The survival rate of ancient literature

[Carlton Bach]

There was quite a bit destroyed during the Ottoman conquests to, I believe!

I think the story I was told about the library in Egypt was something along the lines of

the generals asked the leader of the time what to do with the Library and his response was along the lines of....

If the books disagree with the Koran, burn them, because they are blasphemy, and if they agree with the Koran, burn them, for we have no need of their knowledge.....

That quote is usually attributed to Omar, one of the righteous caliphs, in response to a question by his military commander about the fate of the Library of Alexandria. Unfortunately it is apocryphal, first recorded in historiographical texts of a much later date. It *could* be true, the same way young Washington *could* have chopped down a cherry tree, but it has the ring of 'behold, ye degenerates, what faith our forebears had' to it.

One explanation forwarded by Bernard Lewis

http://www.nybooks.com/articles/3517

and the 'Free Copts' coming out in support of it (in defense of bishops Theophilus and Cyril?)

http://freecopts.net/english/index.php? ... iew&id=343

I'm no Arabist, I can't judge the sources, but it strikes me as a later invention. For one thing, I doubt there was *the* Library of Alexandria in existence by the 630s, and the tale presupposes knowledge of its iconic status, That would put it after the translation and study of Greek historical texts by Arab scholars.