With updated documents including papyri, inscriptions and ostraka, this book casts fresh and original light on the administration and economy issues faced with the transition of Egypt from an allied kingdom of Rome to a province of the Roman Empire

Casting a fresh and original light on the subject, this excellent monograph focuses on the transition of Egypt from the status of allied kingdom of Rome, to that of a province of the Roman Empire from the point of view of the administration and economy. Using updated documents including papyri, inscriptions, ostraka and a map of Egypt under Roman rule, the book investigates the period of Cleopatra's reign in the 50s BC to the death of Tiberius in AD 37, what areas underwent changes, where Ptolemaic traditions were allowed to continue and takes into consideration fiscal and financial issues and the consequences of Roman taxation, landholding and currency. Augustan Egypt includes key topics such as: the univestigated area of the fate of the Ptolemaic soldiers after the Roman conquest; a new interpretation of the data on the beginning of the Roman census in Egypt; the administration of Egypt under Augustus, from the top officials down to the chora; the changes in law and jurisdiction; and how the nome capitals of Egypt became cities of Graeco-Roman type. This is an excellent study reference for all students and scholars of ancient history.

Egypt is by far the best-documented province of the Roman Empire. The dryness of its climate means that an enormous number of literary and documentary papyri have survived - a unique, reliable and lively source that documents Egypt in more detail than any other Roman province. Hitherto these have not been used extensively by Roman historians, on the erroneous assumption that Egypt is somehow 'atypical' as a Roman province. However, scholars now agree that Egypt should be devoted more attention by anyone interested in the history of the Roman Empire. This book offers a first approach to the subject, presenting a survey of the most important aspects of life in the province under Roman domination, from the conquest by Octavian in 30 BC to the third century AD, as they emerge from the micro-level of the Egyptian papyri and inscriptions, but also from the ancient literary sources, such as Strabo, Diodorus, and Philo, and from the most important archaeological discoveries.