- Roman Libraries had books in both Latin and Greek. There were seven Public Libraries in Rome, as well as various Private Libraries.
- Throughout the Roman Period, the Great Library of Alexandria continued to exist as an academic centre of learning.
Seven Libraries of Rome
- There were seven Public Libraries of Rome founded by Augustus (27 BCE-14 CE)
Reading Rooms
- Each had two Reading Rooms, one for books in Latin and one for books in Greek.
Chief Librarians
- In 47 BCE Varro was appointed Head of the Library in Rome by Julius Caesar.
- The ‘A Bybliothecis’, was the Secretary of Libraries, an Office in the Imperial Secretariat created by Hadrian. In c.117 CE this position was held for a while by Suetonius.
Types of Books
The Works held in the Libraries were written in either of two forms:
- Scroll
- A Scroll was wrapped up in a cylinder. The cylinders would be placed on rows of shelves divided into cubicles.
- Codex
- A Codex was a book. These books could be stacked on shelves like books in a modern library.
Other Books used in Private Houses:
- Wax Tablets
- The Wax Tablet: The Codex was derived from the wooden writing tablets covered in wax. After reading the tablet, the wax was smoothed over, and new writing could be written onto the wax.
- Pugillares membrane
- ‘Pugillares membrane’: this was a folded parchment notebook mentioned by Martial. They were used as personal notebooks and as letters to send to one another.
- Palimpsest
- ‘Palimpsest’: meaning ‘scraped’, was the practice of scraping or washing the writing off the parchment and using it again.