The library, a repository of wisdom and evidence of history, seems to be reborn today. Thanks to new forms of education, libraries keep pace with the times and attract new visitors. Now in the library you can not only take a book home or work in the reading room, but also listen to a lecture, get acquainted with the exhibition, and take part in a master class. In the early days of their existence, public libraries were also hugely popular.
Libraries did not become public, that is, open for public access, at once. In ancient times, knowledge fixed on a certain medium was very expensive. Knowledge itself was not intended for everyone: only the rulers of states, priests and high officials could read. Information carriers - papyrus, parchment, clay tablets - were also of great value due to the laborious manufacturing process or the high cost of materials.
Treasures of ancient civilizations
The oldest known library is the library of the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal. It was established in the capital of the state of Nineveh in the 7th century. BC e., in the royal palace, and served, in addition to the repository of useful knowledge and literary works, also as a state archive. This huge library, which provided historical science with invaluable evidence of the life of Ancient Mesopotamia, of course, was not public.
The famous Library of Alexandria in Egypt, founded in the 3rd century BC, was more accessible to a wide range of visitors. Being the largest library in the ancient world, in the modern sense it was more like an academy or a scientific institute: scientists from different countries lived here, engaged in their research and teaching. In 237, the main building of the Library of Alexandria was destroyed by fire after a series of endless wars and raids by the Romans.
Greek word
From the highly developed civilization of the Egyptians, the Greeks borrowed the form of a papyrus scroll book, and then the arrangement of large book depositories. The word "library" itself comes from the Greek words "biblio" - a book and "teka" - a place of storage. The ruler of Athens, Pisistratus, collected a rich collection of books, which he later donated to his native city: this is how the first public library in Greece appeared.
Roman culture has its origins in Ancient Greece. From there, the fashion for private libraries came to Rome: many politicians, public figures and simply rich people collected books on their estates. Their book collections were open to friends, students and admirers.
Julius Caesar's ideas
The idea of creating a public library in Rome belonged to Julius Caesar, who became the unwitting culprit in the destruction of part of the library in Alexandria. However, Caesar did not have time to realize his plan: the first Roman public library was founded five years after his death, in 39 BC. e. Guy Assinius Pollio, a former military man and later a public figure.
The public library was funded by war booty and housed in the Temple of Liberty in the Atrium. The first public library became a platform for reading new works, their criticism and discussion, and speeches of speakers. The creation of such a library was of great cultural importance: in this way those circles of readers who could not afford to create their own libraries gained access to the treasures of literature.
