In the first of a new series covering the rise and fall of Egypt’s last Pharaonic Dynasty, Sarah Griffiths explores the beginnings of Ptolemaic Egypt, one of the most remarkable and complex periods in Egyptian history.
Egypt 332 BC. For just over a decade, the country had suffered under a second period of Persian rule. Unlike the previous Persian Period (during which time Herodotus paid a visit c. 450 BC), the Persians were not content to allow ‘business as usual’ and risk another native revolt. Having briefly lost control of the wealthy but troublesome country to a resurgence of native Egyptian power (ending with the Thirtieth Dynasty king Nectanebo II), the Persians, now under Darius III, began a far more repressive regime. So when Alexander III ‘The Great’ arrived in Egypt in 332 BC, having defeated Darius the previous year, he appears to have been welcomed by the native Egyptians.
To the Macedonians, the right to rule any territory was based on conquest – a ‘spear-won’ right (although in this instance, the Persian satrap in Egypt had offered no resistance). However, to be acceptable to the Egyptians, Alexander made a trip to the Siwa Oasis oracle to be declared the son of Amun, and ordered a much needed temple restoration programme. He was crowned at Memphis and had himself depicted at Luxor Temple as a traditional pharaoh offering to the gods, taking the standard royal titles.
A new capital city was required (named of course after Alexander), one facing out to the Hellenistic world around the Mediterranean, at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and Africa. Alexander himself chose the site – close to the Nile but protected from the inundation, with a natural double harbour and deep anchorage, and a site already familiar to the Greeks from Homer’s Odyssey.
The Wars of the Successors
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Bu hikaye Ancient Egypt dergisinin Issue 98 sayısından alınmıştır.
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INSIDE THE STEP PYRAMID OF DJOSER
Sean McLachlan explores the recently reopened interior of this iconic Third Dynasty Saqqara monument.
PER MESUT: for younger readers
She Who Loves Silence
Highlights of the Manchester Museum 29: An Offering by Queen Tiye for her Husband
Campbell Price describes an offering table with a touching significance.
Highlights Of The Manchester Museum 28: Busts Of Jesse And Marianne Haworth
Campbell Price describes the significance of two statue busts on display in the Museum.
TAKABUTI, the Belfast Mummy
Rosalie David and Eileen Murphy explain how scientific examination of the ‘Belfast Mummy’ is revealing much new information about her life and times.
Lost Golden City
An Egyptian Mission searching for the mortuary temple of Tutankhamun has discovered a settlement – “The Dazzling of Aten” – described as the largest city ever found in Egypt (see above). Finds bearing the cartouches of Amenhotep III (see opposite, top) date the settlement to his reign, c. 1390-1352 BC – making it about 3400 years old.
Jerusalem's Survival, Sennacharib's Departure and the Kushite Role in 701 BCE: An Examination of Henry Aubin's Rescue of Jerusalem
BOOK REVIEWS
Golden Mummies of Egypt: Interpreting Identities from the Graeco-Roman Period by Campbell Price
BOOK REVIEWS
Old And New Kingdom Discoveries At Saqqara
An Egyptian team working on a Sixth Dynasty pyramid complex near the Teti pyramid at Saqqara has made a series of important discoveries.
Map Of Egypt
What’s in a name? It is easy for us to forget that the names we associate with the pyramids – such as the Meidum Pyramid, the Bent Pyramid or the Black Pyramid – would have been meaningless to their builders.