Post 4 Trajan's libraries

Trajan is best known for his extensive public building program which reshaped the city of Rome including Trajan’s Forum, Trajan’s Market, and Trajan’s column. Trajan’s library was a part of Forum.

Marcus Ulpius Nerva Traianus, commonly known as Trajan was the 13th Roman Emperor.

Trajan’s library reveals dramatically the vast difference between Greek and Roman libraries. Greek libraries had no reading facilities but Roman libraries were designed primarily for readers, to provide them with spacious, handsome surroundings in which to work.

At that time, the patrons of public libraries were mostly lawyers, philosophers, teachers, scholars, and literature and learning writers.

Ulpia Library or Bibliotheca Ulpia was the most famous library of antiquity and the only one to survive at least until the mid-fifth century.

I found this great video about the Ulpia library. It has interesting and very clear content, however a warning to the reader that this video is not English and doesn't not have subtitles.
However, I strongly recommend a viewing.


My research strategy is based on a book called “Libraries in the Ancient World” that I borrowed from the City library it is great resource of my research. It gave me the directions and outline for my research. However, it isn't good enough to do get audio/visual materials, photos, and articles.
Therefore, I'm searching EBSCOhosts for articles, Google images, Youtube, and WiKies.

I tried to find authoritative images about Trajan’s libraries therefore I found a website for Roman architecture which is created by Latin author.

When I did my brief research, I thought that there was a man named Ulpia. However, it was totally wrong. Ulpia is Trajan's middle name.

Next post will be public libraries as a part of public baths

References:

Casson, Lionel 2001, Libraries in the ancient world, Yale University, New Haven and London.

Foros imperials(Imperials Forums) 2008, arteHistoria, 4 January, viewed 28 April 2010

Krasner-Kharit, B 2010, Survivor: the history of the library, viewed 28 April 2010

'Trajan’ 2010, Wikipedia, viewed 29 April 2010

'Trajan's Forum' 2010 Wikipedia, viewed 29 April 2010

Brenders, Francis 2010, The Basilica Ulpia on the forum Trajani at Rome, Vitruvius De architectura Libri X, viewed 29 April 2010

Post 3 Early Public libraries in Roman Empire

Julius Caesar planned to establish a public library for public use a library of Greek books and one of Latin books, both as big as possible to enhance Rome’s cultural status by giving a public library. Caesar appointed Marcus Terentius Varro, a famous scholar and book collector, to gather copies of the best-known literature for a Roman public library. However, these plans were cut out when Caesar’s assassination in 44 B.C. The arrangement that Caesar had planned – two sections for Greek works and Latin works separately- became standard structure of Roman libraries.





The First Public Library in Rome by Gaius Asinius Pollio

The first Roman public library was founded by Asinius Pollio- statesman, commander, poet, historian, and one of Caesar’s supporters- in 37 B.C. It was centrally located just off the Forum and had two sections, one for Greek works and another for Latin works that Caesar had planned for his library.

The second/third Libraries in Rome by Emperor Augustus Caesar


The second public library was called “Library of the Temple of Apollo” or “the Palatine Library” and it was divided into Greek and Latin sections, like Caesar’s plan. This library on the Palatine Hill was one of the two major libraries in Rome for several hundred years.

The third public library was in the Porticus Octaviae, a magnificent structure built in honour of Octavia, his sister Octavia and was dedicated to the memory of her son who had died in 23 B.C.

I used the book called Libaries in the ancient world and found more information through State Library of Victoria database and Google wiki and history directory.

My next Blog would be Trajan Library.

References:

Ewald, Laura 2004, Library Culture in Ancient Rome, 100 B.C. – A.D. 400, Kentucky Libraries, vol. 68, no. 1, Winter, pp. 9-11. OmniFile Full text Mega, WilsonWeb, viewed 11 April 2010.

Casson, Lionel 2001, Libraries in the ancient world, Yale University, New Haven and London

Augustus, photograph, 2010, Wikipedia, viewed 22 April 2010, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaius_Julius_Caesar_Augustus

‘Porticus Octaviae’ 2010, Wikipedia, viewed 22 April 2010, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porticus_Octaviae

Post 2 A brief library history of ancient Rome

For the first five hundred years of Rome history, there was no library because of oral culture of the first Roman civilization. By the end of Republic in the first century B.C., scholars and writers to simply copy their works themselves, or have it done in the patrons’ house to distribute the manuscripts to friends. So that the writers were able to reach their immediate audience but no further.

Through contact with Hellenic world, Rome had concepts of “library” and “books”. The first libraries in Rome were private collections resulting from the conquest of Greek states. From the conquest of Macedonia in 168 B.C, Rome brought the great library at Pergamum and Sulla captured of Aristotle’s famed collections. These resulting of spoils from war, earliest Roman libraries were largely private collections held by wealthy people as status symbols.

The most outstanding private library in early Rome was Lucius Licinius Lucullus’s library. He was thought one of the richest men in the Roman World at that time and was famous for his luxurious way of life, acquired as part of his war booty an enormous library, which was laid out, a complex of rooms for holding, colonnades where users could work, and lounges where they could meet and chat. Lucullus generously made his collections available not only friends and relatives but to the Greek literati living in Rome.

In this age of private libraries, almost acquisitions were made through a combination of friendship and copying. People acquired books that had been written in earlier ages by borrowing form friends who owned them and having their staff make copies. People acquired current books as gifts or presentation copies from the author. Those who wanted copies but did not know the author and hence were not on his list of donees could borrow a copy from someone who has and reproduced it. Once an author spoke his book in the public domain, anyone could make a copy of it.


I found some interesting facts from EBSCOhost article, Google directory and a book called “Libraries in the Ancient World” written by Lionel Casson.

If anyone needs Libraries in the Ancient World for your researching topic about ancient libraries, check this URL and click “available from”.

My next Blog would be Julies Caesar and early public libraries in Roman Empire.

References:

Casson, Lionel 2001, Libraries in the ancient world, Yale University, New Haven and London.

'Ancient Libraries' 2010, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Encyclopaedia Britannica Online Library Edition, viewed 18 March 2010.

'Pollio, Gaius Asinius' 2010, Britannica Student Encyclopaedia, Encyclopaedia Britannica Online Library Edition, viewed 20 April 2010.