Egypt in Late Antiquity

by Roger S. Bagnall

This book brings together a vast amount of information pertaining to the society, economy, and culture of a province important to understanding the entire eastern part of the later Roman Empire. Focusing on Egypt from the accession of Diocletian in 284 to the middle of the fifth century, Roger Bagnall draws his evidence mainly from documentary and archaeological sources, including the papyri that have been published over the last thirty years.

Genres: History, Egypt, Ancient History, Nonfiction, Egyptology

388 pages, Paperback

First published July 26, 1993

Reviews

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great overview of Egypt under the Romans in Late Antiquity. A good summary of the latest research (1993) and how to use papyri to tell history. A must read for anyone studying this period.

[DAJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a rather scholarly and specialized book, an examination of Egyptian society in its chosen period rather than a history of events. Bagnall limits his scope in several ways. For instance, "late antiquity" can sometimes extend as late as the seventh century, but this book only covers the third, fourth and fifth. It does not cover Alexandria, which in some ways was very culturally distinct from the rest of Egypt. For that reason, and because there's so little surviving evidence from the Nile Delta, Bagnall mostly discusses the Nile Valley. Bagnall also leans heavily on the evidence from contemporary papyri, his specialty, because there isn't a lot of archaeological study of this period and the literature that describes events after the fact is often distorted by biases.

In other ways the book is very wide-ranging. The introduction discusses the nature of the evidence and how to evaluate it. The subjects for each chapter are the environment; cities; country villages; the relationship between city and country; people and families; power and social class; languages, literacy, and ethnicity; religion; and how the transformation of Egypt in this era reflects changes that affected the entire Mediterranean region. Each of these topics is discussed in great depth.

The one major caveat (or the only one I'm knowledgeable enough to discuss) is about the chapter on religion, which doesn't make the situation in Egypt look quite as complex or turbulent as it was. Bagnall discusses "paganism", Judaism, and Christianity but ignores Manichaeism. He discusses sects and schisms within Christianity but may understate their significance. By analyzing the dates of inscriptions at temple sites, he shows that traditional Egyptian temples were in financial decline as early as the second century, with individual cults dying out at different times in the third, fourth, and fifth centuries—in many cases before Christianity was powerful enough to push them into extinction. While all that is true, Bagnall ignores popular religious practices, which could have continued long after the temples stopped functioning. David Frankfurter pointed that out in a review of this book and wrote Religion in Roman Egypt to argue that popular religion clung to tradition long after the temples stopped functioning. He habitually misused evidence in order to make his point, so the debate continued with Philae and the End of Ancient Egyptian Religion, From Temple to Church, and The Archaeology of Late Antique "Paganism".

To get a full understanding of Roman Egypt, one should ideally understand Alexandria, distinct though it was. Alexandria in Late Antiquity and Riot in Alexandria both cover this period in the city's history.

[Eggtown · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is filled to the brim with papyrologist expert Roger S. Bagnall encyclopedic knowledge of Egypt in Late Antiquity. It is still the standard book in the field (written 1993), even though, certain areas are probably dated now with new archaeological discoveries etc.

Bagnall centers his study of Egypt in the 4th century and gives us a vivid picture of the crucial importance of the Nile; the economic forces between the city and villages; a society in transformation; power relations - which all in one way or another goes into the complex reality of Egypt's fundamental engine: the agricultural economy.

It may not be the most thrilling read, however, it is a stimulating read if you are interested in what (ordinary) people were doing in Egypt during this time: profession they had, what they ate, clothes they wore, transportation, working the land, leasing land, the administration and bureaucracy that permeated their lives... If you are not this would be a very dry read indeed.

[Tasja]

ordered this book not even two weeks ago from the US and it arrived yesterday ! in great condition !! with a bookmark !!! what a win<3