The Royal Library at Alexandria (285 BCE)
The Royal Library at Alexandria (285 BCE)
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| By the 6th century BCE papyrus was the most common
writing surface throughout the Mediterranean and was used by the Greeks
and Romans. Because papyrus grew in Egypt, the Egyptians had a virtual monopoly
over the papyrus trade. Many ancient civilizations housed their scrolls in large libraries, which acted as both repositories of knowledge and displays of political and economic power. The Royal Library of Alexandria (285BCE) boasted around half a million scrolls in its collection. In hot dry climates papyrus is well preserved otherwise it would be rapidly attacked by insects and fungi. So in most places, it is not a good long-term storage medium meaning scrolls had to be recopied every few years. |