The good official of Ptolemaic Egypt

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English Pages 195-202 [8] Year 1978

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Polecaj historie

The good official of Ptolemaic Egypt

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If then the EgYPtian io in use to designate or rather his source, .

rtury there existed in :spondedforthe most g no innovations, but the Greeks certainlY ro reâson to denY that rief administrator of a uffered some decline:

lministration and the s

under the control of

l strâtegos in the civil of the second centurY

Nevertheless it is r post concemed with rte that when Hadrian mwhichwas âttached rfficial who was Put in 63. Thus in the second omarch, revived with 160.

rour l'ÉgYPte entière/ Plus

rlement vous demander si

'the same title as a higher npelling reason to suppose subordinates. e wâs never at one and the night fínd a text next week

¡died this question. ou have to reckon with the

lioiketai, and that from an

according to

DorothY l. Ctawfoñ

EGYPT THE GOOD OFFICIAL OF PTOLEMAIC Inc.r3SB.C.theEgyptianc]owlfarmersofthesmallFayumvillageofoxyrhynchawroteto t'tt"ãi't'icland superintendent of the rfr"îîng, oç phanias, one of tt",ii?åt'iri"nar""n"-ntG.of of the extortions of certain ThZ protection"ã-pUitt ôvcrotgecpo¡'révtrrv' men who ïevenues, asking for his 'e"i,t*;ip'"Àiot' at all d;,*;þ;'Óv pù ô¡ò toú Be)'tíotou tot to whose officials instructions of the olQcr'fnYóç

"or¿*"ii, that deal tfansgress both the regularions

*üt "r"ø

, tg6z,73-88' des íl+zZ f.; I.D' Thomas, Akten with f', rg7r, Marburg 4oo ¡ses

"ï:Hiräiî;r"Jffi*:i.ï1"*¿

,"fflJ"iïål'jl,iyånîtffi, .rîilï

which prãao""r.ro"rt "t *t"*"rv, working of this of the ptolemaic administration against ,'r*"ãirr rnd êfficient which'*irit"t"d ptoteä"i"-ro"i",v pïessuïes of administrative structure ? by the peasants Theideologyofthegoodofficialisfrequentlyexpressed,indirectivestotheofficials,whetherfrom complaints made against them tt from or superior, he shouldbe immediate their "ir=.ãrr"r"isn,^in care, f¡ töv ö)"rov qpovtíçs, of the official was universal duty The deåees. keenness and inhonorific gooa*irl, tti"åtä" foresight' æsóvorcre' nooícprl.oE6,

"rd ";ilibi;

or;;;;;;ir,,ri

q,r"titi",

r

sarcasticallY.

P. Tebt. 786-

the- phrase,ô-no tou laslaT B'C'\¡ for q/ B' c')'

, ði.-Àêu v6s, 4 s-8 17 6' t z f3tt*-; auoáe"popéntov cf ' BGU tl^-,: s.g. P.Tebt. 777, r8-r9 (early second centuryL'économre .U. Préaux' cl' of di""ttion " i.i .rt" .-".ii""t 5

(

s

royale des Lagides (r93o) 5t4-557 (r6aB'c')t cf' P'Tebt' 33' r7 tilv peviotr¡v

ratufe.

, viltto,so-ãr rtionsdes Séleucides 1r954)

299- 3oo.

(r938) rz9; J'

*nltn"

force should not anow the use of ro pfevent such extortion; thev full in pay their rents way the farmers *itt u" able to ittis r" itoo'' threshing against the farmers ;1;" of the probrem which peririons2, introduces manv sides interest' may the appeal made to the king's i"t*""' ,rt" *nr"rr"" Th;l;;i the man here. concerns me "pp""l' "r p;ti;i"";i thJ officiat ä'tn" 'man in the middle"' highlight' the also it be standards but ã"p",ta"ao" his subiects' And if 'h" p"sition gr i.ingt rrre subiects+. ¡r*""r the contentment between the king and his exploitation;both the labour and ia, *", i''i, irrt"r"r. and the good main protection king,s "ão"omic on their side needed the "oi*try rnã io'tttir. f""'""ts *"*îrrã"rr"i peasants the of the *"t" irt"t" "sed bv king to look king, as much as h. "åäüt"ï;;;ilõ?"tit as much the of sovernment p""'""ts; it wãsî""""'y thæ they áollected of the oith" those protecting whiist co-operation after his interests, *"' Ëo-patible with the continuing to profit in the form of ,"nts and taxes "' *ould refuse co-operâte; if they p""'""t' th" ttl"g'sbeh"1f ttt" on peâsants. If they weä oï"i-r""fot, *" difficult but with good r.mg *ìîrã iã ãirpt""r"a irrä n"rtiiã,, trr" peasant, rhe to were over-kind ;iects - the balance could be ttre t