Hellenistic Egypt: Monarchy, Society, Economy, Culture

(Hardback)

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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.

Author Bio

Jean Bingen is Emeritus Professor of Greek at the Free University of Brussels and the most distinguished living historian of Hellenistic Egypt. Over 60 years of research he has published numerous articles and reports, and remains active. He was, for example, a leading figure in the Mons Claudianus excavation of 1987-93. Roger S. Bagnall is Professor of Classics and History at Columbia University. His books include The Administration of Ptolemaic Possessions (1976), Egypt in Late Antiquity (Princeton 1993) and The Demography of Roman Egypt (Cambridge 1994).