Ein ptolemäisches Priesterdekret aus dem Jahr 186 v. Chr. (eBook)

This is the first publication of the stele Cairo TR 27/11/58/4 dating from the 19th year of the reign of King Ptolemy V Epiphanes (186 B.C.). The editor presents a new version of the decree known as Philensis II, located in the temple precinct of Philae in the southern part of the outer east wall of the Birth House. It is one of the so-called synodal decrees from the age of the Ptolemies, which are of great importance to scholarship both for their historical contents and for their system of writing. The priestly synod reports on one of the most serious political problems of the time, the revolt in Upper Egypt which lasted for 20 years, and the victory of Ptolemy over the rival king Anchwennefer in Thebes. It decrees honours for the royal couple and their ancestors as well as annual celebrations of the victory. These are to be understood as a reward bestowed on the king by the gods of Egypt for all the good deeds he has done them. The decree sheds light on the situation in Hellenistic Egypt, the position of the Ptolemaic dynasty, and the relationship between the Ptolemaic rulers on the one hand and the priests and general population of Egypt on the other.