Art. XX.—Visit to the Bitter Lakes, Isthmus of Suez, by The

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Art. XX.—Visit to the Bitter Lakes, Isthmus of Suez, by The Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain & Ireland http://journals.cambridge.org/JRA Additional services for Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain & Ireland: Email alerts: Click here Subscriptions: Click here Commercial reprints: Click here Terms of use : Click here Art. XX.—Visit to the Bitter Lakes, Isthmus of Suez, by the bed of the ancient Canal of Nechos, the “Khalij al Kadim” S0035869X00142923_inline1 of the Arabs, in June, 1842 Captain Newbold Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain & Ireland / Volume 8 / Issue 15 / January 1846, pp 355 - 360 DOI: 10.1017/S0035869X00142923, Published online: 14 March 2011 Link to this article: http://journals.cambridge.org/ abstract_S0035869X00142923 How to cite this article: Captain Newbold (1846). Art. XX.—Visit to the Bitter Lakes, Isthmus of Suez, by the bed of the ancient Canal of Nechos, the “Khalij al Kadim” of the Arabs, in June, 1842. Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain & Ireland, 8, pp 355-360 doi:10.1017/ S0035869X00142923 Request Permissions : Click here Downloaded from http://journals.cambridge.org/JRA, IP address: 138.251.14.35 on 19 Apr 2015 355 ART. XX.—Visit to the Bitter Lakes, Isthmus of Suez, by the bed of the ancient Canal of Nechos, the "Khalij al Kadim" *jjJ£M -g>Xe. of the Arabs, in June, 1842. By CAPTAIN NEWBOLD, F.B..S. {Read June 21, 1845.] IT will hardly be necessary to premise that the Red Sea and Medi- terranean are separated by a strip of desert about seventy-five miles across. The ancient kings of Egypt, struck with the vast importance of uniting the navigation of the two seas, at an early period attempted this great work. Nechos II., the Necho of Scripture, and son of Psammeticus, after defeating the Assyrians, and slaying Josiah king of Judah, B.C. 610, commenced a canal that was to unite the Red Sea with the Pelusiac or eastern branch of the Nile, which communicated with the Mediterranean, almost directly north from the present Suez, near the ancient city of Pelusium. Some give it a much greater anti- quity, attributing it to the great Sesostris, or Rhameses III., the founder, among other vast works, of the Giant Hall of Columns of the Palace at Carnac, and under whose reign Egypt arrived at her zenith of power and prosperity. This canal is supposed by Herodotus to have joined the Nile near the old Bubastis, to have been filled by the water of the river, and to have been completed, or rather continued, by Darius Hystaspes. Diodorus Siculus states it to have been finished by Ptolemy II. Herodotus tells us that the first works, which cost 120,000 men their lives, were arrested in their progress by the oracle which Nechos consulted, and which declared that the canal would open Egypt to foreign invasion. Its width was calculated by Strabo at one hundred and fifty feet, and by Pliny at one hundred feet. He- rodotus informs us, it was broad enough to admit two triremes to move abreast, and that it required four days for a vessel to pass through it. Strabo says, it was provided with water-gates (locks?) and broad enough to admit ships of the largest class. Pliny calculates its depth at thirty feet. Why and when it was abandoned are uncertain. Aristotle and Pliny state that it was not opened at all in consequence of its bed being supposed to be higher than the surface of the Delta of the Nile, which it was feared would therefore have been inundated by a volume of sea water from the Red Sea at Suez. The latter of these writers 356 VISIT TO THE BITTER LAKES, affirms that the canal never approached the Red Sea nearer than the Bitter Lakes, and was only thirty-four miles long: but the sites of Serapeum, Heropolis, and Phagroriopolis which rose in the desert on its banks, and have been attributed to the benefit resulting from its construction, indicate a much greater extent and importance. The Roman Emperor Trajan not only renewed it, but added a branch known by the name of Amnis Trajanus, which passing between Heliopolis and Babylon, joined the Nile near Memphis. It seems again to have fallen into disuse after Egypt passed into the hands of the Arabs, but was re-opened by Amrou, Viceroy of Egypt, by order of the Caliph Omar, in order to the better supply of the Hedjaz with wheat, &c, during a famine that then prevailed in the Mohammedan Holy Land. About one hundred and thirty-four years afterwards it appears to have been stopped