Festivals and society in Ptolemaic and Roman Egypt

In ancient world, festivals were major events in peoples life, during which people experienced unity with one another, with their rulers, their past, and with the gods. A festival is, therefore, an important occasion, where and when culture, religion, and politics meet and interact. This project explores the importance of festivals and their impact on the society in Egypt under the rule of Greeks and Romans. During this historical period, cultural and religious life in Egypt underwent many changes. The local ancient Egyptian traditions met with the foreign culture of Greek and Macedonian soldiers and generals. The Hellenistic rulers brought with them the Greek custom of organising games as part of religious festivals, such as the famous Olympic Games. Not only competition and spectacle were crucial elements of Greek and Roman festivals, but also prestige and politics. Kings and leaders competed in hosting the most impressive events, so that they could have more political prominence at home and abroad. Large festivals attracted visitors, which helped rulers to create international networks and secure alliances. The kings of the Ptolemaic dynasty used festivals as political instruments for propaganda and public display of their power and wealth, for diplomatic contacts, and for creating new Hellenised elite and society in Egypt. During the Roman time, sponsoring festivals became a tool for the wealthy urban elites to acquire social capital honours, recognition, and political influence. These practices behind Greek and Roman festivals coexisted in Egypt with the festivals of ancient Egyptian religion. Egyptian festivals were organised by priests and were centred around temples. The project aims to study how several traditions of festivals blended with one another. This is possible thanks to the abundance of papyrus documents, including those that were found in Egyptian temples during the Greco-Roman period. These texts contain a great deal of information on the administration and economic life of the country, including cultic celebrations and festivals. Papyrus documents allow for research of the larger processes in festival practices. For example, during the Roman times, many engagement contracts of musicians and dancers preserved on papyri show the shift of the focus from competition to spectacle and entertainment. The project contextualises papyrus texts about festivals in other available sources, such as inscriptions, archaeological finds, and literary works, and offers first in-depth study of festival culture in Greek and Roman Egypt, across all its dimensions: religion, politics, performance, organisation and administration, social groups participating, costs, calendar, material space, and geographical location. The project will produce two digital interconnected research resources: an online database of sources and festivals in Egypt, and an interactive online map.