In some cases , the destroyed works are irreplaceable and their burning constitutes a severe loss to cultural heritage . Examples include the burning of books and burying of scholars under China 's Qin Dynasty ( 213 – 210 BCE ) , the burning of the Library of Alexandria ( c. 49 ) , the obliteration of the Library of Baghdad ( 1258 ) , the destruction of Aztec codices by Itzcoatl ( 1430s ) , the burning of Maya codices on the order of bishop Diego de Landa ( 1562 ) , and Burning of Jaffna Public Library in Sri Lanka ( 1981 )
Burning of Jaffna Public Library
Burning of Jaffna Public Library
Book burning