by the Caliph Mansur, with the view of cutting off the supply of provisions sent to some insurgents at Medina. This canal deviated from the course of the old one, and opened on the Nile at Old Cairo, whence I traced its course about eight or nine miles into the desert, to the north-east of the Birhet el Hajji, Lake of the Pilgrim, to Mecca. Since the time of the Caliphs, the canal has never teen re-opened; it was left for the genius of Napoleon to promulgate the idea of reviving and perfecting the great work of Sesostris and Nechos: but momentous events sealed Egypt to the comprehensive schemes for her improvement meditated by this master mind. It remains for Mohammed Ali, who has already immortalised himself by uniting the port of Alexandia with the navigation of the Nile, in the construction of the Mahmoudieh Canal, to put into execution the pro- ject of Napoleon, an undertaking which, if successful, will rank high among the triumphs of human skill and labour over the obstacles of nature, and be a far more glorious monument to posterity, than those useless piles of limestone, the Pyramids. The port at the head of the Red Sea in the time of Ptolemy Phila- delphus was called Arsinoe, from his sister and wife, and subse- quently Cleopatris; and, by the Arabs, Kolzum. The ruins of the latter town, which is supposed to have occupied the site of Arsinoe, are entered immediately after quitting the north-west gate of the modern town of Suez, and consist of a number of sandy mounds, occupying a space about as large as the present town, with scattered fragments of pottery, tiles, glass, and earthenware, often containing bitumen, as occurs among most of the ruins on the banks of the Nile. After passing these mounds, and crossing some salt pans on the north-west extremity of the Gulf of Suez, close to the sea coast, which is here flat and sandy, the Arab guides pointed out to my fellow-traveller, BY THE KHALU AL KADIM. 357 Captain Blogg, and myself, the embouchure of what they) called the Khalij al Kadim ^jjoili *z\\.*,, which we hastened to see. It is marked by low banks of sand, the highest part of which did not exceed six feet in height, and ceased altogether about fifty paces from high water mark. I was unable to find any traces of banks below the water of the Ked Sea, here very shallow. The banks abounded with sea shells, and masses of crystallized gypsum; the breadth of the bed between them was sixty-four paces. Diverging slightly from the sea shore we traced them in a northerly direction, varying from four to six feet in height, often interrupted and indis- tinct, to the camel track of the great caravan from Cairo to Mecca, where they pass round the head of the Red Sea. The surface of the country, from the commencement of the canal to this, was flat, little raised above the surface of the sea, and covered with sand and gravel. The bed of the canal was formed of the same sand; firm, and in some places moist enough to admit of the growth of a few salsolas, &c, the verdure of which, contrasted with the parched aspect of this dreary waste, over which the hot khamsin was blowing, was by no means unrefreshing. A thermometer on the sand of the desert exposed to the rays of the sun, sky clear, 141°'5. Here was observed a heap of stones which an old Arab hajji who accompanied us said, had been piled up as a land-mark by the pil- grims to Mecca to guide them to the spot where they were to round the head of the sacred gulf. These piles are called aldmdt CJLO&E, standards or marks, by the Bedouins; near it lay the skeletons of several camels, bleached by the sun,—" ships of this desert," wrecked in this sea of sand. The hadji informed me, that during the winter {jUlbard i»x!!J) the waters of the Red Sea rise suddenly and are impelled over this wide extent of now dry sand by the violence of the south-east winds. Suez bore hence S.10W., on its right the moun- tains of Ataka or Deliverance, through whose defiles the Israelites were pursued to the shores of the Red Sea; and on our left or to the eastward, the wilderness of El Tih, in which spring the wells of Moses, which I had visited only two years ago. Beyond this, the embankments of the canal are more distinct and continuous; and, at about the distance of twelve miles northerly from Suez, were as perfect as if piled up a week ago, twenty feet high, formed of gravel and gypseous marl, and upwards of seventy paces apart. They become again gradually indistinct on reaching the southern extremity of the Bitter Lakes: a few low rocks of limestone break the monotony of the gently undulating desert.
