Interesting idea to recreate what the Great Library of Alexandria was like

While I (John Gaudet) was there (the new Bibliotheca Alexandrina) I made the argument… that they should consider an idea put forward by Hassan Ragab, an old friend of mine who passed away in 2004. He suggested that hundreds of scrolls could be reproduced to stock a small section of the New Library. Scroll books of the ancients could be re-created using rolls of modern papyrus paper now produced in Cairo, and this would provide visitors with a feeling of what the Great Library was like in the old days. The star of the show of course would be a 78ft. replica of the Book of the Dead (The Papyrus of Ani) the most valuable item yet stolen by (19th Century British Egyptologist E.A. Wallis) Budge.

I argued that even if you are not a fan of replicas, the idea of a 78ft. illustrated papyrus scroll must excite people, after all Jack Kerouac’s original manuscript of On the Road (a 127ft. scroll) is presently the star of a successful worldwide exhibition.

What makes a 78ft modern papyrus scroll even more attractive is the fact that it would be intact. Budge, after he stole the original in Luxor, cut the 3,500 year old document into 37 pieces for ease of handling!

From John Gaudet’s blog In the Footsteps of a World Class Looter

Related posts:

1. Internet users will have access to rare medical collection from the Wellcome Library
2. The Library of Alexandria: “House of Muses”
3. Alexander not the first at Alexandria
4. Glorious past and future for Alexandria
5. Lectures on Tutankhamen at Los Altos Library

Tags: Alexandria, Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Book of the Dead, great library of alexandria, Papyrus of Ani

This entry was posted on Saturday, January 16th, 2010 at 1:08 am and is filed under Modern Egypt. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.