Strabo and Augustan Egypt

After residence in Alexandria in the 20s BC, Strabo describes early imperial Egypt in Book 17 of his Geography. This paper explains Strabo's contemporary focus, and his reactions to earlier accounts, including Herodotus Book 2. As a Hellenistic Greek writing after Actium, Strabo describes Ptole...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inSymbolae Osloenses Vol. 97; no. 1; pp. 129 - 153
Main Author Lindsay, Hugh
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Routledge 31.12.2023
Subjects
Alexandria
Augustus
C. Cornelius Gallus
Ptolemaic Egypt
Strabo
the Nile
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Summary:After residence in Alexandria in the 20s BC, Strabo describes early imperial Egypt in Book 17 of his Geography. This paper explains Strabo's contemporary focus, and his reactions to earlier accounts, including Herodotus Book 2. As a Hellenistic Greek writing after Actium, Strabo describes Ptolemaic changes, but promotes a more recent pro-imperial reading of the country. He rates the last Ptolemies as corrupt and venal, placing a positive focus on the economic measures of the Roman prefects, and their military control. His travels up the Nile with the prefect enable him to support Augustan claims to have corrected Ptolemaic abuses, and to have ensured the prosperity of the country. He outlines Egypt's broader role in the region, and Augustan measures to bring goods from India and Arabia via the Red Sea through the Egyptian desert to Coptos and Alexandria, thus optimizing Roman revenues through import and export taxes.
ISSN:0039-7679
1502-7805
DOI:10.1080/00397679.2022.2128560