'Everything managed in the best way'. Government investments and well-being under the Ptolemies (332-20 BC)

The special documentation of Hellenistic Egypt (papyri and other) informs us in detail about the complex fiscal system and hence the country isknown for its many taxes. But does that imply that the tax burden was high, and if so, that people were dissatisfied with government policies? For example, Denmark is one of the countries with the highest tax burden, but nowhere in the world are people happier, at least according to the2013 World Happiness Report. The project wants to measure, for the first time, the tax burden in Egypt through representative research, and find out what people received in return and in which domains (important forwellbeing and happiness) the government invested. This kind of researchis new to the field of Ancient History.

Publication year:2019