How one Roman official helped save ancient knowledge from disappearing

War does more than destroy buildings. It can also wipe out knowledge collected over centuries. In Italy during the sixth century, battles across the region damaged cities, schools and libraries that had once been centres of learning.At a time when the Western Roman Empire had already fallen and rival rulers were fighting for control of Italy, priceless books and ancient ideas were going to disappear forever. But one Roman official believed there was a way to protect them.Flavius Magnus Aurelius Cassiodorus spent years in government before he left politics behind and founded a monastery where monks copied, translated and preserved manuscripts. Their work helped save religious writings as well as important books on history, philosophy, ethics and literature that people continue to read even today.Years of conflictThe Roman Empire did not collapse in a single event.