Book contents
- Roman Egypt
- Roman Egypt
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Illustrations
- Maps
- Boxes
- Contributors
- Preface
- Chronology
- Maps
- 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
- Epilogue
- Glossary
- Bibliography
- Index
4 - The making of Late Antique Egypt
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 19 August 2021
- Roman Egypt
- Roman Egypt
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Illustrations
- Maps
- Boxes
- Contributors
- Preface
- Chronology
- Maps
- 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
- Epilogue
- Glossary
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
The reorganization of the empire and administrative reforms of the emperor Diocletian at the end of the third century brought changes to Egypt, particularly in taxation and coinage, now more similar to those elsewhere in the empire. Alexandria suffered yet more damage in the revolt of Domitius Domitianus, and rebuilding took many years. The civic elite reached its peak of influence in this period, but by the fifth century its lower and middle ranks were losing ground to the wealthiest, and new fortunes were being founded on salaried careers in the imperial administration. The Christian church became a major institutional power after the end of persecutions, developing a large network of churches, clergy, monasteries, and then charitable institutions such as hospitals. A Christian educational culture and Coptic literary culture began to develop, as well. At the same time, there were signs of a rebirth of a visible Jewish community in Egypt.
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- Roman EgyptA History, pp. 169 - 224Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2021