Hellenistic Egypt brings together for the first time the writings of the preeminent historian, papyrologist, and epigraphist Jean Bingen. These essays, first published by Bingen from 1970 to 1999, make a distinctive contribution to the historiography of Hellenistic Egypt, a period in ancient Egypt extending from its conquest by Alexander the Great in 332 B.C. until its annexation as a province of the Roman Empire by Octavian (later Augustus) in 30 B.C., after his defeat of Mark Antony and Cleopatra. Ruled by Ptolemaic kings during this period, Hellenistic Egypt was a sophisticated, rich, and fertile country. Its history is intimately bound up with the history of the Mediterranean as a whole, yet parts of that history remain relatively obscure and open to debate. New evidence, particularly from papyri, emerges frequently and shifts our understanding and interpretation of this significant time. For the last six decades Jean Bingen has been a leading editor and interpreter of such evidence. In particular his work on the Ptolemaic monarchy and economy, which illustrates how the Greeks and Egyptians interacted, has transformed the field and influenced all subsequent work. Historian and classicist Roger Bagnall has selected and introduced Bingen’s most important essays on this topic.

Copub: Edinburgh University Press

Jean Bingen is Emeritus Professor of Greek at the Free University of Brussels. As the most distinguished living historian of Hellenistic Egypt, he has published numerous articles and reviews over sixty years of research.

Roger Bagnall is Professor of Classics and History at Columbia University. His books include The Administration of the Ptolemaic Possessions outside Egypt, Egypt in Late Antiquity, and The Demography of Roman Egypt.

“A valuable addition to university libraries.”—Choice

“Welcome and illuminating and provides the reader with a clear picture of Hellenistic Egypt as a unique bicultural society. . . . A book that will doubtless prove encouraging and inspirational reading for future generations of scholars of Hellenistic Egypt. . . . One hopes that this first collection of some of his most important works will not be the last.”—Bryn Mawr Classical Review

"The most comprehensive account of the economy, society, and culture of Hellenistic Egypt available in English."—J.G. Manning, author of Land and Power in Ptolemaic Egypt: The Structure of Land Tenure