History of Egypt from 330 B.C. to the Present Time

; History of Egypt From 330 B. C. to the Present Time By S. RAPPOPORT, Doctor of Philosophy, Basel Member of the Ecole Langues Orientales, Paris Russian, German, French Orientalist and Philologist CONTAINING OVER TWELVE HUNDRED COLORED PLATES AND ILLUSTRATIONS Volume II. I I I I LONDON THE GROLIER SOCIETY PUBLISHERS QSSBi^OE Connoisseur Enition Limited to Two Hundred Copies for England and America syb. ...IXQ fj(f^O^^£> Copyright, igo4 By The Grolier Society CONTENTS CHAPTER I. EGYPT UNDER THE ROMAN EMPIRE The Roman Dominion on the Nile — Settlement of the Egyptian Fron- tiers —Religious Developments — Rebellions 3 CHAPTER II. THE CHRISTIAN PERIOD IN EGYPT The Ascendency of the New Religion — The Arian Controversies — The Zenith of Monasticism — The Final Struggle of Paganism — The Decline of Alexandria 187 CHAPTER III. EGYPT DURING THE MUHAMMEDAN PERIOD The Rise of Muhammedanism — The Arabic Conquest of Egypt — The Ommayad and Abbasid Dynasties 323 LIST OF ILLUSTEATIONS PAGE Egyptian Slave Frontispiece Ornament from the Moristan of Kilawun 3 Coin of Augustus 3 The Nilometer at Elephantine 11 On the edge of the Desert 16 A Koptic Maiden 19 Fragments in stone and wood, painted 23 Temple at Tefttyra, enlarged by Roman architects 24 On the Banks of the Nile 27 Bedouin Tent in the Desert 29 A Relief from Saqq&ra 89 Egyptian Threshing Machine 41 An Egyptian Postman 43 An Arab Girl 47 Farming in Egypt 51 Maltese Coin 57 Coin of Cossyra ........... 58 Coin of Nero 59 Ethiopian Arabs ........... 63 Egyptian Coin of Galba 68 Scene in a Sepulchral Chamber 79 Harpocrates . 80 Coins of Domitian 81 Coin of Nerva 82 Trinity of fsis, Horus, and Nephthys 83 Coins of Trajan 84 Egyptian Wig (British Museum) 86 Antoninian Temple near Sinai 89 Commemorative Coin of Antinous 95 vii LIST OF ILLUSTEATIONS PAGE Rose-colouied Lotus 97 Vocal Statue of Amenhdthes ^^ Egyptian Oracle 102 Koptic Charm and Scarabseus 106 Gnostic Gem 107 Gems showing ^mbol of Death and the Word lAQ (Javeh) . • 108 Hadrian's Egyptian Coins 109 Coins of Antoninus Pius 112 Statue of the Nile 115 Coins of Marcus Aurelius 117 The Harbour of Alexandria 118 Alexandrian forms of Writing 120 A Snake-Charmer 122 The Sign of NobiUty 123 Cartouche of Commodus 125 The Anubis StafE 126 Canopic Jars 128 Religious Procession 130 Shrine 131 Hieroglyphic, Hieratic, and Demotic -writing 135 A Native of Aswan 139 Painting at the entrance to the Fifth Tomb of the Kings to the West, Thebes 141 A Modern Scribe 149 Symbol of Egypt 151 A Harem Window 155 Coin of Zenobia 159 Coin of Athenodorus 161 Vender of Metal Ware 165 Coin of Domitianus with Latin Inscription 165 Coin of Severina 167 Coin of Trajan's Second Legion 169 Symbol of Mithra 179 Dome Palm of Upper Egypt 184 An Ancient Egyptian Necklace 187 The Papyrus Flower 187 The Island of Rhoda 199 Houses built on Piles at Punt 207 Temple of Abu Simbel in Nubia 213 Coin of Constantius, a. d. 347 220 A Young Egyptian wearing the Royal Lock 225 An Egyptian Water-Carrier 231 Remains of Christian Church in the Temple at Luxor .... 237 LIST OF ILLUSTEATIONS PAGE Temple Courtyard, Medinet Abu 243 Christian Picture at Abii Simbel 248 Manfaloot, showing the Height of the Nile in Summer .... 250 Quarries at Toorah on the Nile 257 Street and Mosque of Mahdjiar 259 Kamses II. and St. Peter 264 The Papyrus Plant 267 Arabs resting in the Desert c . 271 Isis as the Dog Star 279 Street Sprinkler at Alexandria 285 Illustration from copy of Dioscorides 291 Fortress near Mount Sinai 302 Pyramid of Medum 307 A Modern House in the Delta at Kosetta 313 Coins of Justinian 316 Ornament from the Porch of the Sultan Hassan 323 Ornament from the Mosque of Baxkuk 323 CoinofAli 325 Coin of Omar 326 Old Cairo (Fostat) 329 A Modern Kopt 333 Mosque of Amr 335 Coin of Abu Bekr 387 Coin of Othman 337 Coin of Malik 338 Citadel of Cairo (Fostat) 339 A Crocodile used as a Talisman 341 Door of an Arabian House 347 A Veiled Beauty 349 Tomb of a Sheikh 351 Janizary of the Guard .......... 353 The Mosque of ibn Tulun, Cairo 356 Sanctuary of the Mosque of ibn Tulun 359 Mosque of Ahmed ibn Tulun 363 Coin of Abu Bekr 365 Mosque Tomb near Sy§nS 371 Mosque of Hakim 379 Mustanssir's Gate at Cairo 383 THE ROMAN, CHRISTIAN, AND ARABIC PERIODS THE ROMAN ADMINISTRATION IN EGYPT — THE RISE OF CHRISTIANITY — THE ARIAN CONTROVERSY THE GROWTH OP MONASTICISM THE DECLINE OP ALEXANDRIA THE ARAB INVASION AND THE SPREAD OP MUHAMMEDANISM — THE ARAB DYNASTIES. Augustus remodels the government of Egypt — A new calendar introduced — Egypt surveyed — Dissension between Jews and Q-reeks at Alexandria — Strabo's visit — The Egyptian religion at Rome — Wise administration of Tiberius — The rise of the Therapeutce — Lake Moeris destroyed — The origin of Chemistry — The fable of the