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Normative texts in Ptolemaic Egypt

Book Contribution - Chapter

After Alexander had liberated Egypt from the Persian dominion and the new dynasty of the Ptolemies had been founded, many Greeks emigrated to the Nile country. Although Greek was the language of the ruling class, Egyptian remained an important legal language. The range of normative texts became diverse, going from royal ordinances, civil codes of Greek poleis, Egyptian priestly decrees, Egyptian law codes, rules of associations and non-legal normative texts of a scientific or ethical nature. They all show a high level of abstraction and coherence. The extra-textual and textual normative elements of these text types are discussed and two examples (the Codex Hermopolis and the Revenue Laws) illustrate the principles of normative texts in Ptolemaic Egypt.
Book: The Normativity of Formal Orders and Procedures in Antiquity: A Comparison of Mathematical and Legal Systems
Pages: 203 - 220
ISBN:978-3-86835-284-9
Publication year:2021