1 | Library of Alexandria | Alexandria, Egypt | 3rd Century BC | One of the greatest libraries of the ancient world, famous for its vast collection. |
2 | Library of Pergamum | Pergamum, Turkey | 2nd Century BC | Known to have been a prominent cultural and learning center. |
3 | Nalanda University Library | Bihar, India | 5th Century AD | A prominent center of learning in ancient India, was destroyed by invaders. |
4 | Imperial Library of Constantinople | Constantinople, Turkey | 4th – 15th Century | Renowned for its significant collection of Greek and Latin texts. |
5 | The Library of Carthage | near Tunis, Tunisia | Unknown | Destroyed during the Roman conquest of Carthage. |
6 | The Mayan Codices | Yucatan, Mexico | Pre-16th Century | Most were destroyed by Spanish conquerors in an effort to eradicate indigenous beliefs. |
7 | Library of the Serapeum | Alexandria, Egypt | 3rd Century BC | Daughter library to the Library of Alexandria, also destroyed. |
8 | Library of Celsus | Ephesus, Turkey | 2nd Century AD | Named after Tiberius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus, a rich Roman consul and governor. |
9 | Library of Baghdad | Baghdad, Iraq | 8th – 13th Century | Known as the House of Wisdom, it was a major intellectual center during the Islamic Golden Age. |
10 | Library of Ashurbanipal | Nineveh, Iraq | 7th Century BC | The earliest surviving royal library, containing texts and tablets from all over Assyria. |