowing in from the sea, the gulls with their piercing keow. In 332 BC, a ship sails into the port. A man with a reputation that will become legendary. But for now, he comes ashore and as he glances around, it is said that he fell to his knees and on the sand drew the plans of what would be the city bearing his name. It was to become a new Hellenic city, which would serve as a capitol of Alexander’s empire.  

However, Alexander didn’t build the library of Alexandria. The great library was established by his general, Ptolemy I in about 283 BC. 

It’s believed that the library was home, to around 700,000 scrolls at its height. Apparently, when ships arrived in the port, Ptolemy’s soldiers would board the ships looking for books to fill the shelves. 



Among the Lost Shelves of Alexandria

The shelves were home to masterpieces of philosophy, mathematics, science. The works of Aristotle, Plato were there along with carefully edited texts of the Iliad and the Odyssey to name a few. 

Texts from Mesopotamia, Greece and other lands were housed there. Scrolls on loan to the library were copied by the scribes and some cases the copies were returned while the original remained in Alexandria. 

Ptolemy had wanted the library of Alexandria to be the most magnificent in the known world, and because Egypt controlled the supply of papyrus, he refused to send papyrus to the rival library of Pergamon, in Anatolia.  


Why Writers Are Drawn to Lost Places

Last year I visited Anatolia in Turkey and was able to spend time amongst the ruined library of Celsus. I could imagine the shelves of scrolls and texts.

So, why are writers drawn to lost places like Alexandria and Ephesus? There is a connection to the past that is hard to explain. Lost places, abandoned libraries all have a lure that is irresistible to the writer, to the artist, to anyone who longs to walk alongside history.


Until I Walk Those Ancient Streets

In August I shall walk the ancient streets that lead to the site where the great Library of Alexandria was. I shall walk where Ptolemy marched, and Alexander. I shall gaze out at the sea and imagine the ships docked and the soldiers looking for the books.

For me personally, my love of ancient history, I can’t wait to stroll along these ancient streets in the footsteps of the greats, who walked there over two thousand years ago.

So, my friends this brings us to the end of our chat tonight. I hope that you enjoyed it and I look forward to hearing about where you would choose to go, on your trip back into history.

Until next time,

Anna   



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