The destruction of the library of Alexandria: a reassessment Duriὀg the last thirty years, ἵὁuὀtless artiἵles have treateἶ the ἶestruἵtiὁὀ ὁf the library ὁf χlexaὀἶria aὀἶ have giveὀ fὁr this eveὀt maὀy ἶiffereὀt explaὀatiὁὀsέ Despite the variety ὁf hypὁtheses, mὁst sἵhὁlars teὀἶ ὀὁwaἶays tὁ share a ἵὁmmὁὀ viewμ ἵὁὀtrary tὁ sὁme testimὁὀies by aὀἵieὀt histὁriaὀs, ἑaesar ἵὁulἶ ὀὁt have beeὀ respὁὀsible fὁr the burὀiὀg ὁf Ptὁlemy’s library ὁr at least ὀὁt fὁr its tὁtal ἶestruἵtiὁὀέ 1 Iὀsteaἶ, ὁther eveὀts are geὀerally ἵὁὀsiἶereἶ as pὁssible ἵaὀἶiἶates fὁr the ὁrigiὀ ὁf this ἶestruἵtiὁὀ, ὀamelyμ the attaἵk ὁf χureliaὀ iὀ χD ἀἅί – ἀἅην the ἶeἵree ὁf Patriarἵh Theὁphilus iὀ ἁλ1 χDν aὀἶ the εuslim ἵὁὀquest ὁf Egypt iὀ (ὁr after) χD ἄζἀέ Time aὀἶ agaiὀ iὀ this ἶisἵussiὁὀ, variὁus impὁrtaὀt aὀἵieὀt sὁurἵes have beeὀ ἶisregarἶeἶ either beἵause they are ὀὁt easily fὁuὀἶ iὀ a mὁἶerὀ traὀslatiὁὀ ὁr beἵause they are still uὀtraὀslateἶέ ἀ όurthermὁre, the ὀames ὁf the ἶiffereὀt libraries whiἵh existeἶ iὀ χlexaὀἶria are sὁmetimes ἵὁὀfuseἶέ Thus, ἶespite the plethὁra ὁf publiἵatiὁὀs ὁὀ the subjeἵt, a reassessmeὀt is still ὀeἵessary iὀ ὁrἶer tὁ ἶistiὀguish establisheἶ faἵts frὁm pure hypὁthesis aὀἶ tὁ reset the ἶata iὀtὁ their apprὁpriate ἵὁὀtextsέ Tὁ try tὁ sheἶ sὁme light ὁὀ this hὁtly ἶebateἶ issue I will first list the ἶiffereὀt libraries that are kὀὁwὀ tὁ have existeἶ iὀ χlexaὀἶria aὀἶ their respeἵtive lὁἵatiὁὀ, I will theὀ examiὀe the available sὁurἵes frὁm χὀtiquity that ἵaὀ eὀlighteὀ us abὁut pὁssible ἶestruἵtiὁὀs ὁf eaἵh library (ὁr abὁut the exteὀt ὁf their ἶuratiὁὀs) aὀἶ I will fiὀally try tὁ give a geὀeral assessmeὀt ὁf the ἶataέ 1 The settiὀg 1 χmὁὀg thὁse whὁ ἶὁ ὀὁt thiὀk that the ἶestruἵtiὁὀ ὁf the library was liὀkeἶ iὀ aὀy way tὁ ἑaesar are ἑaὀfὁra, δέ (1λκλ, The Vanished Library. A Wonder of the Ancient World, traὀslateἶ by εέ Ryle, ἐerkeleyμ Uὀiversity ὁf ἑalifὁrὀia Press)έ τthers like ἑassὁὀ, δέ (ἀίί1, Libraries in the Ancient World, σew Haveὀμ Yale Uὀiversity Press, pέ ζηάζἄ) thiὀk iὀsteaἶ that ὁὀly a small pὁrtiὁὀ ὁf the library was burὀt ἶuriὀg the χlexaὀἶriaὀ warέ ἀ Uὀless ὁtherwise stateἶ, all the traὀslatiὁὀs that will be giveὀ iὀ this paper have beeὀ ἶireἵtly maἶe by the authὁr ὁf this artiἵleέ