Under rule by the Ptolemaic dynasty, Egypt became the cultural hub of the ancient Mediterranean; when governed by Rome, it provided natural resources to a vast empire. But what of its multiethnic and multilingual population (the indigenous Egyptians, Nubians, Jews, Romans, Greeks, Arabs who inhabited it) and how did Egypt in this period relate to the rest of Africa and neighboring ancient civilizations? By studying literary, documentary, and visual sources, we will examine several fascinating historical figures such as Alexander the Great, Ptolemy Philadelphus, and perhaps the most notorious woman in antiquity, Cleopatra VII. Students will also encounter first-hand evidence of daily life in this region through letters, contracts, petitions, and arrest warrants recorded on potsherds and papyri and preserved for millennia by the desert sands.
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