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 "We can roam the bloated stacks of the Library of Alexandria, where all imagination and knowledge are assembled; we can recognize in its destruction the warning that all we gather will be lost."
– Alberto Manguel
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The Great Library is a Classical Era Wonder in Civilization VI. It must be built on flat land adjacent to a Campus with a Library.

Strategy[]

In the base game, the Great Library is one of the worst wonders in the game. It is unlocked by a late Classical Era civic and grants Eureka Eurekas to all Ancient and Classical Era technologies, which most likely are already boosted or available to you. Its other bonuses are way too insignificant to justify its Production Production cost. Theoretically, the only situation in which the Great Library is worth it is when a civilization has strong Culture Culture and has managed to unlock it relatively early, but is lagging severely in tech development. This situation, however, is vanishingly rare: you always start with more Science Science per turn than Culture Culture (except when playing as Trajan or Babylon), the Campus is unlocked way before the Theater Square, and the Eureka Eureka for Writing is almost always guaranteed while the Inspiration Inspiration for Drama and Poetry is hard and expensive to obtain. The greatest use for this wonder in the base game is the 2 Great Work of Writing Great Works of Writing slots (which help cultural civilizations more than scientific ones), but still, it should almost always be at the bottom of the priority list.

From Rise and Fall onward, the Great Library provides a random tech boost every time another player recruits a Great Scientist. This is particularly helpful if you're playing as a Culture Culture-focused civilization, since the Great Scientists your opponents recruit will help you advance through the tech tree faster as you develop your Culture Culture and Tourism Tourism foundation. As in the base game, however, it proves practically worthless when playing as a Science Science-focused civilization, since you'll most likely be getting the majority of Great Scientists and won't receive the extra Eureka Eureka for doing so.

Even China, who on paper may get more out of the Great Library due to their boosts being 10% bigger, should not build it unless they are going for something other than a Science Victory (most suitably, a Cultural Victory).

On the other hand, Babylon should make building the Great Library a priority, as it immediately gives them every single Ancient and Classical Era technology, which is huge considering their low Science Science per turn. With Rise and Fall, they also get free technologies from it in the late game, which immensely helps them on their quest for a Science Victory.

Civilopedia entry[]

It is generally assumed that the Royal Library of Alexandria was founded at the beginning of the 3rd Century BC during the reign of Ptolemy II after his father had built the Temple of the Muses on the site. The original collection is attributed to Demetrius Phalereus, a student of Aristotle’s (supposedly the famed philosopher’s own scrolls served as the seed); with the patronage of Ptolemy’s successors, the holdings eventually reached between 400 and 700 thousand papyrus scrolls and various vellum codices. Expansion of the collection became an obsession for some of the rulers; by decree of Ptolemy III, all visitors to the city had to surrender any writings in their possession, which were copied for the Library. Sources differ widely on responsibility for the fiery destruction of the Great Library’s collection of texts; usual suspects listed include Julius Caesar’s troops in 48 BC, Roman Emperor Aurelian c. 270 AD, and others. But it does appear that the last vestiges were burned in 391 at the orders of the Patriarch Theophilus to eradicate pagan influences in Egypt – not the last time Christians would burn books.

Gallery[]

Videos[]

CIVILIZATION_VI_-_The_Great_Library_(Wonder_Movies)

CIVILIZATION VI - The Great Library (Wonder Movies)

Related achievements[]

Greatest Is As Greatest Does
Greatest Is As Greatest Does
Playing as Macedon, conquer a city containing both the Great Library and Great Lighthouse wonders.
A play on the phrase 'Stupid is as stupid does' from Forrest Gump, and a reference to both wonders having the epithet 'Great' and being built in a city that Alexander founded (Alexandria in Egypt).

See also[]

Civilization VI Wonders [edit]
Wonders AlhambraAmundsen-Scott Research Station R&F-OnlyAngkor Wat1Apadana1Big BenBiosphère1Bolshoi TheatreBroadwayCasa de Contratación R&F-OnlyChichen ItzaColosseumColossusCristo RedentorEiffel TowerEstádio do MaracanãEtemenanki1Forbidden CityGolden Gate Bridge GS-OnlyGreat Bath GS-OnlyGreat LibraryGreat LighthouseGreat ZimbabweHagia SophiaHanging GardensHermitageHuey TeocalliJebel Barkal1Kilwa Kisiwani R&F-OnlyKotoku-in R&F-OnlyMachu Picchu GS-OnlyMahabodhi TempleMausoleum at Halicarnassus1Meenakshi Temple GS-OnlyMont St. MichelOracleOrszágház GS-OnlyOxford UniversityPanama Canal GS-OnlyPetraPotala PalacePyramidsRuhr ValleyStatue of Liberty R&F-OnlyStatue of Zeus1St. Basil's Cathedral R&F-OnlyStonehengeSydney Opera HouseTaj Mahal R&F-OnlyTemple of Artemis R&F-OnlyTerracotta ArmyTorre de Belém1University of Sankore GS-OnlyVenetian Arsenal
Natural wonders Bermuda Triangle1Chocolate Hills GS-OnlyCliffs of DoverCrater LakeDead SeaDelicate Arch R&F-OnlyEye of the Sahara R&F-OnlyEyjafjallajökull1Fountain of Youth1Galápagos IslandsGiant's Causeway1Gobustan GS-OnlyGreat Barrier ReefHạ Long Bay1Ik-Kil GS-OnlyKakadu2Lake Retba R&F-OnlyLysefjord1Mato Tipila GS-OnlyMatterhorn R&F-OnlyMount EverestMount KilimanjaroMount Roraima R&F-OnlyMount Vesuvius GS-OnlyPaïtiti1Pamukkale GS-OnlyPantanalPinnacles2PiopiotahiSahara el Beyda GS-OnlyTorres del PaineTsingy de BemarahaUbsunur Hollow R&F-OnlyUluru1Vinland2YosemiteZhangye Danxia R&F-Only
1 Requires DLC2 Specific scenarios only

R&F-Only Added in the Rise and Fall expansion pack.
GS-Only Added in the Gathering Storm expansion pack.

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