The Ptolemies and Egypt Flashcards
Alexander conquers Egypt
- Sacrificed Apis at Memphis
- Emulated Perseus and Herakles – his descendants
- Alex sacrificing as a pharaoh in Luxor
- Credited with founding Alexandria (Plutarch)
Ptolemy in Egypt
Settlement of Babylon, After Alex’s death:
• The army was loyal to the royal house of Macedon, but the only member of the dynasty who could be appointed as king was Arrhidaeus (mentally deficient) -Alex’s wife, Roxane gave birth to a male, named Alexander.
•Perdikkas, who had received the signet ring of Alexander, was appointed regent for the kings
• Allocation of the satrapies: Ptolemy choses Egypt
• Ptolemy takes control of Egypt
• 321BC troops of Ptolemy meet the funerary procession leading the body of Alexander and divert it to Egypt. The body is buried in Memphis.
- Ptolemy consolidates his power in Egypt. The capital Memphis -> Alexandria, where a massive building program begins.
- people attracted to new world
The Beginnings of Ptolemaic kingdom
304 BC Ptolemy takes title of King
-His plan to win support of Egyptians: respect and support local temples, priests and accept the traditional admin/gov’t
The Early Ptolemies
Ptolemy I Soter / Berenike I
Ptolemy II Philadelphos / Arsinoe I – Arsinoe II (285-246)
-Ptolemy II fell in love with Arsinoe (his sister), got married – violated Macedonian custom but followed Egyptian subjects
Ptolemy III Euergetes / Berenike II (246-221)
Ptolemy IV Philopator / Arsinoe III (221-203)
Alexandria; the new capital
- Heptastadion – causeway between the city and island of Pharos
- City intersected by roads
- 2 very broad, right angles
- 1/3rd area were royal palaces (Sema) the rest were public areas
- Buildings connected by harbors
- Navigable canal extending to the lake of Mareotis
- subrub necropolis
- Sarapeion (ancient port city)
- Museum and library
-Society like Greek Polis
Festivals for Dynasty
Ptolemaia
Arsinoeia
Basileia
Museum/Library
- part of the palace complex and developed especially under Ptolemy II Philadelphos.
- scholars specialized in textual criticism, trying to establish the original text of the works of Greek literature and produce ‘standard editions’ of ancient authors.
**Alexandria became the new cultural capital of the Greek world, replacing Athens
Ptolemy Monarchy
- The king and the queen as the head of the system
- Official cult of the living rulers and their ancestors as a means to show loyalty and gratitude (Jews were excluded)
- Syncretism of ruler cult and Egyptian customs and beliefs
- New developments in Greek culture supporting monarchy as a political institution
Ptolemaic Court
- The king and the queen
- A hierarchy of courtiers, the ‘friends of the king’, with additional distinctions (‘first friends’, ‘relatives’)
- Participation of the king to the main events of the life of the country, visits to the areas where his presence was beneficial
- Development of the ruler cult through the cult of Alexander, then the cult of Ptolemy I after his death and beginning of the cult of the living king and queen under Ptolemy II, with a special role for the queen
Administration of the Kingdom
- Egypt divided into admin districts= nomes
- Nomes divided into toparchies (villages)
- district governor (nomarch)- in charge of finances, agri production, etc.
- All report to the chief minister of finances (dioiketes)
- Soldiers settled in territories supervised by strategoi
Kingdom land division
All land belongs to the King but is divided into
- Royal land (rented to peasants)
- Cleruchic land (for soldiers)
- Sacred land for temples
- Private land (could be freely sold/bought)
*Kleruchs= soldiers of army who received plots of land
Taxation and land survey
- Dioiketes in charge of records, surveys, etc.
- Salt-tax- poll tax on men/women who paid less, supplemented by other taxes based on status/profession, etc.
Agriculture and economy
- Showing in nomes
- provisions transported to Alexandria
- Weaving sheds
- livestock farming- sheep, cattle, goats, donkeys, horses, poultry
- bread becomes standard food
- Olives, vines, seeds, oil
Egypt, Territories/Pop’n
Lower Egypt:
- Greek Settlers in the Fayum District-towns had grid plan, main streets, temples, etc.
- Fayum depression (Arsinoite nome)- kleruchs/civilians
- Royal officials were reps of the pharaoh
Upper Egypt:
In Thebaid- land/social patterns remained traditional, Thebes - rebellion saw the rise of 2 pharaohs
Greeks and Egyptians in the later Ptolemaic period
- Immigration of Greeks and foreigners strong in 3rd C BC
- 2nd BC it was less frequent
- Integration was strong, many bi-cultural
- Ethnic origin wasn’t really used in official documents
