Ptolemaic Egypt - Summary Notes

From Satrapy to Kingdom

  • Ptolemaic Egypt transitioned from a satrapy to a kingdom.
  • The Hellenistic world in the 3rd century BC included:
    • Antigonid kingdom
    • Seleucid kingdom
    • Ptolemaic kingdom
  • Key features of the map:
    • Approximate borders of kingdoms/provinces/satrapies/leagues
    • Capitals and locations of cities/tribes/leagues

Family Values

  • Rules of Succession:
    • Complex family dynamics and marriages within the Ptolemaic dynasty influenced succession.
    • Figures like Ptolemy I, Berenice I, Arsinoe II, and others played key roles.
  • Royal Divinity:
    • Ptolemaic rulers were granted divine honors.
    • Images of the king were placed in temples alongside principal gods.
    • Example: "Rosetta Stone" (196 BCE).
    • Rosetta Stone states, "It was resolved by the priests of all the temples in the land to increase greatly the existing honors of King Ptolemy…and to set up in the most prominent place of every temple an image of the ever-living King Ptolemy…"

Cities, Villages and Temples

  • Map of Ptolemaic Egypt (c. 270 BC):
    • Shows the extent of Ptolemaic control.
    • Locations of major cities and regions (e.g., Alexandria, Memphis, Thebes).
  • Key Locations:
    • Alexandria
    • Memphis
    • Thebai

Foreign Policy

  • Cyrene:
    • Citizenship defined by Cyrenaean parentage or origin from specific regions.
    • Involved a body of 10,000 citizens, including exiles who met certain criteria.
    • "Citizens shall be men born from a Cyrenaean father and a Cyrenaean mother…"
  • Syrian Wars:
    • Series of conflicts (e.g., First Syrian War: 274–271 BCE) between the Ptolemaic and Seleucid empires for control of Syria and surrounding territories.
  • Delian League:
    • Sostratos son of Dexiphanes of Knidos shall be praised because of his virtue and his loyalty, which he has continually demonstrated towards king Ptolemy and the islanders, and he shall be crowned with a golden crown, worth 3,000 Alexandrian Drachmae…"

Greeks and Egyptians

  • Cultural Identity:
    • Ptolemaic rulers celebrated their Macedonian heritage.
    • Example: Posidippus 88 AB references Ptolemy's Eordaean descent and chariot race victory.
  • Legal and Social Interactions:
    • Legal integration: Cases involving Egyptians and Greeks were addressed differently based on the language of contracts (Greek vs. Egyptian).
    • Greeks being of higher status than Egyptians - \"I need you, king, if it seems best to you, to not overlook me, having been treated with hybris so outrageously by an Egyptian woman—I, being a Greek and a foreigner—and to tell Diophanes, the general, so that she may appear at trial with me about these matters, and if the things presented in my petition prove true, she may pay the penalty upon which the general decides\" P. Enteux. 79 (218 BCE)