Mouseion

The word museum comes from an ancient Greek word, mouseion, which meant a place connected to the Muses.

And who were the Muses? In ancient Greek mythology, they were goddesses associated with things like music, poetry, history, science, and the arts.

One famous ancient place called the Mouseion was in Alexandria, Egypt.

It was a center for learning, where scholars studied and collected knowledge.

Over many centuries, the word changed as it moved through different languages.

In size, it was second only to Rome, and its people were a diverse mix of cultures and ethnicities.

Academics, artists, and renowned intellectuals came to carry out research in the institution known as the Mouseion.

They read important works in the Great Library of Alexandria, which by some estimates housed around 400,000 scrolls.

We don't know if Cleopatra herself studied at the Mouseion or the city's illustrious library, but she undoubtedly benefited from growing up in this environment, surrounded by intellectual resources.

We can only wonder at the scrolls she would have read.

Greek tragedies, perhaps, or Homer's epic poems.