 |
|
Ancient Egypt > Egyptian Dynasties > Roman Emperors of Egypt Roman Emperors of Egypt
The emperor Augustus (as Octavian was known from 27 bc) summarized the subjection of Cleopatra's Kingdom in the great inscription that records his achievements with these words "I added Egypt to the Empire of the Roman people." The province was to be governed by a viceroy, a prefect with the status of a Roman knight (eques) who was directly responsible to the emperor. The first viceroy was the Roman poet and soldier Gaius Cornelius Gallus, who boasted too vaingloriously of his military achievements in the province and paid for it first with his position and then with his life. Roman senators were not allowed to enter Egypt without the emperor's permission, because this wealthiest of provinces could be held militarily by a very small force, and the threat implicit in an embargo on the export of grain supplies, vital to the provisioning of the city of Rome and its populace, was obvious. Internal security was guaranteed by the presence of three Roman legions (later reduced to two), each about 6,000 strong, and several cohorts of auxiliaries. In the first decade of Roman rule the spirit of Augustan imperialism looked farther afield, attempting expansion to the east and to the south. An expedition to Arabia by the prefect Aelius Gallus in about 26-25 bc was undermined by the treachery of the Nabataean Syllaeus, who led the Roman fleet astray in uncharted waters. Arabia was to remain an independent though friendly client of Rome until ad 106, when the emperor Trajan (ruled ad 98-117) annexed it, making it possible to reopen Ptolemy II's canal from the Nile to the head of the Gulf of Suez. To the south the Meroitic people beyond the First Cataract had taken advantage of Gallus's preoccupation with Arabia and mounted an attack on the Thebaid. The next Roman prefect, Petronius, led two expeditions into the Meroitic kingdom (c. 24-22 bc), captured several towns, forced the submission of the formidable queen, who was characterized by Roman writers as "the one-eyed Queen Candace," and left a Roman garrison at Primis (Qa?r Ibrim). But thoughts of maintaining a permanent presence in Lower Nubia were soon abandoned, and within a year or two the limits of Roman occupation had been set at Hiera Sykaminos, some 50 miles (80 km) south of the First Cataract. The mixed character of the region is indicated, however, by the continuing popularity of the goddess Isis among the people of Meroe and by the Roman emperor Augustus's foundation of a temple at Kalabsha dedicated to the local god Mandulis. Egypt achieved its greatest prosperity under the shadow of the Roman peace, which, in effect, depoliticized it. Roman emperors or members of their families visited Egypt, Tiberius's nephew and adopted son, Germanicus; Vespasian and his elder son, Titus; Hadrian; Septimius Severus; Diocletian to see the famous sights, receive the acclamations of the Alexandrian populace, attempt to ensure the loyalty of their volatile subjects, or initiate administrative reform. Occasionally its potential as a power base was realized. Vespasian, the most successful of the imperial aspirants in the "Year of the Four Emperors," was first proclaimed emperor at Alexandria on July 1, ad 69, in a maneuver contrived by the prefect of Egypt, Tiberius Julius Alexander. Others were less successful. Gaius Avidius Cassius, the son of a former prefect of Egypt, revolted against Marcus Aurelius in ad 175, stimulated by false rumours of Marcus's death, but his attempted usurpation lasted only three months. For several months in ad 297/298 Egypt was under the dominion of a mysterious usurper named Lucius Domitius Domitianus. The emperor Diocletian was present at the final capitulation of Alexandria after an eight-month siege and swore to take revenge by slaughtering the populace until the river of blood reached his horse's knees; the threat was mitigated when his mount stumbled as he rode into the city. In gratitude, the citizens of Alexandria erected a statue of the horse. The only extended period during the turbulent 3rd century ad in which Egypt was lost to the central imperial authority was 270-272, when it fell into the hands of the ruling dynasty of the Syrian city of Palmyra. Fortunately for Rome, the military strength of Palmyra proved to be the major obstacle to the overrunning of the Eastern Empire by the powerful Sasanian monarchy of Persia. Internal threats to security were not uncommon but normally were dissipated without major damage to imperial control. These included rioting between Jews and Greeks in Alexandria in the reign of Caligula (Gaius Caesar Germanicus; ruled ad 37-41), a serious Jewish revolt under Trajan (ruled ad 98-117), a revolt in the Nile delta in ad 172 that was quelled by Avidius Cassius, and a revolt centred on the town of Coptos (Qif?) in ad 293/294 that was put down by Galerius, Diocletian's imperial colleague. |
Mysteries Zone Network: For everyone who enjoys a mystery stories. Feel free link to any page(s) from this site. NOTE: Views expressed here are not endorsed by mysterieszone.com or any other sponsoring individuals or organizations. 2010 copyright by Mysteries Zone Resources, Privacy Policy |
