The Vanished Library: A Wonder of the Ancient World (Hellenistic Culture and Society ; 7)
by Luciano Canfora
Book Summary Information
Author: Luciano CanforaEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 1990-08-29
ISBN: 0520072553
Number of pages: 205
Publisher: University of California Press
Book Reviews of The Vanished Library: A Wonder of the Ancient World (Hellenistic Culture and Society ; 7)
Book Review: Interesting bits and pieces
Summary: 3 Stars
Professor Canfora's book is filled all manner of information, creative insights, and interesting solutions to old puzzles. Several reviewers suggest that it is a creative piece of history done in the style of a novel. A mystery novel, perhaps, for what appears to be a work on the library of Alexandria proves, in the end, to be a reflection upon the nature and lot of ancient libraries generally: "great concentrations of books, usually found in the centers of power, were the main victims of these destructive outbreaks, ruinous attacks, sackings, and fires." Thus, there is no unsolved mystery about what happened to the library at Alexandria, and those in other places, nor who was "responsible" for its or their destruction, as though some form of ignorant barbarism or religious fanaticism might be blamed for the "destruction" of ancient knowledge. Unfortunately Canfora's fascinating presentation is scattered across 197 pages in a way that's not always easy to follow, even for someone with the knowledge of the history and literature involved. And there is one page, 87, which is utterly baffling. The activities of Queen Zenobia of Palmyra and the Emperor Aurelian are dated to thirty-five years before the encounter of Amrou and John Philoponus. A misprint for three hundred and fifty? There shortly follows the author's declaration that the "celebrated Hypatia" was "barbarously murdered" by Christians "convinced in their ignorance" that she was a heretic. Hypatia was a noted Neoplaonist, but not a Christian (one must first be a believer to be a heretic!), and had turned the pagan prefect against the Christians during a time of violence between pagans, Jews, and Christians in the city. (Canfora here seems to have forgotten his own earlier observation about the propensity of Alexandrians for religion-inspired violence.) And at the bottom of the page he declares that, in the early 600s C.E., Greek "was increasingly a forgotten language" in that Byzantine city and that the texts in the library "consisted chiefly of patristic writings, Acts of Councils, and 'sacred literature' in general." He cites no source or support for either of the latter claims. They are oddly passionate in the midst of his otherwise scholarly presentation.
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