Recommended publications
  • The Indian Ocean Trade and the Roman State
    The Indian Ocean Trade and the Roman State This thesis is submitted in partial fulfilment of the degree of Master of Research Ancient History at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, Lampeter Troy Wilkinson 1500107 Word Count: c.33, 000 Footnotes: 7,724 DECLARATION This work has not previously been accepted in substance for any degree and is not being concurrently submitted in candidature for any degree. Signed ............T. Wilkinson ......................................................... (candidate) Date .................10/11/2020....................................................... STATEMENT 1 This thesis is the result of my own investigations, except where otherwise stated. Where correction services have been used the extent and nature of the correction is clearly marked in a footnote(s). Other sources are acknowledged by footnotes giving explicit references. A bibliography is appended. Signed ..................T. Wilkinson ................................................... (candidate) Date ......................10/11/2020.................................................. STATEMENT 2 I hereby give consent for my thesis, if accepted, to be available for photocopying and for inter-library loan, and for the title and summary to be made available to outside organisations. Signed ......................T. Wilkinson ............................................... (candidate) Date ............................10/11/2020............................................ STATEMENT 3 I hereby give consent for my thesis, if accepted, to
    [Show full text]
  • Sarapis, Isis, and the Ptolemies in Private Dedications the Hyper-Style and the Double Dedications
    Kernos Revue internationale et pluridisciplinaire de religion grecque antique 28 | 2015 Varia Sarapis, Isis, and the Ptolemies in Private Dedications The Hyper-style and the Double Dedications Eleni Fassa Electronic version URL: http://journals.openedition.org/kernos/2333 DOI: 10.4000/kernos.2333 ISSN: 2034-7871 Publisher Centre international d'étude de la religion grecque antique Printed version Date of publication: 1 October 2015 Number of pages: 133-153 ISBN: 978-2-87562-055-2 ISSN: 0776-3824 Electronic reference Eleni Fassa, « Sarapis, Isis, and the Ptolemies in Private Dedications », Kernos [Online], 28 | 2015, Online since 01 October 2017, connection on 21 December 2020. URL : http://journals.openedition.org/ kernos/2333 ; DOI : https://doi.org/10.4000/kernos.2333 This text was automatically generated on 21 December 2020. Kernos Sarapis, Isis, and the Ptolemies in Private Dedications 1 Sarapis, Isis, and the Ptolemies in Private Dedications The Hyper-style and the Double Dedications Eleni Fassa An extended version of this paper forms part of my PhD dissertation, cited here as FASSA (2011). My warmest thanks to Sophia Aneziri for her always insightful comments. This paper has benefited much from the constructive criticism of the anonymous referees of Kernos. 1 In Ptolemaic Egypt, two types of private dedications evolved, relating rulers, subjects and gods, most frequently, Sarapis and Isis.1 They were formed in two ways: the offering was made either to Sarapis and Isis (dative) for the Ptolemaic kings (ὑπέρ +genitive) — hereafter, these will be called the hyper-formula dedications2 — or to Sarapis, Isis (dative) and the Ptolemaic kings (dative), the so-called ‘double dedications’.
