Erhard Schaub Livres

The province of Egypt was a special case with an equestrian prefect, no access for senators, Ptolemaic titles, a lack of municipal structures and its own calendar and currency, which were only assimilated by Diocletian. Historically, Egypt benefits from unique sources such as papyri and ostraca, but it remained a peripheral region as can be seen from the rarity of visits by emperors and the fact that it never became the scene of fighting over the throne. On the other hand, the country wholly organised around the annual Nile flood was of outstanding economic significance as a granary and trading hub. Its Roman period can be divided into four stages of different duration, the Julio-Claudian and Flavian dynasties, the 2nd century with the Adoptive Emperors and Commodus, the Severan dynasty of A. D. 193-235, and the phase of the Barracks Emperors and the Tetrarchy with the brief, but momentous occupation by the Palmyrene Empire around 270 and the big revolt of 297/8. The latter was owed to economic crisis, heavy tax burdens, liquidity problems in the aftermath of the monetary reform, and a reduced military presence. It ended with the recapture of Alexandria by Rome.

During the first three centuries of Roman rule in Egypt there were 18 revolts, amongst them two double ones. They were insurrections of natives against Rome, trouble between Greeks and Jews, between population groups in Alexandria, riots as a consequence of usurpations, in the context of the succession to the throne, uprisings of Jews and a local sect as well as rebellions of which no details are known. It is striking that only a single widespread revolt of the autochthonous population and only one of the entire people are attested, both during the reign of Diocletian, i. e. at a late date. Their reasons can be attributed to six fields, the economic [3] or political sphere [5], succession to the throne [1], ethnic [3], intrapopulation [2] and religious causes [1]. The acceptance of Roman rule may be explained by the Romans’ tolerance towards traditions, particularly religion, a reasonable tax policy, humane living conditions, late decline of the economy, moderate behaviour of the army, inhomogeneity of the population, and improvements as compared to Ptolemaic rule. Only the collapse of the currency around A. D. 270 brought about general misery and therefore uprise.