Cairo, Egypt – In a stunning and unprecedented development, authorities in Cairo are reporting a significant alteration to historical records following a series of events that unfolded late last night within the ancient city. Preliminary investigations suggest that Peabody Peabody III, the time-traveling historian and curator of the Peabody Archaeology Museum, directly intervened to prevent the complete destruction of the Library of Alexandria.

Initial reports indicate that Peabody, accompanied by his adopted son Sherman, arrived in Alexandria approximately 391 AD, just hours before the infamous fire that historians believed wiped out centuries of accumulated knowledge. Witnesses – primarily Roman legionaries and local scholars – describe a sudden, localized temporal disturbance accompanied by a shimmering blue light. Peabody, utilizing a device of unknown origin, successfully erected a protective barrier around a significant portion of the library’s collection, effectively shielding it from the flames.

“It was… extraordinary,” stated Marcus Aurelius, a Roman centurion stationed near the library. “One moment, I was bracing for the inevitable, and the next, this… this blue energy surrounded the building, and the fire just… sputtered out. Like it was being starved of fuel. Then, the scholar, Theron, he was practically in tears, thanking Peabody for saving his life’s work.”

The immediate consequences within the library are profound. While a small section, primarily administrative records, was still lost to the fire, the majority of the scrolls, codices, and artifacts – including invaluable works by Euclid, Archimedes, and Ptolemy – remain intact. This discovery is already sending ripples through the academic world, with historians scrambling to re-evaluate the scope of classical knowledge.

Peabody, speaking briefly with reporters upon his return to the present (via a discreet temporal jump), offered a succinct explanation. “Sometimes, a little preventative maintenance is required,” he stated, adjusting his spectacles. “The preservation of knowledge is paramount. Let’s just say the timeline needed a minor adjustment.”

The implications of Peabody’s actions are still being assessed. Experts are debating whether this represents a fundamental shift in our understanding of the ancient world. Further investigation is underway to determine the precise nature of Peabody’s device and the extent of the temporal alterations he may have triggered. One thing is certain: the narrative of the Library of Alexandria, and indeed, of history itself, has been irrevocably altered.