Library of Celsus Completed in 117 CE, the Library of Celsus at Ephesus was ordered built by Tiberius Julius Acquila in memory of his father Tiberius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus, proconsul (governor) of the Asian province c. 105 to 114 CE.Above ground, the two-storey building was one of the largest libraries in the Graeco-Roman world, especially after the destruction of the Library of Alexandria by Julius Caesar and the removal of the 200,000 volumes of Pergamon's library by Mark Antony, allegedly as a gift for Cleopatra The Library had two stories and was accessible through an entry off of Curetes Street. Large windows above the doors would have let light into the building for reading. The structure was specially designed with a second set of walls around it to keep the humidity and temperature stable.The main reading area was located on a large single floor with high ceilings. The upper floors circled the reading area and housed the scrolls which would have been kept in cupboards in niches on the walls.