In the time of Alexander, the latter part of the fourth century B.C., large libraries had already been formed by wealthy lovers of literature, and in the second century B.C. the rival libraries of Ptolemy Epiphanes at Alexandria and of King Eumenes II. at Pergamus were said to have contained between them nearly a million volumes. _Roman libraries._ Among the Romans of the Empire books were no less common. The owner of the above mentioned library at Herculaneum, consisting of nearly 1800 rolls or volumes, does not appear to have been a man of exceptional wealth; his house was small and his surroundings simple in character. _The great libraries of Rome._ As early as the reign of Augustus, Rome possessed several large public libraries (_bibliothecae_). The first of these was instituted in 37 B.C. by Asinius Pollio both for Greek and Latin manuscripts. The second was the _Bibliotheca Octaviae_ founded by Augustus in the Campus Martius in honour of his sister. The third was the magnificent double _library of Apollo Palatinus_, which Augustus built on the Palatine Hill. The fourth, also on the Palatine, the _Bibliotheca Tiberiana_ was founded by Tiberius. The fifth was built by Vespasian as part of the group of buildings in his new _Forum Pacis_. The sixth and largest of all was the double library, for Greek and Latin books built by Trajan in his Forum close to the _Basilica Ulpia_. To some extent a classification of subjects was adopted in these great public libraries, one being mainly legal, another for ancient history, a third for state papers and modern records, but this classification appears to have been only partially adhered to. _Parish libraries._ In addition to these state libraries, Rome also possessed a large number of smaller "parish libraries" in the separate _vici_, and the total number, given in the _Regionary catalogues_ as existing in the time of Constantine, is enormous; see Séraud, _Les livres dans l'antiquité_. _Library fittings._ With regard to the arrangement and fittings of Roman libraries, the usual method appears to have been this. Cupboards (_armaria_), fitted with shelves to receive the rolls or _codices_ and closed by doors, were placed against the walls all round the room. These _armaria_ were usually rather low, not more than from four to five feet in height, and on them were placed busts of famous authors; while the wall-space above the bookcases was decorated with similar portrait reliefs or paintings designed to fill panels or circular medallions. _Library decorations._ Pliny (_Hist. Nat._ XXXV. 9), speaks of it being a new fashion in his time to adorn the walls of libraries with ideal portraits of ancient writers, such as Homer, executed in gold, silver or bronze relief.