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A view of the New Library of Alexandria
 In
295 BC, the Egyptian Ruler Ptolemy
I Soter, commissioned the
construction of the Great Library of Alexandria
(one of the cultural wonders of the ancient world).
In the following years, local
scientists traveled through the region to purchase books for
the library. The Library held many copies of important books
of the ancient world as well as the originals of Euripides and
Sophocles. All human knowledge of the ancient world was stored
in the Library, not just of Egypt or the Greek territories,
for Ptolemy
I
sent his representatives throughout the known
world to collect reference works.
In 48 BC, the Library and at
least 40,000 scrolls were burnt when Julius Caesar attacked
the city (during the Alexandrian war) and a huge fire
swallowed up the ancient Library. It would seem that this was
the end of the fabled library and thus the end of a legend,
but 2,000 years
later, after 10 years of planning, the Egyptian government and
UNESCO have combined their efforts in order to revive
the ancient Library. The Alexandria
Library has now risen from
the ashes of antiquity so that it might once more lead the
world as a cultural center and a focal point for knowledge not
only in Egypt, bur for the world as a whole.
As part of the library, a new
and very important antiquities museum has been created in
order to highlight the history of Alexandria
across the ages.
It specifically highlights the cultural era of the  Hellenistic
world, providing exhibits related to knowledge and the arts.
The museum was
ceremonially opened in January 2003. It now contains
rare artifacts from the Pharaonic,
Greek, Roman,
Coptic and Islamic eras. These artifacts are displayed in
chronological order, representing the evolution of writing,
the birth of scholarship and librarianship, and the ancient
arts with informative displays presenting mosaic, portraits,
glassware, pottery, coins, textile and much more.
The museum is housed in section
B1 of the Library complex on the ground floor of the main
building. After passing through the security gate of the
Library, take the stairs that lead down to the ground floor.
On the right side of the stairs is the ticket office.
General admission costs 10  LE
for foreign tourists, and 4 LE for Egyptians. The admission
charge includes the services of a guide, who will conduct a
tour through the long corridors. The guides are proficient in
English, French and German (and of course, Arabic).
Within the museum, one will
immediately be astonished by the noticeable harmony between
the interior design of the museum and the displays within.
Finely coordinated exhibits are well lit and aesthetically
pleasing.
The moment one steps inside the
museum a beautiful Tableau hanged on the wall catches
the eye. It is of a school girl, who sits on a stool copying
out her lesson with a wooden stylus on a waxed tablet. It says
of the statue that, "Education for girls as well as boys
flourished at the ancient Library of Alexandria
as attested by
this Terra cotta statue dated circa 200 BC".
Lets explore the museum and see
what sort of ancient wonders reveal themselves.
Pharaonic Antiquities
In the halls dedicated to
ancient Egyptian artifacts, displays teach us particularly
about the development of writing. Here, we find various
statues of ancient Egyptian scribes and there, a collection of
writing tools from the Pharaonic period. There are displays
devoted to papyrus with an illustrated history of its use in
Egypt as well as documentation on the evolution of writing
through the period.
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Left:
A limestone
Fragment of a stela which bears part of seven columns of
hieroglyphic inscription from left to right in praise of
the God Amun. The fragment still retains its original
colors. It dates to the New Kingdom when the cult
of the God Amun spread and flourished and he became the
official God of the Egyptian Empire.
Dimensions:
H. 40 cm; W. 67 cm
Provenance: El Kurna |
Alexandria's Sunken Antiquities
There is also space
provided for Alexandria's sunken
antiquities. It is believed
that, due to a series of violent earthquakes, the northern
parts of the city were lost to the Mediterranean
sea. Archaeological exploration to recover these antiquities
actually began in the gulf of Abu Qir in 1933 and in the Royal
district (eastern harbor) in 1961, when the Egyptian Kamal
Aboul Sadat reported seeing sunken monuments in the depths of
the eastern port area, which faces Qaitbey
Fort.
At first, divers retrieved a
few pots, but soon they were also bringing up gold coins dating to the
Byzantine
period. Then they discovered
a granite statue of Isis measuring 7.5 meters in height,
spurring additional interest. In 1968, the Egyptian government
requested assistance from UNESCO in the development of a map
of the sunken antiquities in the eastern port area. UNESCO
responded positively and the resulting map became the guiding
reference for current work in the area.
