jan 1, 450 BC - Greek libraries

Description:

In the West the idea of book collecting, and hence of libraries as the word was understood for several centuries, had its origin in the classical world. Most of the larger Greek temples seem to have possessed libraries, even in quite early times; many certainly had archive repositories. The tragedian Euripides was known as a private collector of books, but the first important institutional libraries in Athens arose during the 4th century bc with the great schools of philosophy. Their texts were written on perishable materials such as papyrus and parchment, and much copying took place.
The Stoics, having no property, owned no library; the schools of Plato and of the Epicureans did possess libraries, the influence of which lasted for many centuries.

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