{"slug": "library-of-alexandria", "label": "Library of Alexandria", "wikipedia": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_of_Alexandria", "wikidata": "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q435", "qid": "Q435", "description": "one of the largest libraries in the ancient world, located in Alexandria, Egypt", "entries": 11, "years": 11, "span": [-283, 640], "span_label": ["284 BCE", "640 CE"], "topics": [{"title": "Religion & Belief", "count": 2}, {"title": "Science & Discovery", "count": 2}, {"title": "Deaths", "count": 2}, {"title": "Conflict & Security", "count": 2}, {"title": "Disasters & Accidents", "count": 2}, {"title": "Births", "count": 1}], "related": [{"slug": "alexandria", "label": "Alexandria", "shared": 2}, {"slug": "syria", "label": "Syria", "shared": 1}, {"slug": "palestine-region", "label": "Palestine (region)", "shared": 1}, {"slug": "lebanon", "label": "Lebanon", "shared": 1}, {"slug": "egypt-roman-province", "label": "Egypt (Roman province)", "shared": 1}, {"slug": "zenobia", "label": "Zenobia", "shared": 1}, {"slug": "earth", "label": "Earth", "shared": 1}, {"slug": "euripides", "label": "Euripides", "shared": 1}, {"slug": "sophocles", "label": "Sophocles", "shared": 1}, {"slug": "cyrene-libya", "label": "Cyrene, Libya", "shared": 1}], "items": [{"year": -283, "year_label": "284 BCE", "section": "Religion & Belief", "date": null, "text": "The Ptolemaic court appoints Zenodotus of Ephesus as first Director of the Library of Alexandria.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1370480303#Culture", "title": "284 BC", "revid": 1370480303, "section": "Events › By subject › Culture"}}, {"year": -259, "year_label": "260 BCE", "section": "Religion & Belief", "date": null, "text": "Callimachus of Cyrene, learned poet and grammarian, becomes chief librarian at the Library of Alexandria.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1325948890#Egypt", "title": "260 BC", "revid": 1325948890, "section": "Events › By place › Egypt"}}, {"year": -244, "year_label": "245 BCE", "section": "Science & Discovery", "date": null, "text": "Approximate date – Callimachus produces the Pinakes, a subject index to the Library of Alexandria.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1354172724#Culture", "title": "245 BC", "revid": 1354172724, "section": "Events › By subject › Culture"}}, {"year": -233, "year_label": "234 BCE", "section": "Deaths", "date": null, "text": "Zenodotus of Ephesus, first librarian of the Library of Alexandria", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1218450136#Deaths", "title": "234 BC", "revid": 1218450136, "section": "Deaths"}}, {"year": -47, "year_label": "48 BCE", "section": "Conflict & Security", "date": "December", "text": "December – Battle in Alexandria: Forces of Caesar and his ally Cleopatra VII and those of rival King Ptolemy XIII and Queen Arsinoe IV. The latter two are defeated and flee the city, but during the battle part of the Library of Alexandria catches fire.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1300612578#Egypt", "title": "48 BC", "revid": 1300612578, "section": "Events › By place › Egypt"}}, {"year": 269, "year_label": "269 CE", "section": "Conflict & Security", "date": null, "text": "Queen Zenobia conquers Syria, Palestine, Lebanon, parts of Mesopotamia and Anatolia and Egypt, giving her control of Rome's grain supply. The library at Alexandria is partly burned during a raid by Zabdas, general of Zenobia.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1371227782#Near_East", "title": "269", "revid": 1371227782, "section": "Events › By place › Near East"}}, {"year": 335, "year_label": "335 CE", "section": "Births", "date": null, "text": "Theon of Alexandria, director of the Library of Alexandria (approximate date)", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1351653069#Births", "title": "335", "revid": 1351653069, "section": "Births"}}, {"year": 389, "year_label": "389 CE", "section": "Disasters & Accidents", "date": null, "text": "All pagan buildings in Alexandria, including the library, are destroyed by fire.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1280219376#Roman_Empire", "title": "389", "revid": 1280219376, "section": "Events › By place › Roman Empire"}}, {"year": 391, "year_label": "391 CE", "section": "Science & Discovery", "date": null, "text": "Flames destroy the great Library of Alexandria, established in the Mouseion in the fourth century BC. Among the items lost in the fire are works of science, including parchments by the Greek astronomer Aristarchus of Samos asserting that the Earth orbits the Sun, and dozens of dramatic works by Euripides and Sophocles.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1327980191#Literature", "title": "391", "revid": 1327980191, "section": "Events › By topic › Literature"}}, {"year": 405, "year_label": "405 CE", "section": "Deaths", "date": null, "text": "Theon of Alexandria, last director of the Library of Alexandria (approximate date)", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1367640804#Deaths", "title": "405", "revid": 1367640804, "section": "Deaths"}}, {"year": 640, "year_label": "640 CE", "section": "Disasters & Accidents", "date": "December 22", "text": "December 22 – On orders of the Saracen leader, Amar, the Serapeum of Alexandria, containing works that had survived the destruction of the Library of Alexandria, is burned down, along with its collection of 500,000 manuscripts. This story may be apocryphal.", "cite": {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1364750340#Africa", "title": "640", "revid": 1364750340, "section": "Events › By place › Africa"}}]}