[1] A series of unintentional fires over the years and wartime damage, including the raids of the Fourth Crusade in 1204, impacted the building and its contents.
The library was founded by Constantius II (reigned 337–361 AD), who established a scriptorium so that the surviving works of Greek literature could be copied for preservation.
[5][6] Those working on the transfer of the ancient papyrus texts to parchment dedicated a great deal of time and attention to prioritizing what warranted being preserved.
[7] Constantinople’s imperial collection was said to have a scroll of Homer’s works one hundred and twenty feet long, written in gold ink.
[citation needed] Spaniard Pero Tafur visited Constantinople in 1437 and described the Imperial Library as containing many books, ancient writings, histories, and gaming boards, with simple and durable furnishings and plain stone benches and tables.
After the fall of Constantinople on 12 April 1204, the library was allegedly destroyed by the Franks and Venetians of the Fourth Crusade during the sacking of the city.
The Byzantine Empire was a highly literate society by medieval standards but the lay libraries that remained in existence were privately owned collections.