Egypt in the age of Cleopatra : history and society under the Ptolemies
Few other civilizations rival ancient Egypt in its power to capture the modern imagination, and Cleopatra VII, monarch at the end of the Ptolemaic period, has always been preeminent among its cast of characters. Coming to power just before the unstable state was about to be absorbed into an autocratic empire, Cleopatra oversaw not only Egypt's progress as an influential regional power but also the fragile peace of its ethnically mixed population. Michel Chauveau looks at many facets of life under this queen and her dynasty, drawing on such sources as firsthand accounts, numismatics, and Greek, Demotic, and hieroglyphic inscriptions. His use of such sources helps to free the narrative of dependence on later Greek and Roman historians. By taking up such subjects as funeral customs, language and writing, social class structure, religion, and administration, he affords the reader a picture of Greek and Egyptian life in both the cities and the countryside. --From publisher's description
vii, 226 pages : illustrations, map ; 24 cm
9780801435973, 9780801485763, 0801435978, 0801485762
42578681
Historical perspective
Greek pharaohs and their subjects
Cities and countryside
Economy and society
Priests and temples
Living on the death of others
Soldiers and peasants
Two languages, two cultures, three writing systems