Gymnasia and Greek Identity in Ptolemaic Egypt

by: Paganini, M.C.D.

Gymnasia and Greek Identity in Ptolemaic Egypt
Mario C. D. Paganini
Oxford Classical Monographs
Authoritative work on the gymnasium in Hellenistic Egypt
Adopts a comparative approach, setting Egypt within the context of the wider Hellenistic world
Presents a rich set of ancient sources
Valuable appendices provide a comprehensive record of primary sources and prosopographical information

Description
This book provides the first complete study of the documentation relevant to the gymnasium and gymnasial life in Egypt at the time of the Ptolemies, the longest reigning Hellenistic Royal House (323-30 BC). Paganini analyses the diffusion, characteristics, administration, and developments of the institution of the gymnasium in Ptolemaic Egypt and its implications for the assertion of Greek identity. He shows how this institution and its people were affected by the local environment and how 'those from the gymnasium', the members of this most distinctively Greek institution, were truly embedded in the social and cultural milieu of the country where they lived: they were the 'Greeks' of Egypt. Thanks to the information originating from Ptolemaic Egypt and its papyrological sources, this work showcases the variety of concomitant features and different traditions that were alive and active in the Hellenistic world, thus contributing to a better understanding of the ancient world in all its complexity and vitality.

Table of Contents
1:Introduction
2:The Institution
3:The Gymnasium at Alexandria
4:Legal Status of Gymnasia
5:The Officials
6:Gymnasial Status
7:Outsiders: Integration and Rejection
8:Living the Greek Way
9:The Gymnasium and Greek Identity
Appendix 1: Gymnasia and 'Gymnasial Bodies' of Ptolemaic Egypt by Location
Appendix 2: List of Relevant Sources for the Ptolemaic Period
Appendix 3: Prosopography of Gymnasiarchs
Chronology of Ptolemaic Sovereigns

Gymnasia and Greek Identity in Ptolemaic Egypt

by: Paganini, M.C.D.

• ISBN-13: 9780192845801 / 978-0-19-284580-1
• ISBN-03: 0192845802 / 0-19-284580-2
• Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2022