Pascale Ballet Livres

Capitale culturelle mais aussi économique du monde hellénistique, la ville fondée par Alexandre exerce son rayonnement sur tout le pourtour méditerranéen. La dynastie des Ptolémée y encourage en effet les sciences (médecine, géographie, astronomie, mathématiques, etc.), tout comme la littérature et la poésie, consacrant leur développement par la fondation de la célèbre Bibliothèque. Pascale Ballet nous fait pénétrer dans l'univers des Alexandrins grecs, égyptiens ou juifs, esclaves ou étrangers, venant de tout le monde alors connu. Proposant une véritable anthropologie de la vie quotidienne à Alexandrie (religion, habitat, éducation, cuisine, vêtements, mariage et rites funéraires), l'auteur restitue une vitalité et une diversité qui suscitèrent, longtemps encore après sa chute, l'admiration de Rome.

Buto, located in the western Egyptian Delta, is primarily recognized for its pre- and protohistoric occupations, currently under exploration by the Deutsches Archäologisches Institut (Cairo). A program initiated in 2001, directed by Pascale Ballet, aims to investigate the Graeco-Roman and Byzantine settlement, partially uncovered by the Egypt Exploration Society (EES) in the 1960s. In the northeast of the site, the EES excavated a pottery workshop that produced black polished ware influenced by Mediterranean black glazed wares. Topographical and geophysical surveys conducted in 2001 facilitated excavations in the northern part of the city from 2002 to 2004, revealing two main types of workshops from the Early Roman period. The first produced imitations of “sigillata,” utilizing tubes to allow hot gases to circulate, reflecting a significant transfer of technology from the Western Mediterranean, alongside Eastern influences. The second workshop, also new, focused on common wares, sometimes decorated, signaling the style of the Late Roman/Byzantine period. Buto likely served as a prominent center for pottery production in the Delta during the Graeco-Roman era, with discoveries that enrich the history of pottery manufacture in the East Mediterranean. The study presents the latest findings and samples, with the text in French.