Greeks in Ptolemaic Egypt

• ISBN13: 9780198148678
• ISBN10: 0198148674
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1986-12-04
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

The extensive conquests of Alexander the Great were followed by a flood of greek migration into lands formerly ruled by Persia, among them, Egypt. The survival of Egyptian family archives makes it possible to study the fortunes of some of these immigrants with an immediacy unmatched by any other ancient source. These archives tell such stories as the engineer Kleon's battle with problems of irrigation and silting, while the district officer Diophanes deals with disputes arising from the mutual hostility between the Greek and Persian populations. The Egyptians, Menkhes the village clerk and Peteharsemtheus the soldier gain priviliges enjoyed by the Greeks through such service, while Greek cavalry officer Dryton marries an Egyptian, and his descendants begin to lose their Greek identity. Through these and other case studies, Naphtali Lewis presents us with a vivid recreation of life in Ptolemaic Egypt.

Table of Contents

List of Maps
List of Plates
Prefactory Notes
Introduction	p. 1
The Backdrop: Eldorado on the Nile	p. 8
The Engineer Kleon	p. 37
Nikanor and Other Bankers	p. 46
The Strategos Diophanes	p. 56
The Recluse Ptolemaios	p. 69
A Greek Stationed among Egyptians: Cavalry Officer Dryton and his Family	p. 88
Upward Mobility in the Civil Service: Menkhes, Village Clerk	p. 104
Upward Mobility in the Military Services: Dionysios Son of Kephalas; Peteharsemtheus Son of Panebkhounis	p. 124
Epilogue	p. 153
Glossary	p. 157
Notes	p. 159
Maps	p. 173
Description of Plates	p. 178
Indexes	p. 181
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