Ancient Libraries

   W. A. Johnson

   Spring 2002

1.. Course description and Syllabus

2. Ancient Libraries, an evolving bibliography

3. Collections of evidence

A. Known Libraries in the greco-roman world

B. Library interior, personnel, logistics

C. Library use and users

 

Following is the list of weekly topics, also evolving.

1. The question of what questions to ask. Introduction to ancient books, book production, distribution, use. Near Eastern antecedents.

2. Conspectus of libraries in the East. The nature of the (literary, inscriptional, archaeological) evidence. Focus on Athens, Pergamon, Ephesus.

Read: Casson 2001, first half. Start work on list of known libraries, with sources and evaluation of sources. Include in the list: (1) Location and name; (2) Date (when dedicated? functioned for how long?); (3) Evidence (exact ref. for inscription, literary report, etc.; if archaeological, extent of site and source of inference, with primary bibliography); (4) physical context for the library (part of a building complex or alone? associated with a temple or cult? centrality to the city? view?); (5) remarks (evidential problems, etc.) and essential bibliography.

Pergamon: A phantom library? (cg)

Ephesus: The Library of Celsus (waj)w

Athens: Ptolemaion and the library of Pantainos (ss)

3. Conspectus of libraries in the East (ctd) and the Western provinces. Focus on Athens, Timgad, Nysa.

Read: Casson 2001, second half. Continue work on list of known libraries.

Pergamon, the library of Asclepius; Nysa (cg)

Athens: the library of Hadrian (ss)

The library at Thamugadi (Tiimgad, Algeria) (waj)

The library at Nines: another phantom library? (jw)

4. Conspectus of libraries in Rome and environs. Focus on Forum of Trajan; libraries at the baths of Trajan and Caracalla; library at Hadrian's villa; library at the Villa of the Papyri in Herculaneum.

Continue list of known libraries in preparation for the conspectus.

The Forum of Trajan (ss)

Libraries at the Baths (waj)

Libraries at Hadrian's villa (cg)

Summary of other library structures: Palatine, Temple of Peace, Villa of the Papyri at Herculaneum, Serapeion (waj)

5. Introduction to the library at Alexandria. Scholars, scholarship, and librarians. Kallimachus and the "pinakes". Learning, learnedness, and the museion.

Finish onspectus of known libraries; presentation and comparison of the conspectus (ss, waj)

Provisional summaries from our conspectus of known libraries (waj)

Reading: Pfeiffer, Fraser

The story of the "scholar poet" with a "desperate need" for texts: Pfieffer & Fraser on scholar-poets; book collecting (waj)

6. Relation of Museion and Bibliotheke to religious, royal, philosophic, and other traditional institutions. Logistical organization of the community of the Museion.

Possible Models for the Alexandrian Museum:philosophic communities (esp. Academy and Lyceum; cf. esp. John Lynch, Aristotle's School, 1972); general characteristics of traditional organized communities in ancient Greece (see esp. F. Poland, Geschichte des Griechischen Vereinswesens, 1909). (waj)

Slater 1976 on the Pinakes of Callimachus (jw)

J. A. Davison on the development ofearly Greek literary culture (esp. Davison 1962) (ss)

Walter Burkert on Sects and Cults [**exact ref?**] (cg)

7. Evidence for the earliest Roman libraries. The problem of the Greek inheritance. The function and use of libraries before Pollio. Cicero, Atticus, Lucullus. Libraries and scholarly communities in Rome and elsewhere.

Reading: Starr 1992.

Cicero, Books, Libraries in Republican Rome (cf. esp. J. J. Phillips 1981) (ss)

Scholars' Texts and Reading Communities in Graeco-Roman Egypt (waj)

8. Organization and function of imperial libraries.

Reading: Bruce 1983 (xerox on reserve). Suggested further reading: Marshall 1976, Dix1988, Fedeli in Cavallo 1988, Horsfall 1993, Starr 1987, Takacs 1995, Piacente 1988.

Collection/study of personnel associated with imperial libraries: what are the titles? what is the implied organization? what specialization of function? See esp. Fehrle 1986 (reserve), Boyd 1915 (reserve).

9. [open; archives?]

10. Reports, conclusions.