Saving Alexandria

The news out of Egypt is not all bad. When word of civil unrest spread last week in Alexandria, Egypt's second-largest city, young bibliophiles rushed to the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (located near its ancient predecessor). They formed a protective cordon around the complex, and then held their ground against vandals. These Egyptian kids deserve a medal of honor.

Even the White House took notice. In his remarks urging Mubarak to step down, President Obama said, "Many questions about Egypt’s future remain unanswered. But I am confident that the people of Egypt will find those answers. That truth can be seen in the sense of community in the streets. ... And it can be seen in the Egyptians who linked arms to protect the national museum -- a new generation protecting the treasures of antiquity; a human chain connecting a great and ancient civilization to the promise of a new day."

The New York Review of Books blog, which reported the story, noted that the "Library of Alexandria has burned twice before, once, partially, when Julius Caesar made his landing in Egypt in 48 BCE, and again, with devastating effect, in late antiquity. The first burning was probably a mistake, the second the result of religious fanaticism, most probably the same fanaticism that killed the Alexandrian mathematician Hypatia in 415 CE for daring, as a woman, to profess philosophy."

Thanks to some courageous young folks, we all can breathe a sigh of relief that priceless items of Egyptian antiquity are safe.