Egypt After the Pharaohs: 332 BC-AD
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EGYPT after the Pharaohs Alan K Bowman EGYPT after the Pharaohs 332 BC-AD 642 from Alexander to the Arab Conquest UNIVERSITY OE CALllORNIA PRESS BERKELEY AND LOS ANGELES r i</86 Alan k. Bownun Published by the I'nivcrsitv of < !a|ift irnta Press in ilie I'niied Siato 1986 First [xiperlrjck printing 1989 Second paperback printing 1996 Library ot'Oingrcsii (Jtalo^uing-in-Pulilicniion Data Bowman. Alan K. I'gypi after rhepharaohs. tw u.r. \.i>. (142. Bibliography: p. Includes index. 1. l\u\pt (.'ivili/aiinn it: iu:. fi;H A.D. I. "I'itle mVii.lttii 1986 y\x'.oi 86 inn ISBN o 52020s 11-G Printed in I long Kong 12 m ft i x 9 Contents Acknowledgements 6 Preface 2 Note on Conventions 8 List of lllusrriitions 8 i The (iift of the Nile u 2 The Ruling Power 21 3 State and Subject s 5 4 Poverty and Prosperity 89 5 Greeks and Egyptians 121 6 Gods, Temples and Churches i6j 7 Alexandria, Queen of the Mediterranean 203 8 Epilogue 2$4 Appendix I The Reigns of the Ptolemies 2 s S Appendix II Metrology and Currency 236 Appendix III The Archaeological Evidence M9 Appendix IV Additional Notes 242 Footnotes 345 Bibliography ip Index 26s Ackno w 1 edgemcnts National Trust (The Calkc Gardner Wilkinson Papers. Bodleian Library, Oxford): 10, 34, 52, Acknowledgement is made to the following for J J. 82 permission to reproduce illustrations: Pctrie Museum, University College. London: 6 Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh: 63 Antikenmuscum, Staatlichc Musecn, Prcuss- Scala, Florence: t, 45, 71, 112 ischer Kulturbcsitz, Berlin: i \ Dr H. Whiiehouse: 14, tci, 10$, 117. 136 Ashmolcan Museum. Oxford: 4. <>7. 79, * J9 Austrian National Library, Vienna: 3 The maps (Figs 1 and 2) were prepared by Paul Bodleian Library. Oxford: 48 Simmons of Oxford University Press. British Museum: 2, 7, 11, 14, 16, 17, 19, 23, $-», 46,38,80,84, 116, 119, 124. 126. U7, 158, 140, Acknowledgement is made to the author and to M? Cambridge University Pros for permission 10 British Library: 10,94, 142 quote extracts from M.M. Austin, The Htiltmstit Dr R.A. Coles: 85,91, MO Wot Id jrtm Altxandtr to the Roman Conquest Coptic Museum, Cairo: 32, 121, 12) (19B1). Deutschcs archaologisches Institut, Cairo: 22, 31,66,72,77 Deutschcs archaologischcs Institut, Rome: 4c Egypt Exploration Society: 8, 2c, 27, 36,41,44, 63, 64, 68, 69, 70, 73, 76, 78.9c, 9J, 96. 104 French Archaeological Delegation, Kahul: 128 Gracco-Roman Museum. Alexandria: 93, 106, •44 Kclscy Museum of Archaeology, University of .Michigan: $5,60,61,62, 75.86, 87, 89,92, 102, 103, 107, ic.9, 115 Metropolitan .\lu%cum of An, New York: 114, "5 6 Preface book on the history of Egypt during a decisive period in its development stands in need of no elaborate justification. Viewed from the standpoint of Athe Egyptologist, the Graeco-roman period may seem to lack the grandeur and the romance which the relics of the Pharaohs possess, but it was during the millennium between the conquest by Alexander and the Arab invasion that Egypt made its most significant contribution to the classical world and itself absorbed its important influences. It is a period which is, by the standards of the ancient world, exceptionally well-documented. The historian can take advantage of a wide range of source material: the writings of historians, geographers and literary figures of classical antiquity, the archaeological remains and artefacts and, above all, the thousands of texts on papyrus which the climate and the environment of the Nile valley have preserved for posterity. The attempt to write a general account based on a synthesis of an intimidating range and quantity of material might well appear foolhardy for a variety of reasons. Evidence may emerge tomorrow which will turn today's truth on its head - aware ness of which tends to make documentary historians chary of committing them selves to sweeping generalities. I can claim only a layman's familiarity with the archaeological relics and the expertise necessary for critical analysis of those docu ments which are written in languages other than Latin and Greek is absent; hence I have had to rely on published editions and translations of demotic and Coptic material. But the attempt at synthesis is nonetheless worth making, it is hoped, because there is no recent account in English which tries to exploit both the written and the archaeological evidence in order to see the impact of the presence of the Greeks and Romans in Egypt against the backdrop of the Egyptian tradition. This is intended to be the essence of the book and the narrative is deliberately offered with only the bald citation of some exemplary items of evidence, avoiding the proliferation of footnotes replete with