Kuthiwa lelinye lawona vimba mkhulu wolwazi lwamandulo lwehlabathi lamandulo, laligcina iincwadi zamaxesha onke. Yakhiwa ngabantu abathetha isiGrike kwi-Ptolemaic Dynasty yaseYiputa ngenkulungwane ye-3 BC. Ithala leencwadi lase-Alexandria lalinamakhulu amawaka emibhalo yompapiri (ngokwezinye iingcali, malunga nama-700 amawaka) kwaye yayiyinxalenye yelinge lokuqokelela lonke ulwazi ehlabathini.
Iingqondo ezinkulu ezaqokelelana zaza zafundisa e-Aleksandriya-ikomkhulu le-cosmopolitan ye-Meditera, eyasekwa ngu-Alexander Omkhulu ngokwakhe, eneneni yayinomsebenzi wokugcina ulwazi kwizizukulwana ezizayo. Apha siza kufumanisa ulwazi lweemathematika kunye neejografi, kunye namanqaku ka-Aristarko - isazi seenkwenkwezi sokuqala esasicinga ukuba iiplanethi zijikeleza ilanga. Yena kunye nabanye abaninzi babegqalwa njengabaseki beThala leencwadi lase-Alexandria kunye nabaxhasi bayo abanomdla. Apha kulapho abona bantu bakrelekrele bexesha balonwabele ulwazi lwehlabathi kwaye babeka iziseko zempucuko esiyaziyo namhlanje.
Then comes Julius Caesar and officially orders the burning of this rich archive. Shortly after that came the fall of the Roman Empire, and this was also the beginning of the dark ages that followed due to the lack of knowledge about Western Civilization.
This romantic story certainly looks beautiful and exciting, but it comes with one particular question: is it true?
Iintsomi malunga neThala leencwadi lase-Alexandria ngokuqinisekileyo zinomtsalane kwaye zinika izinto ezothusayo ezininzi kuye nawuphi na umntu othanda ngokwenene, kodwa kukho ingcaciso enye ebaluleke kakhulu, ubukhulu bethala leencwadi elibonisiweyo lenza libe lincinci kakhulu kunokuba lidunyiswa. Ukuba iThala leencwadi lase-Aleksandriya lalikho, utsho unjingalwazi wembali yamathala eencwadi amandulo - uThomas Hedrickson, ngoko ke ulwazi malunga nalo lunqongophele kakhulu. Kwanentsomi yakhe ikwazile ukukhuthaza lonke ihlabathi lakudala, ngoko ke umntu kufuneka akhangele ulwazi olungakumbi.
Yonke intsomi iqala malunga nenkulungwane yesi-3 BC kwaye kuthiwa iThala leeNcwadi lase-Alexandria lalinelona vimba likhulu ngelo xesha. Indoda egama linguAristeas ithumela ileta kumntakwabo uPhilocrates yaye izibanga ingumthunywa womlawuli waseYiputa, uPtolemy II. Ileta yakhe ibalisa ngokupheleleyo umbono nobuhle bale ndalo yenzululwazi.
Le leta isixelela ngendlela uDemetrius (umalathisi wethala leencwadi) awahlawulwa ngayo ukuze aqokelele zonke iincwadi awayenokuzifumana. UAristeas wade wafumana ithuba lokumbuza ukuba zingaphi kanye kanye iincwadi ezikhoyo, yaye umalathisi waphendula ngelithi mhlawumbi zingaphezu kwama-200 amawaka. Kwixesha elizayo, bafuna ukuqokelela phantse i-500 lamawaka. Oonobumba balo mbandela banikela inkcazelo eninzi ngethala leencwadi ngokwalo yaye babonisa ukubaluleka kwalo kwindalo iphela, ukuqokelela ulwazi lwehlabathi lamandulo.
