Maybe Ancient Civilizations Knew More Than We Do

What do you determine to be the value of your local library?

It seems that we are increasingly so casual about our libraries--sometimes, even doubting their worth--that it's difficult for us to understand how important libraries were in the worlds of the ancients.  In fact, in ancient Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt, the sizes and contents of libraries were both indications and sources of a king's power, wealth, and importance.  The ancients understood that knowledge really is power.

Competition to have the largest, most inclusive library was fierce, with rulers even "drafting" the most important scholars as assets to increase the competitiveness of their libraries--similar to how our sports stars are drafted to increase a team's standing.   

This old librarian finds this interesting!  If you do, too, read more about it:

The Fierce, Forgotten Library Wars 

of the Ancient World

The dark trade of collecting books used to get really messy.

--from AtlasObscura

"In the Hellenistic Era—that's 323 BC to 31 BC, for all you numbers fans—the Library of Alexandria, Egypt was a research hub of high prestige. But while certainly the largest of its time and the most famous, the Library of Alexandria wasn’t the only institution of its kind. Libraries throughout the ancient world competed to be the best Greek library, in rivalries that proved as dangerous and unscrupulous as actual wars. "  ...READ MORE.