documentation, bibliography and argument. My immense debts to friends and colleagues are impossible to enumerate, the more especially because many of them have been incurred in discussion or corres pondence over a long period of time. Some of my creditors will recognise their contributions and will, 1 hope, take their appearance as a compliment. If I avoid the invidiousness of naming some and excluding others that is not intended to under state or obscure my acute consciousness either of my debt to them, or of my fundamental reliance on a sustained tradition of accurate and magnanimous scholar ship in the field of papyrology and the history of Graeco-roman Egypt. But for these the book, such as it is, would not exist at all. It is, however, a pleasure to make one exception in thanking Jane Rowlandson who painstakingly read the whole text and rescued me from many errors and obscurities. For those which remain I alone am responsible. For this revised paperback edition, I have taken the opportunity to add a list of the locations of museum objects illustrated in the plates, to correct some errors (for assistance with which I am particularly grateful to Professor John Baincs, Dr Willy Claryssc and Dr Susan Walker), to update the bibliography and to include an appendix with some additional notes. Oxford July 1991 Notes on conventions used in the text NAMFN The transliteration oi names is alua\s problematic and complete consistcncx is impossible to achieve. I have jjcncraJly contented tmsclf *ith using the moM familiar and recognisable forms of" common personal and place- names; but some inconsistencies ot' practice remain. It should he noted that documents of the Roman period frequently use the name Caesar alone in referring to the current emperor. I hn\ e not attempted to expand these. DA11-.S All dates aic AU unless other* IM. indicated. I have used the lorm 'i\ i,» M ' to indicate that an event or document is to be placed at some point within the period and the form *IJ i-o IM * to indicate that evrnis or items referred to cover the period hriween the dates. I have nor attempted to provide Julian equivalents for month dates which occur in the quotations. The calculation of equivalent* tor date* in the Ptolemaic period is a complex matter bccauhc of the lack of correspondence between calcndaric >ears of different lengths iscc reference* in Appendix i;. After ihe Roman takeover, a* a consequence of the |ulun reform, the correspondences were stabilised as follows: Egypt bn month Julian equivalent Egyptian Julian equivalent Thoth Aug. 19 - Sep. 2? Pharmouthi Mar. 27- Apr. at Phanphi Sep. 2» - Oct. i-< Pachon Apr. 20- Ma> i\ Haihjr Oct. aB- Nov. 16 Paym May 26- Jun. 24 Choiak Nov. 47 - Dec i(> F.pciph Jun. ai - Jul. 24 T\bi Dec. 17- Jan. 11 Me soie Jul. 21 Aug. IK Met heir Jan. ib- Feb. 24 F.pagomcnal days Aug. 24 - Aug. 2* Phamcnoth Feb. 21 - Mar. it* List of illustrations ( oin nit leopatra X II (British Museum. London) Sula <»f \upusius (f:kjyptian Museum. Cairo) //'{fine Mtimim pimr.iir ^Thc Naimnal (idlcrr. x\. The Temple • *' Khnuni, Latopohs .■a 26. The Tempi*- i»f Isis. Philac . TIK. Pak-sinna niosasi (Museo \tchrologico, 27. P:ipxrus k-rterfF.uvpi F.sploration S4icictx. PaJestrina. I.oiultxi) . Akiaiidrijn coin'British Museum. l>Hidon> 28. The Colossi in the 'llieban Plain . The Peutingcr map (Austrian Naiional Lihrarx. 29. Ti.nan's Ki«*k. Philac iDaxid Ri»l»cn\ Vmina' 30. Tlie Colossus of Mcintyut . Statuette of an oxvrhxnchus ( \shmolcan Muicuni, 31. Portrait of a laic Roman emperor iTJjvptian Oxford.; Museum. Oiroj . Amin, the gratiiie qiurrics 32. Mela ofihe lixyuiirine period ('Coptic Museum, . Skull iPeirie Museum, London) C.ro) . Relief of it negro treading an Archimedean screw 33. Trj|an*» fortress, Babxkm (British Museum, London) 34. Fresco in the temple of Amon, The he* (Luxor) . Crocodile mummi^ (Fgvpt F.xplorarion Si»cieix, (Naiimul Tru«t Bodleian Library. Oxford) London) 3f. The KUrul of Phi lac ; David Robert*) . Mummv portrait (Itrookhn Museum. New York) 36. Order of Pcukesias (F.j«xpi Lxploration Society, . V\ jtrrrolcdirsketch, >tr |.(i.Wilkinson {National I <>ndon) I rust Bodleian Library, f Hrord; 37. 1 oin fmm HermopoJn (British Museum, London) . 'I he Temple of lhah. k.unak 38. Plan of irnganon works ;l niversitc de l.ilk-. Has relief In mi Tanis '.British Museum. I notionj Institul de Pap\roloj;R-: . The Temple ot Horns, Apollinopolis Magna 39. l.li-phannnc Island <l'.dfu); relief 40. 1 he TJANI Fames* ■'Museo Ni/ionalc. Napoli) . Coin H'Ptolemy II Philadelphia <Bm Mi Museum, 41. Poems of liallus<Fg\pt l\*ploration Socieix. I.on< Ion) l.onslon) . Bust off leopaira VII (Stiuilirhc Muscvn. Berlin) 42. Anlmoopnlis, colonnaded sireel . < oin of Piolemx IN Philopator (British Museum, 43.