KuHendrickson, nangona kunjalo, olu luhlobo olusulungekileyo lokukopa. Uninzi lwabaphengululi luyijonga le leta malunga nenkulungwane kamva, inkulungwane yesi-2 BC, kwaye banamathandabuzo amakhulu malunga nengxelo kunye nobungqina obubhaliweyo bokuqala bokubakho kwethala leencwadi. Ngokutsho kwabaphandi belo xesha, le yileta yomgunyathi kunye nobuxoki “bobuYuda” obunenjongo yokubonisa intsingiselo yenguqulelo yesiGrike yeBhayibhile yesiHebhere Esidala. Ileta yombhali izama ukwandisa ubukhulu kunye nokubaluleka kwethala leencwadi apho uPtolemy II wagxininisa ukuba le ncwadi ingcwele ifakwe kwaye ibe ngumthombo walo lonke ulwazi lwehlabathi.
Okumangalisayo kukuba, kwanababhali bamandulo bavakalisa amathandabuzo abo malunga nokuqulethwe yiThala leencwadi laseAlexandria nobukhulu balo. USeneca wabhala ngo AD 49 waza waqikelela ukuba iincwadi ezimalunga nama-40,000 700 zatshiswa emva kokuba uJulius Caesar eyalele ukuba zitshatyalaliswe. Umbhali-mbali waseRoma uAmmianus Marcellinus uya kubhala ukuba malunga nama-XNUMX amawaka emibhalo-ngqangi yatshiswa, eyaqokelelwa ndaweninye kwaye umlilo wayo wawunokubonwa kude kakhulu. Isazi ngefiziksi esingumRoma uGalen sasibhala sisithi uPtolemy II wakwazi ukuqokelela ingqokelela enkulu ngolo hlobo ngenxa yokuba zonke iinqanawa zabarhwebi ezifikayo zazihambisa iincwadi zazo ezazizithwele ukuze zikhutshelwe zize ezo zikhutshelweyo zibuye ngoxa ezokuqala zazisele kwithala leencwadi.
Umbhali-mbali uRoger Bagnall ucinga ukuba inani elinamanani ama-6 liyamangalisa ngokwenene, kodwa kukho ingxaki enye, ukuba wonke umbhali ongumGrike ngenkulungwane yesi-3 BC wayekwazile ukubhala i-papyri engama-50, oko kuthetha ukuba siseneencwadi ezingama-31,250/papyri ezikhoyo. Ukufika kwinani elifana nama-200 okanye ama-700 amawaka esikhumba kuthetha ukuba kwiGrisi yaMandulo malunga ne-90% yababhali-mbali kunye nabaphengululi kuye kwafuneka benze amakhulu eekopi ezifanayo zesicatshulwa ngasinye ukuze zithunyelwe kwithala leencwadi.
Akukho bani ubazi kakuhle ubukhulu bendawo yogcino-mpepha, kodwa kucacile ukuba yile mbali eyavumela uluntu ukuba luqalise ukuqokelela iincwadi kunye nokwenza amathala eencwadi, kuquka neli lanamhlanje. UKesare wabuyela eRoma enengcamango yokuba wayeza kwakha ithala leencwadi elilingana nekaPtolemy ngobukhulu, ngaloo ndlela ekwazi ukumcaphukisa ngakumbi. UOctavian Augustus naye wayiphuhlisa le ngcamango waza waqalisa ukwakha ithala leencwadi. Kamva, wonke umlawuli waseRoma uya kuzama ukwakha ubuncinane ezimbalwa kwezi, kodwa kwakhona akucaci ukuba zisebenza njani kwaye lungakanani ulwazi lwabo olulahlekileyo.
Yonke incwadi yamandulo yayinexabiso elimangalisayo, ingakumbi ekubeni yabhalwa ngesandla. AmaRoma ayezixabisa zonke ezi zinto yaye ngokufuthi ayesebenzisa iincwadi njengemali. Kuye kwaxoxwa ukuba amathala eencwadi aseRoma yaMandulo ayedlala indima yeemyuziyam kunokuba abe neendawo zokugcina izinto zakudala. Ukanti siya kufumana i-Egypt iphumelela kwakhona kugqatso lwemyuziyam. Eyokuqala enjalo yakhiwa eYiputa. Igama layo ngokwenyani lithetha "uSihlalo weMuses".
