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===Outline of the Museum and the Library===
[[File:The_Serapeum_of_Alexandria_(X)The_Serapeum_of_Alexandria.jpg|thumbnail|left|300px|The Serapeum of Alexandria which included the Library]]
The Library and Museum were founded sometime between 300 and 290 BC. Scholars are unclear on who founded it but most agree it was either the first or the second King from the Ptolemaic dynasty. The Ptolemies were a dynasty of Pharaohs who ruled Egypt for nearly 300 years. The first Ptolemy was a general under Alexander the Great. They financially supported the library and its scholars and as such earned a reputation in the ancient world for being culturally enlightened rulers.<ref>Thiem, Jon. “The Great Library of Alexandria Burnt: Towards the History of a Symbol”. <i>Journal of the History of Ideas</i> 40.4 (1979):507. Web. 6 Dec, 2015, </ref>
