Greeks in Ptolemaic Egypt (Classics in Papyrology)

This is a reprint of Naphtali Lewis' important book on the uses of papyrus records reconstructing life in ancient Egypt. Published in 1986, the first edition of Greeks in Ptolemaic Egypt complemented `Life in Egypt under Roman Rule' (reprinted in 1999 as `Classics in Papyrology 1') by providing a perspective on the earlier period. The author presents a series of portraits, describing the lives of inhabitants ranging from the grand (like the Strategos Diophanes) to the humble (like the village clerk, Menkhes). He sets these figures against a prosperous, busy backdrop which he terms 'Eldorado on the Nile'.