Ababhali-mbali ukuza kuthi ga namhlanje babonisa ukuba alikho elinye ithala leencwadi eliya kufunyanwa litshatyalaliswe izihlandlo ezininzi njengeThala laseAlexandria. Ababhali bamandulo kunye nababhali-mbali bakhuphisana ukubonisa iintshaba zamabharbhari ezihlasele inqaba yolwazi. Ngokuqhelekileyo, uJulius Caesar ungunobangela wazo zonke iingxaki, wayalela ukuba azitshise. Inyaniso yahluke kancinane, uKesare uyalela ukuba izibuko lesixeko litshiswe, kodwa umlilo ukwazi ukufikelela uze uchaphazele ithala leencwadi ngokwalo.
Yayingenguye yedwa umdali wentshabalalo, nabanye abalawuli baseRoma babenetyala lokutshabalalisa iAlexandria. Kwaye masingalibali ukuba kwi-391 iimonki zamaKristu zazijongene nokutshatyalaliswa kweSerapeum - ilayibrari udade wase-Alexandria. Ngaxa lithile, phantse lonke utshaba lukaPtolemy lwakwazi ukukrwela intonga yembali yehlabathi. Ukutshiswa kweencwadi ngenene liphulo lokutsala ingqalelo ekhethekileyo, kodwa akukho bani ukholelwayo okanye onokukrokrela ukuba uvimba utshatyalalisiwe ngenene. Kunokwenzeka ukuba ivele yaqhekeka ngokuhamba kwexesha, njengoko umbhali-mbali uBagnall ebhala.
Kwakulula kakhulu ukutshabalalisa amaphepha ompapiri, yaye akukho namnye owayekwazi ukumelana nemozulu efumileyo eselwandle. Okunokwenzeka, ithala leencwadi ngokwalo lalinokusinda kancinci kwilizwe laseYiputa, apho imozulu yomile kakhulu. Ukuze kugcinwe yonke le nkcazelo, lo mbhalo-ngqangi kwakufuneka ukhutshelwe ngokuphindaphindiweyo, nto leyo eyayifuna ikopi entsha rhoqo emva kweminyaka embalwa. UPtolemy akazange ashiye imali yokugcina lo mkhuba nasemva kokufa kwakhe, ngoko kunokwenzeka ukuba esi sikhumbuzo senkcubeko siphulukene nomtsalane ngokuhamba kwexesha. Kukho izazi-mlando ezaneleyo ezikholelwa ukuba i-Alexandria yayingenalo uxanduva lobudala bobumnyama obuzayo, kwaye ulwazi olurekhodiweyo alunakwenzeka ukuba lubonelele ngolwazi olwaneleyo ukuze lube lula kubo. Inyaniso yeyokuba abalawuli baseMpuma naseNtshona babengenamdla nomnqweno wokuqhubeka okanye ukulondoloza amathala abo eencwadi.
Le ngcamango yayiza kuhluma kwakhona kwi-Renaissance, xa uluntu luthatha inyathelo elitsha kwaye lufuna ukwandisa ulwazi lwalo, kwaye lubeka iziseko zexesha langoku. Yaye masingalibali ukuba iAlexandria yashiya imipapiri yamandulo emalunga nama-2,000 79 eyayigcinwe ngelo xesha yaza yafudukela kwindawo ekhuselekileyo. Ugqabhuko-dubulo lweVesuvius lwaluza kuwatshabalalisa kwiminyaka engama-XNUMX kamva. Ezi ntsalela zahlolwa zaza zaqondwa kamva zizazinzulu ezasebenzisa ubugcisa beX-reyi ukuze zichaze eyona midala ikhoyo kwesi sijikelezi-langa.
