1. The Library of Timgad was specially built by the Emperor Trajan in a new town gifted to his most loyal soldiers.
When the Roman Emperor Trajan wanted to reward the soldiers of the 30th Legion for their services he gave them a whole new town in the middle of lush, fertile land. From the very start, Timgad was more than just a military settlement. It was a place of learning and culture too. The town, in modern-day Algeria, boasted a fine public library. Though just ruins today, the Library of Timgad is held up as proof that Roman culture spread far beyond the Rome city limits – in this case, spreading out into North Africa.
Alongside the imposing Library of Celsus in Turkey, this is one of just two Roman-era public libraries constructed outside of Rome that historians have definitive evidence for. Parts of the library still stand to this day. Built in the 2nd century, the library would have housed manuscripts relating to religion, military history and good governance. These would have been rolled up and stored in wooden scroll cases. These would then be placed in shelves or recesses, separated by ornate columns. These shelves can still be seen standing in the midst of the town ruins, today a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Where did we find this stuff? Here are our sources:
“The House of Wisdom: One of the Greatest Libraries in History.” Ancient Origins, January 2017.
“Ancient Libraries: 200s BCE.” Eduscapes.com
“Library of Celsus in Ephesus.” Turkish Archaeological News, September 2016.
“The Library at Pergamum.” The University of Chicago.
“Ashurbanipal Library Phase 1.” The British Museum.
“Timgad: Top choice Roman sites in Algeria.” Lonely Planet.
“Ancient Libraries.” W.A. Johnson, Duke University, 2002.
“8 Legendary Ancient Libraries.” Evan Andrews, History.com, November 2016.
“Inside 10 of the world’s most ancient and beautiful libraries.” Business Insider, April 2016.