While watching Downfall and becoming even more fascinated in WW2, I randomly saw a video of the site where they have installed a small empty library underground. This serves as a reminder of the 20,000 books burned during the war, by Nazis.
This led me to reading about Nalanda, the ancient university that was destroyed by Muslims. After the Indian King Suhaldev destroyed their invasion supposedly dozens of times, one defeat at the hands of these barbarians resulted in the total destruction of so much priceless knowledge.
All of this is a bit insane to think about, and there’s always more tragic events discovered while reading about one. I will simply dump information here below for future reference:
ISIS destroyed ancient city
Nimrud was a city in the Assyrian kingdom, which flourished between 900 and 612 B.C.
Why it’s significant: UNESCO says Nimrud’s “frescoes and works are celebrated around the world and revered in literature and sacred texts.”
Mark Altaweel, professor of archaeology at University College London, told CNN’s Nic Robertson in March that Nimrud was a large site, the full potential of which had not been uncovered.
As the first Assyrian capital, it accumulated huge amounts of wealth, Altaweel said, and many of the objects found there were very rare and made from highly precious materials.
“I would describe Nimrud as one of the really unique archaeological sites in the entire ancient Near East,” he said. “Nimrud is the capital of the first empire in this long series of empires that have profound significance in the way this region develops and ultimately how it affects our own society.”
After an earlier video apparently showing the destruction of artifacts at Mosul Museum, an unnamed fighter explains: “These antiquities and idols behind me were from people in past centuries and were worshiped instead of God. When God Almighty orders us to destroy these statues, idols and antiquities, we must do it, even if they’re worth billions of dollars.”
An Indian King from 300 BC
Chandragupta Maurya.
Chandragupta’s empire extended throughout most of South Asia, spanning from modern day Bengal to Afghanistan across North India as well as making inroads into Central and South India. In contrast to the Jain legends which developed 900 years later,[11] contemporary Greek evidence states that Chandragupta did not give up performing the rites of sacrificing animals associated with Vedic Brahminism; he delighted in hunting and otherwise leading a life remote from the Jain practice of Ahimsa or nonviolence towards living beings.[12][13] Chandragupta’s reign, and the Maurya Empire, set an era of economic prosperity, reforms, infrastructure expansions, and tolerance. Many religions thrived within his realms and his descendants’ empire. Buddhism, Jainism and Ājīvika gained prominence alongside Vedic and Brahmanistic traditions, and minority religions such as Zoroastrianism and the Greek pantheon were respected. A memorial for Chandragupta Maurya exists on the Chandragiri hill along with a seventh-century hagiographic inscription.
What a being.
Tibet
There is an ancient trove of written works in Tibet that is mostly not translated to our language.
What other knowledge is out there that we foolish destroyed and have to rediscover, if we ever do?
One comment said that gunpowder and the printing press should have been discovered in India, and it’s definitely plausible that this event significantly changed the future for so many people.
Sweden
Funnily enough that happened to Sweden when Stockholm’s castle went up in flames in 1697 with all the records. Out of 24,500 printed works and 1400 manuscripts only 6000 prints and 300 manuscripts could be saved.
Following that much of Swedish/Scandinavian medieval history disappeared, including the correspondence between the state and the generals in the 30 years war
Edit: This is just speculation, but we can probably assume that much of the library consisted of plundered/looted European treasures taken during the 30 years war. By pure luck following the conversion of a Swedish queen to Catholicism Codex Argentus survived, but much else was probably lost.
Reply: 50 years earlier Sweden burned every library in Poland during the Deluge.
China
In Chinese history, it happened with after the collapse of the First Emperor’s dynasty, the Qin Dynasty.
During his rule, Qin’s administration imposed strict limitations on which books could remain in circulation. All banned books were destroyed, with one copy remaining in storage by the administration.
When the Qin Dynasty fell, the rebel leader who overran the capital ordered many buildings to be burned. The Qin library of banned books was one of the casualties, resulting in the permanent loss of many ancient texts.
Baghdad
In the siege of Baghdad (1258) all books along with the knowledge and discoveries of the golden age of Islam were burned by Genghis Khan and his army. Baghdad’s ancient library had so much knowledge that Muslims genuinely believe the Mongols held back humanity’s advancements and progress by many years.