Question 1

Who was Callimachus of Cyrene?

Accepted Answer

Callimachus of Cyrene was a poet and scholar of the 3rd century BCE who streamlined literary forms and developed the systematic catalog of the holdings of the Library of Alexandria, which is often cited as the first "card catalog" in history.

Question 2

Why was Callimachus important?

Accepted Answer

Callimachus was important for his contributions to the development of Greek and Roman literature in paring down long prose to essential details in order to provide an audience with a direct emotional or intellectual experience. He was also influential in the fields of literary criticism and bibliographic cataloging.

Question 3

Did Callimachus of Cyrene create the first card catalog?

Accepted Answer

The first "card catalog" of the Library of Alexandria was created by Zenodotus, the first librarian at the site, but this was developed further by Callimachus of Cyrene. The "first card catalog" was probably developed in the 7th century BCE for the Library of Ashurbanipal.

Question 4

What is Callimachus of Cyrene's most famous work?

Accepted Answer

Callimachus of Cyrene's best-known work is "Heraclitus Epigram of Callimachus", an ode to his friend Heraclitus of Halicarnassus, which was memorized by school children in the UK and USA up through the mid-20th century.

Callimachus of Cyrene

Server Costs Fundraiser 2024

Definition

Timeline