Ever since we first invented the written language and decided to try and document our experiences and pass down knowledge, there has also been the risk of losing certain books. Paper does burn, which is a tragic statement given the context.
Of course, we will never know about all the great books that have been lost during the ages, but we do have some clues as to what some of them contained.
Here are five lost books that could have changed the world.
1. Gospel of Eve
As a part of the New Testament apocrypha, this lost text is only mentioned once by Epiphanius of Salamis, a church father who criticized it as a justification for free love. Of course, given the times, this text was considered much too depraved.
2. Every book in the House of Wisdom
I know, I am cheating a bit here, but imagine that by the middle of the ninth century, The House of Wisdom in Baghdad had the largest collection of books in the world. We’re talking mathematics, astronomy, medicine, alchemy and chemistry, zoology, and geography and cartography.
What happened to all this knowledge?
The Mongols sacked Baghdad in 1258 and threw all the books in the Tigris river. So many books were thrown into the river that it turned black from the ink.
3. The Telegony
A sequel to the Odyssey, the Telegony was said to have been a lost epic poem about Telegonus, son of Odysseus by Circe. Of course, most of the epic poems that form the so-called Epic Cycle have been lost, with few surviving fragments and summaries.
Imagine the impact of this epic poem on the culture and literature of the world. Imagine how much of an impact it would have had.
4. Ab Urbe Condita by Livy
The History of Rome or Ab Urbe Condita is a monumental history of Ancient Rome written by historian Titus Livius between 27 and 9 B.C. It traces the events from the city’s founding in 753 B.C. up until Livy’s time. Only a quarter of the 142 volumes have survived. Why? Because Europe went through what is called the Dark Ages and it took people quite some time to recognize their significance and importance.
5. Hermocrates by Plato
Hermocrates is the rumored third book to Plato’s little unified field theory trilogy. Dealing with advanced concepts such as molecules and the Golden Ratio, this book would have influenced thinkers and scientists for years to come. Of course, this third book would have also explained what happened to the lost continent Atlantis.