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Egypt 3: The Cities

Egypt 3: The Cities. Administration. Important: pp. 54-62 c. 201: Septimius Severus: all nome capitals polis -status (before only Ptolemais , Naucratis, Alex., Antinoopolis ) Introduction of boule (city council): esp. for tax collection by land-owning elite.

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Egypt 3: The Cities

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  1. Egypt 3: The Cities

  2. Administration Important: pp. 54-62 c. 201: Septimius Severus: all nome capitals polis-status (before only Ptolemais, Naucratis, Alex., Antinoopolis) Introduction of boule(city council): esp. for tax collection by land-owning elite

  3. Administration Cities before Diocletian Mix of Greek, Egyptian and Roman elements Greek: • City councils (boulai) • Magistrates: euergetism • gymnasial/councillor class (bouleutai) Egyptian: • Division in nomes (districts), strategos Roman: -toplayer above Egyptian-Greek administration, e.g. prefect and other high officials in Alex.

  4. Tasks of councillors: • Tax collection • Magistratural functions: - Exegetes: accounting for status • Gymnasium (e.g. gymnasiarch) • Food supplies (e.g. agoranomos) Appointed by council and had to report back to them * Also special public events, such as festivals, visits of emperors etc.

  5. Changes Diocletian ‘decline’ of boule > better perceived as ‘transformation’! • Changes in city itself: gymnasium losing central place in city in favour of other forms of amusement, e.g. horses; religious functions (e.g. archiereus) taken over by functions in Church • Early fourth-century administrative changes: Introduction of logistes (curator civitatis); strategos> exactor; riparius: public order; defensorcivitatis: justice -

  6. In general: Shift away from council to curial class (curiales/politeuomenoi) Basically the councillors in Late Antiquity are only involved in tax collection • Countryside: Toparchies replaced with muncipalities (pagi); at head: praeposituspagi(councillor class) > ‘decline of nome system’

  7. What changed for the elite: ‘growing power but diminished autonomy’ Because of this three-tired system, imperial government not very present, except e.g. through army

  8. Provinces of Egypt • 298, Diocletian: Egypt and Thebaid • 314/5: Herculia, Iovia, Thebaid • 322: Herculia, Mercuriana, Iovia, Thebaid • 324: Egypt, Thebaid • 341: Augustamnica, Egypt, Thebaid • 381: Augustamnica, Egypt, Thebaid Head of these provinces: praeses 381: creation of Egypt as diocese with Augustal Prefect above other praesides • 397-ca. 500: Augustamnica, Egypt, Arcadia, Thebaid * 6th cent.: 6 or 7 provinces; from 539 dux et augustalis

  9. Landowning elite Concentration of wealth but not undifferentiated unity: • Small landowners: < 10 arouras (ca. 40-50% of all holders) Cannot live off these lands: civil/military service, other occupations • Middle group: 11-100 arouras (ca. 40 %) Not dependent on occupation; civil service - Large land holders: > 100 arouras (ca. 10%): rich; councillor class

  10. Extensive lands in the countryside, sometimes spread over several pagi • Staples, such as grain • Other: ships, town houses etc. In general about 5-10% of city population could live off lands owned For further details read pp. 68-78

  11. What did the rest of the population do? • Production (food, shelter, clothing, technology) e.g. processing and milling of grain, meat and fish etc. Construction business, textile industry etc. Metal working etc. • Distribution: market centre for food and drink, cf. Mediterranean market places, highly specialised • Services: transportation (e.g. on Nile); slaves

  12. Women • Patriarchal society (though not as bleak as classical Greece): position depended on family, wealth and social position • Owning and leasing of land Ca. 8.5 % of land holders were women • Lower classes: shops, domestic service etc. Widows and orphans not socially accepted

  13. Greek education and culture • Mostly councillors, but exception are e.g. wealthy athletes • Education system: • Grammatistes • Secondary eduction: grammatikos • Educational institution: gymnasium, only accessible to gymnasial class Ca. 14 years: ephebes Also sports: local, but also trans-regional (Panopolis), or even international (Olympic Games)

  14. High culture Main centres: Panopolis, Hermopolis, Oxyrhynchus • Full-time philosophers • Little evidence for libraries, but large amount of literary works seem to have come from Panopolis (Bodmer collection, perhaps Chester Beatty) • Main development: incorporation of Christian literature and use as part of Christian education

  15. Other changes: gymnasium > circus (cf. before on ‘decline of the council’ ‘Wider Horizons’: • Group of poets from Egyptian nome capitals, ‘Wandering Poets’: Olympiodorus of Thebes; Nonnus(Dionysiaca), Cyrus of Panopolis (consul 441)

  16. SB III 6222 (Dec. 301?)

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