    [Show full text]
  • Queen Arsinoë II, the Maritime Aphrodite and Early Ptolemaic Ruler Cult
    ΑΡΣΙΝΟΗ ΕΥΠΛΟΙΑ Queen Arsinoë II, the Maritime Aphrodite and Early Ptolemaic Ruler Cult Carlos Francis Robinson Bachelor of Arts (Hons. 1) A thesis submitted for the degree of Master of Philosophy at The University of Queensland in 2019 Historical and Philosophical Inquiry Abstract Queen Arsinoë II, the Maritime Aphrodite and Early Ptolemaic Ruler Cult By the early Hellenistic period a trend was emerging in which royal women were deified as Aphrodite. In a unique innovation, Queen Arsinoë II of Egypt (c. 316 – 270 BC) was deified as the maritime Aphrodite, and was associated with the cult titles Euploia, Akraia, and Galenaië. It was the important study of Robert (1966) which identified that the poets Posidippus and Callimachus were honouring Arsinoë II as the maritime Aphrodite. This thesis examines how this new third-century BC cult of ‘Arsinoë Aphrodite’ adopted aspects of Greek cults of the maritime Aphrodite, creating a new derivative cult. The main historical sources for this cult are the epigrams of Posidippus and Callimachus, including a relatively new epigram (Posidippus AB 39) published in 2001. This thesis demonstrates that the new cult of Arsinoë Aphrodite utilised existing traditions, such as: Aphrodite’s role as patron of fleets, the practice of dedications to Aphrodite by admirals, the use of invocations before sailing, and the practice of marine dedications such as shells. In this way the Ptolemies incorporated existing religious traditions into a new form of ruler cult. This study is the first attempt to trace the direct relationship between Ptolemaic ruler cult and existing traditions of the maritime Aphrodite, and deepens our understanding of the strategies of ruler cult adopted in the early Hellenistic period.
    [Show full text]
  • Banbhore) (200 Bc to 200 Ad)
    INTERNATIONAL TRADE OF SINDH FROM ITS PORT BARBARICON (BANBHORE) (200 BC TO 200 AD) BY M.H. PANHWAR This period covers the rule of Bactrian Greeks, Scythians, Parthians and Kushans in Sindh, rest of the present Pakistan and parts of India. The origins of the development of European trade in the Sindh and trade routes under notice go back to later part of the sixth century BC, and it involved continuous efforts over next seven centuries. (a) After Darius-I’s conquest of Gandhara and Sindhu, admiral Skylax (a Greek of Caryanda), made exploratory voyage down the Kabul and the Indus from Kaspapyrus or Kasyabapura (Peshawar) to the Sindh coast and thence along the Arabian coast to the Red Sea and Egypt in 518 BC, completing the journey in 2 1/2 years and returning to Iran in 514 BC. The voyage was meant to connect the South Asia with Egypt. Darius-I also restored Necho-II’s canal connecting the Nile with the Red Sea. Thus he made Egypt and not Mesopotamia the main line of communication between the Indian and the Mediterranean Oceans. Darius built ‘the Royal Road’ connecting various cities of the empire. It ran the distance of 1677 well-garrisoned miles from Euphesus to Susa. A much longer route than this was from Babylon to Ecbatans and from thence to Kabul, which was already connected with Peshawar. The great voyage of Skylax connected Peshawar with the Red Sea and Egypt, via the Indus and the Arabian Sea. The earlier Egyptian navigation under Pharaohs had purely utilitarian and limited objectives were in no way similar to the great historical voyages, like one by Skylax, for general exploration.
    [Show full text]
  • Aelius Gallus at Cleopatris (Suez) . and on the Red Sea Philip Mayerson
    Aelius Gallus at Cleopatris (Suez) and on the Red Sea Mayerson, Philip Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies; Spring 1995; 36, 1; ProQuest pg. 17 Aelius Gallus at Cleopatris (Suez) . and on the Red Sea Philip Mayerson HE MILITARY EXPEDITION of Aelius Gallus to Arabia in 26/25 B.C. 1 has attracted considerable scholarly comment T on his campaign regarding its chronology, the political and economic reasons behind it, the identification of Arabian sites mentioned in the sources, Gallus' misadventures caused by the duplicity of his Nabataean guide Syllaeus or by his own miscalculations, and his inglorious retreat to Egypt. Arabia has been the focal point of interest, understandably so since little was known of Rome's relationship with this exotic region at the end of, or prior to, the first century B.C. The mounting of the amphibious operation at Cleopatris, on the other hand, has been generally ignored, perhaps because Strabo 16.4.23 is its only source, whereas Pliny the Elder (HN 6.160ff), Josephus (AJ 15.317), Cassius Dio (53.29.3-8), and the Res Gestae Divi Augusti (5.26) supplement Strabo's account of Gallus' campaign in Arabia (16.4.23f). Be that as it may, the early phase of the expedition bears upon the factors that led to Gallus' failure in Arabia. It also raises questions regarding the historicity of certain details in Strab(,)'s acc9unt, Strabo tells us that Gallus "built not less than eighty boats, biremes and triremes and light boats, at Cleopatris, which is near the old canal (1tP0C; 'tn 1taA.al~ OlOOPUYl) that extends from the Nile (to the Gulf of Suez)." When Gallus realized that Syllaeus had deceived him into thinking he was to be opposed by an Arabian navy, "he built.
