Money in Ptolemaic Egypt

This book explores the impact of Alexander the Great's introduction of coined money on the economy and society of Egypt and its political implications for the formation of the Ptolemaic state. It argues that the introduction of coinage happened slowly, spreading gradually from Alexandria into the chora. Under Ptolemy II, however, Egypt was aggressively monetised. Using both numismatic and papyrological evidence, the workings of a rural monetary economy are reconstructed where coinage was in high demand, but in short supply. It is argued that by the middle of the third century BC Egypt was much more thoroughly monetised than is usually assumed, but that the degree of monetisation was sustained only by an extensive credit economy as well as ad hoc commutation of monetary payments into kind. Contextualising the complexities of credit and banking in rural Egypt, the book offers a fresh picture of their function in the ancient economy.

ISBN 0521852641   Pages 378 ISBN13 9780521852647 (What's this?)   Volumes 1 Publisher Cambridge University Press   Weight (grammes) 720 Imprint Cambridge University Press   Published in Cambridge Format Hardback   Height (mm) 228 Publication date 06 Dec 2007   Width (mm) 152 Library of Congress 2008295810   Spine width (mm) 25 DEWEY 332.4932   Academic level Professional / Scholarly DEWEY edition DC22

		Preface
		Abbreviations
		Weights and measures
		Coin denominations
		List of maps
		List of tables
		List of figures
		Maps
		Introduction		1
		Questions and issues		1
		The historical background		19
Pt. I		Money and Coinage		29
1		The money of the king		31
2		Monetising the countryside		58
Pt. II		Cash and Kind		79
3		Taxes		84
4		Bronze and silver		111
5		Rents		118
6		Wages		130
Pt. III		Debt and Credit		151
7		Formal loans		153
8		Extending the credit economy		181
9		Leases and labour contracts		205
10		Credit in a social context		227
Pt. IV		Banking		253
11		Banks and the money supply		257
12		Banking and business		280
		Conclusion		296
		Appendix I		303
		Appendix II		304
		Bibliography		305
		More...

'Sitta von Reden's book deals with a well defined topic and combines numismatic and papyrological evidence in an interesting and illuminating way. ... This book is highly recommended for anyone interested in the economy of third century BC Ptolemaic Egypt.' De novis libris iudicia 'The information and interpretations that [von Reden] provides here will be a welcome reference to many historians, and her work will spark the interest of scholars to further our knowledge of this period as well as subsequent periods of the Ptolemaic economy.' The Bulletin of the American Society of Papyrologists

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