Ptolemaic 'state monopolies': Predation or prosperity?

Ancient Egypt is known primarily as the breadbasket of the ancient Mediterranean. Egypt’s economy was by no means limited to agriculture, however, and thousands of papyri (the ancient world’s equivalent to modern paper documents) inform us about commodities like papyrus, vegetable oils, beer, textiles, salt and so on. In the Hellenistic or Ptolemaic period (305–30 BC), the production and distribution of many of these products was subject to various forms of state control and intervention, known collectively as 'state monopolies'. The project aims to provide a thorough analysis of the workings of this system, to assess the impact of these institutions on economic performance and (in)equality, and to contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the Ptolemaic state.