    [Show full text]
  • Searching for the Ancient Harbours of the Erythraean Sea Wertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyui an Analytical Investigation
    qwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwerty uiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasd fghjklzxcv bnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzx cvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmq Searching for the Ancient Harbours of the Erythraean Sea wertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyui An Analytical Investigation 30/9/2010 opasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfg Carmen Tânia Macleroy Obied hjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxc vbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmq wertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyui opasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfg hjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxc vbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmq wertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyui opasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfg Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................................................................................ 5 ABSTRACT .......................................................................................................................................................................... 10 CHAPTER 1 ........................................................................................................................................................................... 11 ͞,ĂƌďŽƵƌƐĂŶĚ/ŶĚŽ-ZŽŵĂŶdƌĂĚĞ͟ 1.1. Aims and Research Questions......................................................................................................................................... 11 1.1.1. PROPOSED RESEARCH ................................................................................................................................................. 11 1.1.2. AIMS .........................................................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • The Ptolemaic Sea Empire
    chapter 5 The Ptolemaic Sea Empire Rolf Strootman Introduction: Empire or “Overseas Possessions”? In 1982, archaeologists of the State Hermitage Museum excavated a sanctu- ary at the site of Nymphaion on the eastern shore of the Crimea. The sanctu- ary had been in use from ca. 325 bce until its sudden abandonment around 250 bce.1 An inscription found in situ associates the site with Aphrodite and Apollo, and with a powerful local dynasty, the Spartokids.2 Built upon a rocky promontory overlooking the Kimmerian Bosporos near the port of Panti- kapaion (the seat of the Spartokids), the sanctuary clearly was linked to the sea. Most remarkable among the remains were two polychrome plastered walls covered with graffiti depicting more than 80 ships—both war galleys and cargo vessels under sail— of varying size and quality, as well as images of animals and people. The most likely interpretation of the ship images is that they were connected to votive offerings made to Aphrodite (or Apollo) in return for safe voyages.3 Most noticeable among the graffiti is a detailed, ca. 1.15 m. wide drawing of a warship, dated by the excavators to ca. 275–250, and inscribed on its prow with the name “Isis” (ΙΣΙΣ).4 The ship is commonly 1 All dates hereafter will be Before Common Era. I am grateful to Christelle Fischer-Bovet’s for her generous and critical comments. 2 SEG xxxviii 752; xxxix 701; the inscription mentions Pairisades ii, King of the Bosporos (r. 284/3– 245), and his brother. Kimmerian Bosporos is the ancient Greek name for the Chan- nel now known as the Strait of Kerch, and by extension the entire Crimea/ Sea of Azov region; see Wallace 2012 with basic bibliography.
