The Library of Alexandria


Established around 235 BCE, the Library of Alexandria was one of the largest and most
important institutions in the ancient world. It was built and maintained by the Ptolemies, a
family that ruled ancient Egypt for several centuries. The Ptolemies wanted the library to
contain all of humanity's knowledge. They worked to grow its collections by buying,
stealing, and copying texts from around the world. At its peak, the library may have held up
to half a million documents. It was also home to more than 100 scholars, who lived there
full-time to write, lecture, research, and translate texts.


For centuries, the Library of Alexandria was celebrated as a global center of learning. Then,
the unthinkable happened: The library was destroyed. In 48 BCE, an invading Roman army
set fire to a fleet of Egyptian boats. The flames spread to the city and burned at least part of
the library. From that point on, the library remained in a state of decline. Years later,
religious leaders ordered the rest of the library's contents to be burned. Today, almost
nothing remains of the library and its priceless archive of ancient knowledge.

What is the main idea of this passage?

A: The Ptolemies placed a high value on the written word.

B: The Library of Alexandria was destroyed on several occasions.

C: The Library of Alexandria housed an irreplaceable collection of ancient texts.


D: After being partially destroyed by the Romans, the Library of Alexandria fell into
disrepair.