The Epigraphy of the ‘Greek Cities’

The inscriptions of the Ptolemaic period from the three ‘Greek cities’ of Naukratis and Alexandria in the Delta and Ptolemais in Upper Egypt illustrate the distinctive character of these foundations which contrasts with the indigenous towns of the Delta and the Nile Valley. They show some of the major instruments of Hellenization being introduced quite deliberately and explicitly in the form of civic administrative and governmental institutions. In particular, there is the opportunity in the epigraphic record to juxtapose these civic institutions with the progress of Hellenization and urbanization in the other Egyptian towns. There is also a significant number of important papyri which substantively complement the picture to be drawn from the epigraphic sources. This chapter discusses the evidence for the institutions of each of the three cities separately; the existence of citizen assemblies, councils, magistrates, and religious cults of Greek deities illuminates the broader picture of institutional Hellenization in the Ptolemaic period.