    [Show full text]
  • Islands in the Nile Sea: the Maritime Cultural Landscape of Thmuis, an Ancient Delta City
    ISLANDS IN THE NILE SEA: THE MARITIME CULTURAL LANDSCAPE OF THMUIS, AN ANCIENT DELTA CITY A Thesis by VERONICA MARIE MORRISS Submitted to the Office of Graduate studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS May 2012 Major Subject: Anthropology Islands in the Nile Sea: The Maritime Cultural Landscape of Thmuis, an Ancient Delta City Copyright 2012 Veronica Marie Morriss ISLANDS IN THE NILE SEA: THE MARITIME CULTURAL LANDSCAPE OF THMUIS, AN ANCIENT DELTA CITY A Thesis by VERONICA MARIE MORRISS Submitted to the Office of Graduate studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS Approved by: Chair of Committee, Shelley Wachsmann Committee Members, Deborah Carlson Nancy Klein Head of Department, Cynthia Werner May 2012 Major Subject: Anthropology iii ABSTRACT Islands in the Nile Sea: The Maritime Cultural Landscape of Thmuis, an Ancient Delta City. (May 2012) Veronica Marie Morriss, B.A., The Pennsylvania State University Chair of Advisory Committee: Dr. Shelley Wachsmann In ancient Egypt, the Nile was both a lifeline and a highway. In addition to its crucial role for agriculture and water resources, the river united an area nearly five hundred miles in length. It was an avenue for asserting imperial authority over the vast expanse of the Nile valley. River transport along the inland waterways was also an integral aspect of daily life and was employed by virtually every class of society; the king and his officials had ships for commuting, as did the landowner for shipping grain, and the ‘marsh men’ who lived in the northernmost regions of the Nile Delta.
    [Show full text]
  • The Decline of Ptolemaic Elephant Hunting: an Analysis of the Contributory Factors
    The Decline of Ptolemaic Elephant Hunting: An Analysis of the Contributory Factors After the death of Alexander the Great in 323 his successors (diadochi) engaged in a series of internecine struggles to take control of the territory he had conquered. One of the most capable of these Ptolemy, the son of Lagus (later to become Ptolemy I Soter), took control of Egypt, initially as satrap (323-306), and subsequently as king (306-283/82). Over several decades Ptolemy was able to seize Coele-Syria, parts of Asia Minor, and achieved leadership of the League of Islanders in the Aegean.1 The battles between the successors were fought with sizable infantry and cavalry forces. However, one of the most notable and highly valued components of these military forces were battle-elephants. Alexander had encountered these animals in a number of battles, including at Gaugamela in Mesopotamia (331) and at the Hydaspes (modern Jhelum River) in the Indus region (326).2 Despite the practical and logistical problems posed by these very large animals they made such an impression on Alexander that he established his own corps.3 These were later to be divided up among his successors, and in several instances changed hands through capture.4 Ptolemy I possibly took control of some or all of the elephants (up to forty?) which Perdiccas had employed in his failed invasion of Egypt (321), and he certainly captured forty- 1 For the career of Ptolemy I Soter see, G. Hölbl, A History of the Ptolemaic Empire (London, 2001), 9-34. Note all dates mentioned are BC unless otherwise stated.
    [Show full text]
  • The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea : a Network Approach*
    Asian Review of World Histories 4:2 (July 2016), 191-205 © 2016 The Asian Association of World Historians doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.12773/arwh.2016.4.2.191 The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea : A Network Approach* Eivind Heldaas SELAND Department of archaeology, history, cultural studies and religion University of Bergen [email protected] Abstract The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea is a Roman period guide to trade and navigation in the Indian Ocean. Justly famous for offering a contemporary and descriptive account of early Indian Ocean trade, the work has been sub- ject to and a point of departure for numerous studies. Its extensive influence on scholarship is, however, also problematic, as it reflects the limited infor- mation and cultural and personal bias of its unknown author. Arguably this might have led scholars to overemphasise so-called western or Roman par- ticipation in early Indian Ocean trade. Network analysis allows us to map, visualize and measure interconnectedness in the Periplus Maris Erythraei. Many of these connections are not explicitly mentioned in the text, but by connecting not only places with places, but also products with places that export and import them, we get a partly different impression of Indian Ocean trade from that conventionally gathered from the Periplus. It allows us to ask questions about the relationship between coastal cabotage and transoceanic shipping, to identify regional trading circuits, and unexpected centres of long-distance exchange. Key words Indian Ocean, trade, navigation, Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, Social Network Analysis 192 | ASIAN REVIEW OF WORLD HISTORIES 4:2 (JULY 2016) A MERCHANT’S GUIDE TO THE INDIAN OCEAN An anonymous, Greek work of some 6 300 words, the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea is primarily concerned with trade, but it also touches on production, navigation, geography, ethnography, his- tory, and geopolitics from Egypt in the west to the Malay Penin- sula in the east.