Phoenix — Christianity introduced — Fiscal reforms under G-alba — Vespasian in Egypt — Fall of Jerusalem — The Nile Canal restored — Hadrian's voyage up the Nile — Death of Antinous — Christians and Ghnostics — Astrology and Astronomy — Roman roads in Egypt — Commerce and Sports — The Growth of Christianity — Severus visits Egypt — The massacre of the Alexandrians — Ammonius Saccas and the Alexandrian Platonists — The School of Origen — Rise of Controversy — Decline of Commerce — Zenobia in Syria — Growing importance of the Arabs — Revolt and recapture of Alexandria — Persecution of the Christians- under Diocletian — Introduction of the Manichean heresy. ( 2 ) Constantine the Great converted — Privileges of the clergy — Dog- matic disputes — Council of Niccea and the first Nicene Creed — Atha- nasian and Arian controversies —Founding of Constantinople — Decline of Alexandria — Imperial appointments in the Church — Religious riots — Triumphs of Athanasius — Persecution by Bishop George of Cappadocia — Early mission work — Development of the monastic system — Text of the Bible — The monks and military service — Sara- cenic encroachments — Theodosius overthrows Paganism — Destruction of the Great lAbrary — Pagan and Christian literature — Story of Hypatia — The Arabs defeat the Romans — The Koptic New Testa- ment — Egypt separated from Rome — The Council of Chalcedon — Paganism restored in Upper Egypt — The Henoticon — The writings of Hieroeles — Relations with Persia — Inroads of the Arabs — Jus- tinian^ s fiscal reforms — Coinage restored — The Persians enter Egypt. -The lAfe of Muhammed — Amr conquers Egypt — The legend of Omar and the Great Library — The founding of Fostat — The Chris- tians taxed — Muhammedan oppression in Egypt — The Ommayad and Abbasid dynasties — Caliph Harun er-Rashid — Turkish body- guards — Rise of the Tulunite Dynasty — Office of Prince of Princes — Reign of Muhammed ellkshid — War with Byzantium — Fatimite Caliphs — The Ismailians and Mahdism — Reign of Mustanssir — Turkish Rapacity — Ihd of the Fatimite Rule. ORNAMENT FROM THE MOEI8TAN OP KILAWUN. CHAPTER I EGYPT UNDER THE ROMAN EMPIRE Egyptian frontiers-. The Roman dominion on the Nile : Settlement of the Religious developments : Rebellions. A UGUSTUS began his reign in Egypt in b. c. 30 by ordering all tbe statues of An- tony, of which there were COIN or AUGUSTUS. more than fifty ornamenting the various public buildings of the city, to be broken to pieces; and it is said he had the meanness to receive a bribe of one thousand tal- ents from Archibus, a friend of Cleopatra, that the queen's statues might be left standing. It seems to have been part of his kingcraft to give the offices of greatest trust to men of low birth, who were at the same time well 4 EGYPT UNDER THE ROMAN EMPIRE aware that they owed their employments to their seem- ing want of ambition. Thus the government of Egypt, the greatest and richest of the provinces, was given to Cornelius Gallus. Before the faU of the republic the senate had given the command of the provinces to members of their own body only; and therefore Augustus, not wishing to alter the law, obtained from the senate for himself aU those governments which he meant to give to men of lower rank. By this legal fiction, these equestrian prefects were answerable for their conduct to nobody but the emperor on a petition, and they could not be sued at law before the senate for their misdeeds. But he made an exception in the case of Egypt. While on the one hand in that province he gave to the prefect's edicts the force of law, on the other he allowed him to be cited before the senate, though appointed by himself. The power thus given to the senate they never ventured to use, and the prefect of Egypt was never punished or removed but by the emperor. Under the prefect was the chief justice of the province, who heard himself, or by deputy, all causes except those which were reserved for the decision of the emperor in person. These last were decided by a second judge, or in modem language a chancellor, as they were too numerous and too trifling to be taken to Rome. Under these judges were numerous freedmen of the emperor, and clerks entrusted with affairs of greater and less weight. Of the native magistrates the chief were the keeper of the records, the police judge, the prefect of the night, and the Exegetes, or interpreter THE JULIAN YEAE 5 of the Egyptian law, who was allowed to wear a purple robe like a Roman magistrate. But these Egyptian magistrates were never treated as citizens; they were bar- barians, little better than slaves, and only raised to the rank of the emperor's freedmen. Augustus showed not a little jealousy in the rest of the laws by which his new province was to be governed.

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