6. The Royal Library of Antioch was a library fit for a king, with the most famous Greek poet of the age employed as its chief librarian.
For more than two centuries, Ancient Syria was possibly the most enlightened place in the world. especially during and immediately after the reign of Antiochus III, otherwise known as Antiochus the Great. It was he who ordered a library to be built. And it was he who supervised its collections – or, more specifically, he appointed Euphorion of Chalcis as the chief librarian in 221BC. The Greek poet was able to identify and source key works for the king’s collections, he also attracted other thinkers to Antioch, helping establish the city as a hub of research and philosophy.
Sadly, nothing concrete is known about the collections. While it’s assumed that they contained key works from across the ancient world, no formal records remain. All of them were destroyed more than 1,700 years – and, indeed, the destruction of the Royal Library of Antioch is one of the most infamous episodes of the era. According to the legend, it was the wife of the Christian Emperor Jovian who urged him to burn the library to the ground in 363. However, the story of Jovian dancing, drinking and cavorting with his concubines while the library burned is almost certainly exaggerated.