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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Volodya, post: 2785421, member: 19615&quot;]Is Herberto disputing Plutarch&#039;s entire account about Antony plundering the library of Pergamon, or only that Antony&#039;s purpose was specifically to replace at least part of what was lost to Caesar&#039;s fire? Where did the Pergamon scrolls go, if there was no library at Alexandria to receive them? Patently, the library continued after Antony&#039;s gift to Cleopatra, no matter how thoroughly it had been destroyed, unless one rejects Plutarch&#039;s account entirely. Rejecting an inconvenient ancient account that fails to conform to a predetermined argument is at best sloppy thinking. I&#039;d much rather rely on what Plutarch <b>does </b>say than resort to an argument from silence regarding Strabo.</p><p><br /></p><p>Another point regarding Caesar, though not as easy to demonstrate: after the magic name Caesar had served its purpose and Antony was duly defeated, Octavian didn&#039;t hesitate to throw Caesar&#039;s memory under the bus and assert that Pompey&#039;s had after all been the &quot;better cause.&quot; This isn&#039;t as contradictory as it seems at a glance, since Octavian had a continuing need for <i>optimate </i>support after Actium, whereas Caesar&#039;s<i> populare </i>supporters had served their purpose and become largely a political embarrassment. Strabo would have had no political reason to suppress the account of Caesar&#039;s destruction of the library, if that destruction were as extensive and permanent as Herberto maintains.</p><p><br /></p><p>The edges of the author&#039;s hidden agendas are showing. Not a good look.</p><p><br /></p><p>Phil Davis[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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