Pantainos and His Unique, Ancient Library

Built around 100 CE, the Library of Pantainos had a peculiar rectangular shape and three stoas in front of it that contained shops and a room for the emperor cult. The donor of the library, Titus Flavius Pantainos, and his family created a monument that linked them to the emperor, the Roman Empire, Greece, and the elite of Athens, thus serving as an example of euergetism. Most libraries were endowed and got no revenue from the government. The Library of Pantainos was not endowed nor did it receive public funds. Instead, the stoa shops provided the funding that the library needed to function. The Library of Celsus and Pliny the Younger's library will also be discussed in contrast to Pantainos's library.