{"id":68332,"date":"2014-04-15T08:45:39","date_gmt":"2014-04-15T13:45:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/?p=68332"},"modified":"2014-04-14T13:02:45","modified_gmt":"2014-04-14T18:02:45","slug":"the-first-libraries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/?p=68332","title":{"rendered":"The First Libraries"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Alexandra Janvey, Head Editor,\u00a0INALJ Iowa<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

The First Libraries<\/span><\/h3>\n

\"AlexandraJanvey\"<\/a>Libraries developed shortly after the inhabitants of ancient Mesopotamia, the\u00a0Sumerians, invented writing, which was around 3500 BC. Called cuneiform, this\u00a0early form of writing involved engraving simple shapes onto clay tables. It was\u00a0only natural that after societies began recording information, the need for storing\u00a0and organizing that knowledge would follow.<\/strong> That is precisely how the first\u00a0libraries began. There is evidence that societies began storing and organizing\u00a0collections of clay tablets (or creating the first libraries) as early as 2700 BC.\u00a0The Royal Palace of Ebla in northern Syria (circa 2300 BC) contained a room\u00a0filled with about two thousand tablets, most of which were administrative records.\u00a0Clay tablets have been found in several other locations including near Nippur in\u00a0southern Mesopotamia, southeast of Ankara at Hattusas, and at the Borsippa\u00a0Library in Babylonia, which was founded by King Hammurabi. The earliest\u00a0founder of readily identifiable library is Tiglath-Pileser I, one of Assyria\u2019s greatest\u00a0rulers. Approximately one hundred works of the library\u2019s complete holdings have\u00a0been discovered at the Temple of Assur\u2019s ruins.<\/p>\n

One of the better-known libraries that existed during this time was the royal\u00a0library at the ancient Assyrian capital of Nineveh.<\/strong> It was developed by King\u00a0Ashurbanipal for the purpose of \u201croyal contemplation\u201d and was considered \u201cthe\u00a0first systematically collected library in the ancient Near East\u201d (Casson 9, 11).\u00a0Ashurbanipal, who had a passion for learning and the arts, sent a large number\u00a0of scholars and scribes great distances to retrieve materials on a variety of\u00a0subjects for his library. Much like the later Library of Alexandria, the royal library\u00a0of Nineveh was unique in the diverse assortment of materials it contained. In\u00a0addition to the usual government records, the library of Nineveh contained\u00a0materials covering law, medicine, science, magic, religion, and legends. There\u00a0were more than 30,000 clay tablets organized into categories within two small\u00a0rooms in the palace. Discovered by British and French archeologists in the 19th\u00a0Century, remains of the library can be seen today at the British Museum in\u00a0London and at the Louvre Museum in Paris.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s important to note that although it\u2019s confirmed that libraries did exist during this\u00a0time in ancient Egypt, little is known about them because so few papyrus scrolls\u00a0used at the time have survived intact. This material became widely used in\u00a0ancient Egypt because there were large amounts of papyrus plants surrounding\u00a0the Nile River that could be made into a fine quality paper. However, it also\u00a0proved to be a very fragile medium, burning easily, and crumbling with frequent\u00a0use. Clay tablets were more durable, withstanding damage by fire and time. It is\u00a0known, however, that libraries were considered important in ancient Egypt.<\/strong> For\u00a0example, the Egyptian Pharaoh Rameses II founded a library in 1250 BC that\u00a0was said to be \u201ca place of healing for the soul\u201d (Chowdhury et al. 2).<\/p>\n

The first libraries in existence were not as accessible as they are in modern\u00a0times. Logically, they couldn\u2019t be when the majority of the population was\u00a0not literate. These institutions were created out of necessity by rulers and\u00a0began as simple storage centers for knowledge, often as a part of temples or\u00a0schools. Literacy in ancient times was mainly limited to the professional class\u00a0of scribes and sometimes the elite. Scribes had to undergo a great deal of\u00a0training and practice to master the written form. After their training, scribes would\u00a0copy distinguished or desired works by hand in order to build up their library\u00a0collections. Another way that rulers acquired materials for libraries was through\u00a0war. Libraries became increasingly accessible in later times, as populations,\u00a0education, and literacy increased within society.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bibliography:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2022 Battles, Matthew. Library: An Unquiet History. New York: W.W. Norton &\u00a0Company, 2004. Print.<\/p>\n

\u2022 \u201cBooks Before Gutenberg.\u201d Harry Ransom Center. The University of\u00a0Texas at Austin. Web. 9 March. 2014. http:\/\/www.hrc.utexas.edu\/educator\/modules\/gutenberg\/books\/before\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Casson, Lionel. Libraries in the Ancient World. New Haven: YaleUniversity Press, 2002. E-book. http:\/\/0-site.ebrary.com.liucat.lib.liu.edu\/lib\/liu\/docDetail.action?docID=10210220<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Chowdhury, G.G, Paul F. Burton, David McMenemy, and Alan Poulter.\u00a0Librarianship: An Introduction. London: Facet Publishing, 2008. Print.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Learning About the World. \u201cAncient Mysteries (TV Documentary Series):\u00a0The Lost Treasure of the Alexandria Library.\u201d Online Documentary.\u00a0YouTube. YouTube, 11 August. 2013. Web. 17 Feb. 2014. http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Wx5Y3cmz_sk<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Lyons, Martyn. Books: A Living History. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty\u00a0Museum, 2011. Print.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Murray, Stuart A.P. The Library: An Illustrated History. New York:\u00a0Skyhorse Publishing, 2009. Print.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Oswald, Godfrey. Library World Records. 2nded. North Carolina:\u00a0McFarland & Company, 2008. Print.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Thompson, James. A History of the Principles of Librarianship. London:\u00a0Clive Bingley, 1977. Print.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Alexandra Janvey, Head Editor,\u00a0INALJ Iowa The First Libraries Libraries developed shortly after the inhabitants of ancient Mesopotamia, the\u00a0Sumerians, invented writing, which was around 3500 BC. Called cuneiform, this\u00a0early form of writing involved engraving simple shapes onto clay tables. It was\u00a0only natural that after societies began recording information, the need for storing\u00a0and organizing that knowledge…<\/p>\n

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