The Jews of Ptolemaic Egypt - by Zsuzsanna Szántó (Hardcover)

About the Book

Ptolemaic Egypt was home to one of the most flourishing Jewish communities in antiquity. This book examines the history of Egyptian Jews bringing together a vast amount of information about their social, economic, legal and cultural situation. Drawi

Book Synopsis

This book offers a comprehensive and nuanced history of the Jews of Egypt, who constituted an important ethnic minority ever since they first appeared in the country. As part of the Greek-speaking ruling class, the Jews played an active role in the political, social and cultural life of Ptolemaic Egypt.

Drawing on old and new documentary papyri supplemented by literary and epigraphic evidence, Szántó's book focuses on reconstructing an overall picture of the Egyptian Jewish Diaspora and discusses different aspects of their life: onomastics, military life, social and legal position, religious customs and anti-Judaism. The incorporation of non-Greek (Aramaic and Egyptian) textual evidence into the research is innovative and offers new perspectives on certain topics whose understanding was previously limited.

Szántó provides a diverse picture of Jewish life and demonstrates how the Jews integrated into Graeco-Egyptian society and, at the same time, preserved their ethnic identity.

About the Author

Zsuzsanna Szántó, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.