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Right:
A white marble head of the god Serapis with inlaid eyes
and a hole on the top for fixing a Kalathos. At left is
the statue as it appeared when first discovered
underwater, while at Right it is now in the Alexandria
Library Museum.
Dimensions: H.57 cm – W. 35 cm
Provenance: Abu Kir |
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In 1993, The European Marine
Institute, a French expedition under the direction of famed
under water excavator Frank Goddio, began work in both the
eastern port area and at Abu Kir. The expedition was comprised
of thirty Egyptian and French divers, and their work revealed
thousands of items in the shadows of the Qaitbey
Fort,
including Pillars, crowns and statues. Jean Yves Empreur, one
of the French archeologists, explains that the finds were
almost certainly the remains of the ancient Pharos Lighthouse
of Alexandria, which was one of the wonders of the ancient
world, toppled by one of Alexandria's ancient
earthquakes.
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Left:
A huge Royal head of Octavius
in Gray granite wearing the Nemmes headdress. It dates
to either the very end of the Ptolemaic (Greek) Period
or the beginning of the Roman Period.
Dimensions:
H.
59 cm – L. 59.5 cm
Provenance: Eastern
harbor. |
Many of the artifacts from these
underwater excavations are now in the museum's collection.
These artifacts require special treatment due to their
submergence in salt water which results in salt accumulations
in the epidermis (skin) of the stone. After being removed from
the sea, they are immediately placed in water tanks with the
same solution of sodium as in the seawater. Then the sodium
solution in the tank is gradually reduced, which results in
the sodium within the artifacts slowly being released into the
fresher water. Eventually, after about six months, the
artifact is cleansed of its salt content and the process is
complete. Only then can the piece be exposed to the open air
without damage.
Greco-Roman Antiquities
Of course, the Alexandria
Library was at the center of the Greco-Roman
world, hosting both scientist and philosophers. Here,
Archimedes invented his pump still in use today and known as
Archimedes’s screw. Euclid wrote “Elements” (the base of
Euclidean geometry) and “ Optics” (a treatise of
geometrical optics). They were not alone and many famous
scholars worked to, for example, isolate the function of the
heart, calculate the circumference of the earth and even
develop the concept of the leap year. In fact, the loss of the
library in ancient times basically resulted in the loss of the
combined knowledge of the ancient world.
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Left: A white marble
bust of Xenfon, which bears his name in Greek and dating
from the Greek Period.
Dimensions:
H.
59 cm
Below:
A gold wedding Ring discovered at Abu Kir and dating to
the Byzantine Period. |
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Within the Greco-Roman section
of the library we find many statues of the most important
Greek philosophers, orators, writers and historians, together
with other artifacts of the period. Here, there is a glass
cabinet which displays a collection of Golden Jewelry, rings
and coins discovered at Abu Kir (1999-2000), some of which
date back to the Greek
Period.
| Right: Two masks with
the eyes painted black. Remains of the head bands can be
seen on the forehead.
These are funerary painted masks dating back to the Roman period. Painted
masks were a part of Roman
funerary
customs. These
masks were widespread in Egypt from the first Century
until the fourth Century. They were inserted inside the sarcophagi
between the wrapping of mummies, over the
face |
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Left:
Terra cotta cinerary urn :(Hadra
Hydrae) were used to keep the ashes of
deceased.
They
are named after the place where they were originally
discovered in a region called “El Hadra” at the
southern boundaries of the ancient city. They date back
to the fourth century AD.
The
oldest of these Hydrae had
a white background and this was also found in
Athens, Rhodes and Cyprus where other Ptolemaic
monuments came to light.
Hydrae
were manufactured in Alexandria and were usually
decorated with geometric and floral designs, theatrical
masks, mythological scenes
and representations of deities in relief.
Some
of those vases were inscribed with the name, date of
death and title of the deceased. |
| Right: The lid of
a sarcophagus, which depicts a child lying down
on his left side, putting his left hand under his head
and wearing a dress with folds in high relief. This
piece dates to the Roman Period. |
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Coptic and Christian Antiquities
 Textile
were the most distinguished product of Coptic
Christian art. Thousands
of pieces of textiles were found in Egypt, dating back to the Roman,
Byzantine and
Islamic
eras. Most of them were woven of
wool and flax and were characterized by the richness of their
decorations which comprised geometric, floral designs, human
figures, Christian motifs and even scenes from mythology.
Coptic textiles had many uses during Egypt's Christian
period, including bed sheets and covers, towels, napkins, tablecloths and carrying sacks, while in churches and other public buildings, these decorative fabrics were used for curtains and hangings.
