These splendid cities in the Orient were the centers of
much literary activity. Their inhabitants, whether Hellenic or
"barbarian," used Greek as a common language. During this period
Greek literature took on a cosmopolitan character. It no longer centered in
Athens. Writers found their audiences in all lands where Greeks had settled. At
the same time literature became more and more an affair of the study. The
authors were usually professional bookmen writing for a bookish public. They
produced many works of literary criticism, prepared excellent grammars and
dictionaries, but wrote very little poetry or prose of enduring value.
THE MUSEUM AT ALEXANDRIA
The Hellenistic Age was distinguished as an age of
learning. Particularly was this true at Alexandria, where the Museum, founded
by the first Macedonian king of Egypt, became a real university. It contained
galleries of art, an astronomical observatory, and even zoological and
botanical gardens. The Museum formed a resort for men of learning, who had the
leisure necessary for scholarly research. The beautiful gardens, with their
shady walks, statues, and fountains, were the haunt of thousands of students
whom the fame of Alexandria attracted from all parts of the civilized world.
