AL'EXAN'DRIAN AGE. loss of political liberty in Greece under Macedonian domination, creative power declined also, and Athens ceased to occupy the preeminent position in literature which she had so long held. During the third century D.C.. Alexandria became the cen tre of science and literature under the direction of the Ptolemies. who used their wealth to at tract poets, scholars, and rtists to their capital. Ptolemy Soter invited to his court the learned Peripatetic philosopher, Demetrius of Phalerum, under whose advice he laid the foundations of the later collections and libraries. His son, Ptolemy Philadelphus (285-247), however, by his large expenditures, became the actual foun der of the museum and libraries; his successor, Ptolemy Euergetes (247-222), fostered espe cially mathematical and geographical investiga tions; and the succeeding rulers continued the support of learning in varying degrees. The cen tre of intellectual life was the library in con nection with the museum. This was enriched in every possible way; the total number of btoks about 250 B.C. is put by Tzetzes at upward of 530.000. The museum had porticoes, lecture halls, and rooms in which scholars lived free of cost; some of the most eminent among these received large annuities from the royal purse. The school thus established resembled in many ways a university. The highest honor attain able was the position of librarian; this was held between 285 and 150 B.C. successively by Zenod otus. Ca llimachus, Eratosthenes, Apollon Aristophanes, and Aristarchus. The chief ac tivity of these grammarians was directed to es tablishing standard editions of authors and the publication of explanatory comments on them. Lists of the best author (Canons) were also drawn up, as of the five tragedians, the nine lyric poets, and the ten orators. Intellectual
curiosity and the cosmopolitan character of the population led to translation into Greek of works in the Semitic tongues; the so-called Septuagint version of the Old Testament was made under Ptolemy Philadelphus.
Creative poetic impulse was now nearly dead, although bucolic poetry, epigram, and elegy still show originality. Most of the poets, however, were imitators who depended on art and not on genius. The most important names are Theocritus, Apollonius Rhodius, Callimachns, Aratus, Nicander, Euphorion, and Lyeoph ron. At this time mathematics and astronomy also flourished. The most important names in the pre-Christian period are Euclid, Apollonius, Eratosthenes, Aristarehus, Ilipparchns, and Hero, with whom must be reckoned also Archi medes, although his life was spent at Syracuse. Of the later scholars. Ptolemy (Claudius Ptole mauls) (second century A.D. ) is famous for his geographical and astronomical works. Even after the fall of the Ptolemaic dynasty, the museum, libraries, and schools continued to make Alexandria a great intellectual centre for many centuries; the schools of philosophy in particular enjoyed great prosperity, but lit erary activity had centred in Rome. Under Cresar a large part of the collection of books was burned; but the loss was repaired in some measure by the removal of the Pergamene lib rary to Alexandria and by acquisitions else where. During the fourth century A.D. the city suffered severely from the struggles between Greek; and Christians, and finally occidental learning ceased with the conquest by the Arabs in 641.