Most commonly, textiles during the Coptic period were used for clothing which, during that time period, most frequently took the form of a tunic, or rectangular shirt-like garment which was usually fastened at the waist by a belt. Textiles were also used for belts, cloaks and shawls. The tunics of Copts was most often made of plain wool or linen and adorned with either a single vertical band (clavus) that ran down the center of the garment, or two vertical bands (clavi) that fell over each shoulder and ran down to the knee or the bottom of the garment on both the front and back.
Islamic Antiquities
 The
Library of
Alexandria's Museum also contains items from the
Islamic Period. This was a period when Alexandria
experienced
its loss of status as the Capital of Egypt to what would
eventually become Cairo. The museum contains collections of
Arabesque wooden windows, carpets, tablets and lanterns.
Notably, in the seventh century AD, glassmaking flourished
in Egypt and glassmakers inherited many of the techniques of
their forbearers in the Byzantine and Sasanian empires.
These included glassblowing, the use of molds, the
manipulation of molten glass with tools, and the decorative
application of molten glass. Islamic glass production from the
seventh through the fourteenth century was also greatly
innovative and witnessed glorious phases, such as those of
superb relief-cut glass and spectacular gilded and enameled
objects, that established its supremacy in glassmaking
throughout the world.
Antiquities of the Bibliotheca Alexandrian Site
Prior to building the new Library of
Alexandria,
excavations were conducted on its future site in 1993. From
this archaeological investigation, several unique Mosaic
pieces immerged.
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Right:
This is a fragment of a mosaic floor dating to the Greek
Period (second century AD). The central part is in the
form of a circle, which is rare. It depicts a dog beside
a Bronze Greek cup (askos). The details of the scene and
reflection of light on metal (bronze) represent a high artistic standard attributable to the mosaic
workshops of Alexandria, which produced
wonderful work, especially those made for the Greek royalty. The
style was derived from the
Alexandria literary legacy established during the first
three centuries BC for which Alexandria became famous. This artwork is called “opus
vermiculum“, incorporating very small colored marble and
limestone cubes.
Dimensions:
1.35 by 1.35 m
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Right: A fragment of a mosaic floor
decorated with a combat scene between two gladiators,
one black and one white, in a gymnasium or in a public
bath. Beside them a
fountain which dates the piece to about the second
century AD.
The
scene represents the athletic life in Alexandria
which brought together various human races
Dimensions:
3.25 by 2.75 m |
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The Hall of the Afterlife
For the first time, in the Alexandrian museum, there is a
hall devoted to the mummification process which not only
provides information on ancient Egyptian mummification, but on
this funerary practice in Predynastic times and during the
Greek and Roman
Periods.
Currently this hall has on display three mummies from
different eras (ancient Pharaonic, Ptolemaic and Roman). One
is the coffin of an individual known as Aba, son of Ankh-hor,
who was the governor of Upper Egypt and head of its treasury.
This wooden coffin is decorated with colored designs and
hieroglyphic inscriptions including the Book
of the Dead. It
still retains much of its original colors. The mummy was
brought from the excavation carried out by the Belgian mission
at Asasif
Necropolis (part of the Tombs
of the Nobles) on the West Bank of ancient
Thebes
(modern Luxor). The exhibit includes four
canopic jars that
were used to preserve the organs of the deceased.
 A
second wooden coffin
belonged to a Greek woman, who was also
mummified. It is decorated with colored representations as
well, including depictions of a winged goddess Isis. During
this period, we know that it took only forty days for the
mummification process, as opposed to the seventy days required
during more ancient times.
The third mummy, without coffin, is that of a Roman woman
wrapped in linen bandages and covered with five pieces of
cartonnage.
There is also a collection of small funerary
figures. These
are often referred to interchangeably as Shabti, Shawabti and Ushabti,
though in reality each of these terms refers to certain types
of funerary figures specific to a time frame or
location.
Initially, these magical figures were believed to act as a substitute for the deceased himself, although later they came to be regarded as mere servants in the afterlife. Hence, at first they were sometimes fashioned either as mummies or as living persons dressed in fine linen garb, but in later periods their appearance changed more to that of servants. A spell for this purpose appeared in the
Middle Kingdom
Coffin
Texts, and from the New Kingdom the figures were inscribed with Chapter six of the
Book
of the Dead.
See also:
References:
Original Research by Nermin Sami
Archives
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