III · The Great Librarians · c. 246–222 BCE

A story told by Galen: the books from the ships

Legend · Told storyLegend · Told storyThe seizure of the ships' booksKnown · AttestedAthens's official copy of the tragedians

Galen tells, some four centuries later, that Ptolemy III had every book on ships putting in at Alexandria copied and kept the originals labelled "from the ships", and that he borrowed Athens's official texts of the tragedians for fifteen talents and never sent them back.

What the evidence supports: One late source, told to explain a label on a copy of the Hippocratic Epidemics. Athens did keep official texts of the tragedians from the 330s BCE; that they came to Alexandria rests on Galen alone.

Who and what

Told stories

Legend: told story

Books from the ships

Galen tells that Ptolemy III had every book found on ships putting in at Alexandria brought to him and copied, gave the owners the copies, and kept the originals labelled "from the ships".

Told by Galen, c. 175–199 CE, some four centuries after Ptolemy III

What the evidence supports

One late source, told to explain a label on a copy of the Hippocratic Epidemics. The label may be real; the policy is Galen's story.

Sources (2)
  • Galen, Commentary on Hippocrates' Epidemics III 2.4 (Kühn XVIIa.605–607)
  • R. S. Bagnall, "Alexandria: Library of Dreams", Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society 146.4 (2002) 348–362 353–354
The Hall of Told Stories
Legend: told story

Fifteen talents for the tragedians

Galen tells in the same passage that Ptolemy III borrowed Athens's official copies of Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides against a pledge of fifteen talents, kept the originals, sent back fine new copies, and let the Athenians keep the silver.

Told by Galen, c. 175–199 CE, some four centuries after Ptolemy III

What the evidence supports

Athens did keep official texts of the three tragedians, by a law of Lycurgus in the 330s BCE. That they went to Alexandria rests on Galen alone.

Sources (2)
  • Galen, Commentary on Hippocrates' Epidemics III 2.4 (Kühn XVIIa.607)
  • [Plutarch], Lives of the Ten Orators 841f
The Hall of Told Stories

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Sources (3)
  • Galen, Commentary on Hippocrates' Epidemics III 2.4 (Kühn XVIIa.605–607)
  • [Plutarch], Lives of the Ten Orators 841f
  • R. S. Bagnall, "Alexandria: Library of Dreams", Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society 146.4 (2002) 348–362 353–354