From the Ptolemies to the Romans : Political and Economic Change in Egypt

This Book Gives A Structured Account Of Egypt's Transition From Ptolemaic To Roman Rule By Identifying Key Relationships Between Ecology, Land Tenure, Taxation, Administration And Politics. It Introduces Theoretical Perspectives From The Social Sciences And Subjects Them To Empirical Scrutiny Using Data From Greek And Demotic Papyri As Well As Comparative Evidence. Although Building On Recent Scholarship, It Offers Some Provocative Arguments That Challenge Prevailing Views. For Example, Patterns Of Land Ownership Are Linked To Population Density And Are Seen As One Aspect Of Continuity Between The Ptolemaic And Roman Period. Fiscal Reform, By Contrast, Emerges As A Significant Mechanism Of Change Not Only In The Agrarian Economy But Also In The Administrative System And The Whole Social Structure. Anyone Seeking To Understand The Impact Of Roman Rule In The Hellenistic East Must Consider The Well-attested Processes In Egypt That This Book Seeks To Explain-- This Book Gives A Structured Account Of Egypt's Transition From Ptolemaic To Roman Rule By Identifying Key Relationships Between Ecology, Land Tenure, Taxation, Administration, And Politics. It Introduces Theoretical Perspectives From The Social Sciences And Subjects Them To Empirical Scrutiny Using Data From Greek And Demotic Papyri As Well As Comparative Evidence. Although Building On Recent Scholarship, It Offers Some Provocative Arguments That Challenge Prevailing Views. For Example, Patterns Of Land Ownership Are Linked To Population Density And Are Seen As One Aspect Of Continuity Between The Ptolemaic And Roman Period. Fiscal Reform, By Contrast, Emerges As A Significant Mechanism Of Change Not Only In The Agrarian Economy But Also In The Administrative System And The Whole Social Structure. Anyone Seeking To Understand The Impact Of Roman Rule In The Hellenistic East Must Consider The Well-attested Processes In Egypt That This Book Seeks To Explain-- Machine Generated Contents Note: Preface; Part I. Introduction: 1. The Political Economy Of Egypt; 2. Geography And Population; Part Ii. The Land Tenure Regime: 3. The Regionalism Of Land Tenure; 4. The Continuity Of Agrarian Institutions; Part Iii. Fiscal And Administrative Reforms: 5. Land Taxation And The Economy; 6. Administration And Redistribution; Part Iv. The Politics Of Economic Change: 7. The Impact Of Empire; 8. Conclusion. Andrew Monson. Includes Bibliographical References And Indexes. FROM THE PTOLEMIES TO THE ROMANS 2 Title 4 Copyright 5 Dedication 6 Contents 8 List of tables and figures 9 Preface 12 Abbreviations and notes on the text 15 Greek and Egyptian words 16 Money and measures 17 Map of Egypt 18 PART I: Introduction 22 CHAPTER 1: The political economy of Egypt 24 INTRODUCTION 24 THE AGRARIAN ECONOMY 27 FROM PTOLEMAIC TO ROMAN RULE 31 THE ECONOMICS OF PROPERTY RIGHTS 37 POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 42 EVIDENCE AND MODELS 48 CHAPTER 2: Geography and population 54 INTRODUCTION 54 ESTIMATING POPULATION DENSITY 57 THE ANCIENT EVIDENCE 58 COMPARISONS WITH MODERN EGYPT 64 AGRICULTURAL GEOGRAPHY 70 POTENTIAL COUNTEREVIDENCE 76 DEMOGRAPHIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE 79 CONCLUSION 89 PART II: The land-tenure regime 92 CHAPTER 3: The regionalism of land tenure 94 INTRODUCTION 94 PTOLEMAIC LAND CLASSIFICATION 96 THE PTOLEMAIC NILE VALLEY 100 THE PTOLEMAIC FAYYUM 107 ROMAN LAND CLASSIFICATION 114 THE ROMAN NILE VALLEY 117 THE ROMAN FAYYUM AND DELTA 123 CONCLUSION 127 CHAPTER 4: The continuity of agrarian institutions 129 INTRODUCTION 129 PRIVATE LAND IN ANCIENT EGYPT 131 LAND MARKETS AND SOCIAL STATUS 135 PROPERTY RIGHTS AND PUBLIC RECORDS 143 LAND TENURE ON TEMPLE ESTATES 152 CUSTOMARY TENURE ON STATE LAND 162 CONCLUSION 174 PART III: Fiscal and administrative reform 178 CHAPTER 5: Land taxation and investment 180 INTRODUCTION 180 HARVEST TAXES IN PTOLEMAIC EGYPT 183 PTOLEMAIC LAND TAXES 193 FISCAL REFORM IN ROMAN EGYPT 205 INCENTIVES FOR LAND INVESTMENT 212 COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVES 220 CONCLUSION 227 CHAPTER 6: Administration and redistribution 230 INTRODUCTION 230 EGYPTIAN TEMPLES AND PRIESTLY OFFICES 233 TEMPLE REVENUE UNDER ROMAN RULE 239 THE PTOLEMAIC ROYAL BUREAUCRACY 248 ROMAN COMPULSORY SERVICES 257 CONCLUSION 266 PART IV: The politics of economic change 268 CHAPTER 7: The impact of empire 270 INTRODUCTION 270 FISCAL REGIMES AND INSTABILITY 272 MONITORING STATE AGENTS 277 STATUS AND PRIVILEGE 283 CONCLUSION 293 CHAPTER 8: Conclusion 296 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 296 CONTINUITY AND CHANGE 303 CONCLUSION 309 Bibliography 311 Index of sources 351 A. LITERARY TEXTS 351 B. INSCRIPTIONS 351 C. PAPYRI AND OSTRACA 352 General index 357 Historians, classicists, Egyptologists, and social scientists will discover in this book how the Ptolemies and the Romans transformed Egypt's traditional agrarian institutions and social structure. The analysis weaves political and economic theory with evidence from contracts, tax records and official documents to determine what influence politics had on the economy.