Episode
The Library of Alexandria
- Podcast
- The Ancients
- Published
- Jun 21, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 2550
- Processing state
not_requested
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Summary
The Library of Alexandria was one of the most important and most celebrated buildings of the ancient Mediterranean. It was a great hub of learning and literature and made Alexandria one of the ancient world’s foremost centres of knowledge and culture. But when was it built? And where did all the books come from? Tristan Hughes speaks to Dr. Islam Issa about the story behind one of histories greatest libraries. Together they explore why Alexandria’s reigning dynasty - the Ptolemies - were so obsessed with acquiring knowledge and uncover whether it really did burn down in a great fire. MORE The Lighthouse of Alexandria Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Ptolemy I: The First Greek Pharaoh Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify We're going on *TOUR* to Australia and New Zealand! - grab your tickets here . Presented by Tristan Hughes. Audio editor is Aidan Lonergan. The producer is Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds The Ancients is a History Hit podcast. Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week, PLUS early access, ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.