062: Ptolemaic Egypt - Egyptians in a Greek Land

The Hellenistic Age Podcast

History

4.7 • 558 Ratings

🗓️ 1 August 2021

⏱️ 46 minutes

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Summary

The conquest of Egypt by Alexander and establishment of the Ptolemaic dynasty differed from previous foreign invaders like the Hyksos or the Persians. While the Ptolemies would very much present themselves as traditional pharaohs, they would bring thousands of Greek immigrants, founded poleis, and imported Greek culture en masse. For the indigenous Egyptians, Ptolemaic rule required them to live with two "faces": those like Manetho, an Egyptian priest of Amun-Ra who composed an influential history of Egypt in Greek known as the "Aegyptiaca", would continue to work under the new regime. Others were able to exploit "Hellenization" as a means of advancement, seen in the archives of the mixed Greco-Egyptian military family of Dryton and Senmonthis-Apollonia, revealing the complexities of ethnic and cultural identity. But we also can see the tensions between the Greek and Egyptian communities, which could explode in bouts of violence and rebellion. In this episode we look to see how the Egyptians responded to the arrival of a new political, social, and cultural elite. Show Links Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2021/08/01/062-ptolemaic-egypt-egyptians-in-a-greek-land/) Episode 062 Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2021/07/062-ptolemaic-egypt-egyptians-in-a-greek-land-transcript.pdf) The History of Africa Podcast Website (https://historyofafricapodcast.blogspot.com/) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi there, you're listening to the Hellenistic Age podcast.
0:12.3	Episode 62, Ptolemaic Egypt, Egyptians in a Greek land.
0:30.3	For thousands of years, since the first gods emerged from the primordial waters of creation,
0:33.8	Egypt has been the envy of all those who gazed upon it.
0:39.3	While it had been centuries since the glory days of Tutmos or Ramesses, the children of the red and black lands nevertheless held fast to their traditions and history with proud hearts,
0:44.3	undeterred by outside invaders.
0:46.3	The Hicksos, the Nubians, the Persians.
0:50.3	Ignorant as they may have been, they either fell into the alluring embrace of Egyptian culture,
0:54.7	were too small to make an impact, or were far enough away to either ignore or revolt against.
1:00.6	But the arrival of the kings from across the Great Green, the Argiate and Ptolemaic dynasties
1:05.6	of Macedonia, were quite different. While the Ptolemy's were eager to insert themselves into the traditional
1:11.3	role of Pharaoh, they brought with them tens of thousands of settlers from their homelands,
1:16.4	constructed new Greek-styled cities on a colossal scale and scope, and seemed to reshape the land
1:21.9	at their whim. This all came at a price, which was to be paid for through the exploitation of
1:27.3	the Gifts of the Nile,
1:28.3	and through a new tax regime designed to squeeze as much revenue from the peoples of Egypt as possible.
1:34.3	In this episode, I want to look at the other side of Hellenistic Egypt to see how the native Egyptians
1:40.3	reacted and responded to the arrival of a new political, social, and cultural elite.
1:46.9	Of all the lands that Alexander took from the Persian Empire, Egypt proved to be the easiest
1:51.6	to oversee the smooth transition of power from Persian satraps to Greek governors.
1:57.1	His death then opened the door for Ptolemy I to first to claim Egypt as a spear won prize, using his great wealth combined with military forces to secure his control,
2:06.2	establishing a dynasty that lasted 300 years.
	...

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