Francesca Schironi, Associate Professor of Classics at UM, has worked extensively on Aristarchus of Samothrace (the most important Alexandrian scholar), publishing a collection of his fragments and articles on him and Hellenistic scholarship. She also published an edition with commentary of a papyrus lexicon, a monograph on book-conventions in papyri, and articles on modern reception of the classics. Her new book on Aristarchus’ work on the Iliad is forthcoming with UM press.

The lecture will focus on the Library of Alexandria and its legacy, in ancient times and for us. Prof. Schironi will explain how and why it was founded and discuss a few examples of the work carried out by intellectuals during the Library’s golden age. Alexandrian scholars saved masterpieces of Greek literature for us, but their legacy goes far beyond that, and it reminds us why libraries are important and why we should care about them.

This is the fourth of a six-lecture series. The subject is The Library – Civilization’s Treasure House of Knowledge. The next lecture in the series will be March 23. The Subject is DISCOVERING RADICAL HISTORY IN THE JOSEPH A. LABADIE COLLECTION