    [Show full text]
  • Belief in Belief and Divine Kingship in Early Ptolemaic Egypt: the Case of Ptolemy II Philadelphus and Arsinoe II
    XXIII/2015/1/Studie Belief in Belief and Divine Kingship in Early Ptolemaic Egypt: The Case of Ptolemy II Philadelphus and Arsinoe II NICKOLAS P. ROUBEKAS* “I never cease to wonder, in dialogues with such people, whether they are really saying what they mean or meaning what they say.” Christopher Hitchens1 In his recent book, Coping with the Gods: Wayward Readings in Greek Theology (2011), Henk Versnel dedicates the sixth and last chapter to a question that for many years has bedeviled historians of religion that deal with the Graeco-Roman world: Did the Greeks believe in the divinity of their rulers? The conquests of Alexander the Great created a new political status quo rather innovative for the traditional Greek conception of politi- cal administration. The emergence and consolidation of kingship as the ideal and dominant form of government, which Alexander established fol- lowing the political traditions of the east, maintained its legitimacy after his death and was adopted by his successors, who inherited and segmented the vast empire. Kingship would constitute the only acceptable form of political rule for centuries to come. Following Alexander’s example, these monarchs were eventually deified. But did this deification of kings actu- ally have an impact on the religious life of the people? Did this deification generate religious belief? Versnel’s question lies at the core of the prob- lematic nature of these religio/political developments, which were rapidly spreading in all the newly formulated kingdoms of the post-Alexander era. Egypt constituted the most significant Hellenistic kingdom, where divine honors were offered to the Ptolemies, the dynasty that ruled Egypt from Alexander’s death to the coming of Rome.
    [Show full text]
  • Cleopatra Was the Last Pharaoh of Egypt, and the Last of the Ptolemy Dynasty of Egyptian Rulers
    CLEOPATRA WAS THE LAST PHARAOH OF EGYPT, AND THE LAST OF THE PTOLEMY DYNASTY OF EGYPTIAN RULERS Cleopatra VII Background: The Ptolemaic dynasty was a Macedonian Greek royal family, which ruled the Ptolemaic Kingdom in Egypt during the Hellenistic period. Their rule lasted for 275 years, from 305 BC to 30 BC. They were the last dynasty of ancient Egypt. Ptolemy, one of the seven somatophylakes (bodyguards) who served as Alexander the Great's generals and deputies, was appointed governor of Egypt after Alexander's death in 323 BC. In 305 BC, he declared himself Ptolemy I. The Egyptians soon accepted the Ptolemy’s as the successors to the pharaohs of independent Egypt. Ptolemy's family ruled Egypt until the Roman conquest of 30 BC. The most famous member of the line was the last queen, Cleopatra VII. The timeline of the life of Cleopatra VII: Cleopatra VII was born in early 69 BC in Alexandria, Egypt. The name Cleopatra symbolises ‘glory of the father’. She was one of the five children of Ptolemy XII and Cleopatra V of Egypt. There is no record of Cleopatra's mother after her birth, leaving her father to be her primary influence. Her sibling’s names included Berenike IV, Arsinoe IV, Ptolemy XIII and Ptolemy XIV. In 58 BC, her father Ptolemy XII was expelled from Egypt and fled to Rome with Cleopatra VII. His other daughter Berenike IV seized the throne in his absence, but by 55 BC, Rome’s leaders reinstalled him, and executed Berenike IV, making Cleopatra VII the next in line for the throne.
    [Show full text]