Roman Egypt
A History

A new, highly accessible history of ancient Egypt under Roman rule, supported by numerous illustrations and quotations from primary sources.

Roger S. Bagnall (Edited by)

9781108949002, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 9 September 2021

412 pages, 4 b/w illus. 70 colour illus. 6 maps
24.4 x 17 x 2.1 cm, 0.81 kg

Egypt played a crucial role in the Roman Empire for seven centuries. It was wealthy and occupied a strategic position between the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean worlds, while its uniquely fertile lands helped to feed the imperial capitals at Rome and then Constantinople. The cultural and religious landscape of Egypt today owes much to developments during the Roman period, including in particular the forms taken by Egyptian Christianity. Moreover, we have an abundance of sources for its history during this time, especially because of the recovery of vast numbers of written texts giving an almost uniquely detailed picture of its society, economy, government, and culture. This book, the work of six historians and archaeologists from Egypt, the US, and the UK, provides students and a general audience with a readable new history of the period and includes many illustrations of art, archaeological sites, and documents, and quotations from primary sources.

1. Laying the foundations for Roman Egypt
2. The coming of Roman rule
3. Development and crisis in a Roman province
4. The making of Late Antique Egypt
5. Divergence and division
6. The Persians, the Arab conquest, and another transformation of Egypt.

Subject Areas: Church history [HRCC2], Classical Greek & Roman archaeology [HDDK], Egyptian archaeology / Egyptology [HDDG], Ancient history: to c 500 CE [HBLA]