Casson 2001

Casson, Lionel. Libraries in the Ancient World. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2001.

The Beginnings: The Ancient Near East

Egypt: papyrus; Mesopotamia: clay tablets; Sumerians write in cuneiform on clay

Elba

Hattusas, capital of empire of Hittites from c17-13BC

• mass of clay tablets uncovered from royal palace, most documentary
• many have colophons identifying the title and scribe
• series of tablets from c13BC containing detailed bibliographical entries -- an early library catalogue
• repeated copying of well-known works built up collections for particular temple/palaces -- no book trade
• library of this size only the prerogative of kings, who could create holdings by plundering other collections

Tiglath-Pileser I (reigned Assyria 1115-1077BC); founded library unearthed in temple of Assur at Ashur; mostly documentary and religious materials

Ashubanipal (reigned Assyria 688-627BC); boasted of his literacy (could read and write cuneiform); created large private royal library; probably acquired while plundering Babylon; tablets contain warnings against stealing or rubbing out the text

Near Eastern collections "were not the seed which engendered the libraris with their far wider horizons that were to arise in the world of Greece and Rome" (15)

Egypt surely had libraries, but none survive because of perishability of papyrus

The Beginnings: Greece

end of c5BC, Greeks begin mentioning "booksellers"; by the latter part of the c4BC, "the prerequitsites for the creation of the public library had been met" (28): scriptoria turning out multiple copies, dealers selling them, people collecting them

leading up to library at Alexandria:

• c3BC, Aristotle amasses large personal library (28-9); student Demetrius of Phalerum was intimate with Ptolemies, may have suggested Aristotle's library as a model for Alexandria
• then Athens passes law stating authorized versions of the plays of Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides must be maintained by the records offic