Hellenistic Egypt : monarchy, society, economy, culture / [electronic resource]
Bingen, Jean,author.
Bagnall, Roger S.,editor.
Hellenistic Egypt was a society created by Macedonian rule of the ancient civilisation of Egypt. It is framed by Alexander the Great at one end and Cleopatra VII at the other. This book sums up a lifetime of Jean Bingen's work on understanding how this state and its monarchy were created and sustained, how Greeks and Egyptians formed separate and yet connected parts of the society, and how the peculiar circumstances of the Ptolemaic kingdom created both opportunities and insoluble tensions. Like all of Bingen's work, it is marked by the influence of cultural sociology but is rooted in a deep knowledge of the Greek world. It is essential reading for students and accessible and fascinating reading for the general public interested in ancient history. It is introduced by Roger S. Bagnall and ends with a conclusion by Jean Bingen in which he reflects on the course of the history of Ptolemaic Egypt during the twentieth century.  
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 02 Oct 2015).
Introduction ---- Part I. The Monarchy. 1. Ptolemy I and the quest for legitimacy --- 2. Ptolemy III and Philae: snapshot of a reign, a temple, and a cult --- 3. The dynastic politics of Cleopatra VII --- 4. Cleopatra VII Philopatris --- 5. Cleopatra, the diadem and the image ---- Part II. The Greeks. 6. The Thracians in Ptolemaic Egypt --- 7. The Ptolemaic papyri and the Achaean diaspora --- 8. The Greek presence and the Ptolemaic rural setting --- 9. The urban milieu in the Egyptian countryside during the Ptolemaic period --- 10. Kerkeosiris and its Greeks in the second century --- 11. The cavalry settlers of the Herakleopolite in the first century --- 12. Two royal ordinances of the first century and the Alexandrians ---- Part III. The Royal Economy. 13. The Revenue Laws Papyrus: Greek tradition and Hellenistic adaptation --- 14. The structural tensions of Ptolemaic society --- 15. The third-century land leases from Tholthis ---- Part IV. Greeks and Egyptians. 16. Greek economy and Egyptian society in the third century --- 17. Greeks and Egyptians in PSI V 502 --- 18. Graeco-Roman Egypt and the question of cultural interaction --- 19. Normality and distinctiveness in the epigraphy of Greek and Roman Egypt ---- Conclusion.
Hellenistic Egypt was a society created by Macedonian rule of the ancient civilisation of Egypt. It is framed by Alexander the Great at one end and Cleopatra VII at the other. This book sums up a lifetime of Jean Bingen's work on understanding how this state and its monarchy were created and sustained, how Greeks and Egyptians formed separate and yet connected parts of the society, and how the peculiar circumstances of the Ptolemaic kingdom created both opportunities and insoluble tensions. Like all of Bingen's work, it is marked by the influence of cultural sociology but is rooted in a deep knowledge of the Greek world. It is essential reading for students and accessible and fascinating reading for the general public interested in ancient history. It is introduced by Roger S. Bagnall and ends with a conclusion by Jean Bingen in which he reflects on the course of the history of Ptolemaic Egypt during the twentieth century.  
Ptolemaic dynasty, 305-30 B.C.
Hellenistic Egypt.