Greeks in Ptolemaic Egypt: Case Studies in the Social History of the Hellenistic World

Abstract

The extensive conquests of Alexander the Great were followed by a flood of greek migration into lands formerly ruled by Persia, among them, Egypt. The survival of Egyptian family archives makes it possible to study the fortunes of some of these immigrants with an immediacy unmatched by any other ancient source. These archives tell such stories as the engineer Kleon's battle with problems of irrigation and silting, while the district officer Diophanes deals with disputes arising from the mutual hostility between the Greek and Persian populations. The Egyptians, Menkhes the village clerk and Peteharsemtheus the soldier gain priviliges enjoyed by the Greeks through such service, while Greek cavalry officer Dryton marries an Egyptian, and his descendants begin to lose their Greek identity. Through these and other case studies, Naphtali Lewis presents us with a vivid recreation of life in Ptolemaic Egypt.