The Ptolemaic Decrees were a series of decrees by

synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word '' synod'' comes from the Ancient Greek () ; the term is analogous with the Latin word . Originally, ...

s of ancient Egyptian priests. They were issued in the

Ptolemaic Kingdom The Ptolemaic Kingdom (; , ) or Ptolemaic Empire was an ancient Greek polity based in Ancient Egypt, Egypt during the Hellenistic period. It was founded in 305 BC by the Ancient Macedonians, Macedonian Greek general Ptolemy I Soter, a Diadochi, ...

, which controlled

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

from 305 BC to 30 BC. In each decree, the benefactions of the reigning

pharaoh Pharaoh (, ; Egyptian language, Egyptian: ''wikt:pr ꜥꜣ, pr ꜥꜣ''; Meroitic language, Meroitic: 𐦲𐦤𐦧, ; Biblical Hebrew: ''Parʿō'') was the title of the monarch of ancient Egypt from the First Dynasty of Egypt, First Dynasty ( ...

, especially towards the priesthood, are recognised, and religious honours are decreed for him. Two decrees were issued under

Ptolemy III Euergetes Ptolemy III Euergetes (, "Ptolemy the Euergetes, Benefactor"; c. 280 – November/December 222 BC) was the third pharaoh of the Ptolemaic dynasty in Egypt from 246 to 222 BC. The Ptolemaic Kingdom reached the height of its military and economic ...

(the Decree of Alexandria and

Decree of Canopus The Decree of Canopus is a trilingual inscription in three scripts, which dates from the Ptolemaic period of ancient Egypt. It was written in three writing systems: Egyptian hieroglyphs, demotic, and koine Greek, on several ancient Egyptian memor ...

), another under

Ptolemy IV Philopator Ptolemy IV Philopator (; "Ptolemy, lover of his Father"; May/June 244 – July/August 204 BC) was the fourth pharaoh of Ptolemaic Egypt from 221 to 204 BC. Ptolemy IV was the son of Ptolemy III and Berenice II. His succession to the throne was ...

(the Raphia Decree), and others under

Ptolemy V Epiphanes Ptolemy V Epiphanes Eucharistus (, ''Ptolemaĩos Epiphanḗs Eukháristos'' "Ptolemy the Manifest, the Beneficent"; 9 October 210–September 180 BC) was the Pharaoh, King of Ptolemaic Egypt from July or August 204 BC until his death in 180 BC. ...

(the Decree of Memphis and the two Philensis Decrees). Multiple copies of the decrees, inscribed on stone

stele A stele ( ) or stela ( )The plural in English is sometimes stelai ( ) based on direct transliteration of the Greek, sometimes stelae or stelæ ( ) based on the inflection of Greek nouns in Latin, and sometimes anglicized to steles ( ) or stela ...

s, were erected in temple

courtyard A courtyard or court is a circumscribed area, often surrounded by a building or complex, that is open to the sky. Courtyards are common elements in both Western and Eastern building patterns and have been used by both ancient and contemporary a ...

s, as specified in the text of the decrees. There exist three copies plus a fragment of the Decree of Canopus, two copies of the Memphis Decree (one imperfect), and two and a half copies of the text of the

Rosetta Stone The Rosetta Stone is a stele of granodiorite inscribed with three versions of a Rosetta Stone decree, decree issued in 196 BC during the Ptolemaic dynasty of ancient Egypt, Egypt, on behalf of King Ptolemy V Epiphanes. The top and middle texts ...

, including the copy on the

Nubayrah Stele The Nubayrah Stele is a mutilated copy of the Decree of Memphis (Ptolemy V) on a limestone stele. The same decree is found upon the Rosetta Stone. From 1848, it was known that a partial copy of the Decree was on a wall at the Temple of Philae, ...

and a temple wall inscription with edits, or scene replacements, completed by subsequent scribes.

243 BC Decree of Alexandria (Ptolemy III)

The Decree of Alexandria was issued on the 13th of Gorpiaios (3 December) 243 BCE. It proclaimed that statues of Ptolemy III and his wife Berenice II as well as a shrine for them should be set up in each temple to worship them as beneficent gods.

238 BC Decree of Canopus (Ptolemy III)

The Decree was issued on 7 Appellaios (Mac.) = 17 Tybi (Eg.) year 9 of Ptolemy III = Thursday 7 March 238 BCE (proleptic Julian calendar). * Stone 1: Stele of Canopus, (no. 1), found 1866, 37 lines of hieroglyphs, 74 lines of

Demotic Demotic may refer to: * Demotic Greek, the modern vernacular form of the Greek language * Demotic (Egyptian), an ancient Egyptian script and version of the language * Chữ Nôm Chữ Nôm (, ) is a logographic writing system formerly used t ...

(right side), 76 lines of Greek 'capitals', fine limestone. * Stone 2: Stele of Canopus (no. 2), found 1881, 26 lines hieroglyphs, 20 lines Demotic, 64 lines Greek 'capitals', white limestone. * 3rd partial text with lines of hieroglyphs (now in the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...

). * 4th text was discovered in 2004 at

Bubastis Bubastis ( Bohairic Coptic: ''Poubasti''; Greek: ''Boubastis'' or ''Boubastos''), also known in Arabic as Tell-Basta or in Egyptian as Per-Bast, was an ancient Egyptian city. Bubastis is often identified with the biblical ''Pi-Beseth'' ( ''p ...

, by the German-Egyptian 'Tell Basta Project'.

217 BC Decree of Memphis (Ptolemy IV)

* Stone 1: Raphia Decree, found 1902 at the site of ancient Memphis, hieroglyphs, Demotic, and Greek, dark granite. * Stone 2: Pithom Stele, No. II, found 1923, hieroglyphs (front), 42 lines Demotic (back), virtually complete, providing an almost total translation, and Greek (side), sandstone.

196 BC Decree of Memphis (Ptolemy V)

* Stone 1: Stele of Rosetta, "The

", found 1799, (remaining) hieroglyphs, 14 lines, 32 lines Demotic, 54 lines Greek 'capitals', dark granite (

granodiorite Granodiorite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock similar to granite, but containing more plagioclase feldspar than orthoclase feldspar. The term banatite is sometimes used informally for various rocks ranging from gra ...

). * Stone 2:

, found in the early 1880s, hieroglyphs, lines 1–27 were used to complete the missing lines on the Rosetta Stone, Demotic, Greek capitals, limestone. * Site 3: the Temple of

Philae The Philae temple complex (; , , Egyptian: ''p3-jw-rķ' or 'pA-jw-rq''; , ) is an island-based temple complex in the reservoir of the Aswan Low Dam, downstream of the Aswan Dam and Lake Nasser, Egypt. Originally, the temple complex was ...

, inscribed hieroglyphs from the Third Decree on walls, also overwritten, with scenes and figures of humans/gods.

186 BC Philensis II Decree (Ptolemy V)

Issued at Alexandria on 6 September 186 BC after the suppression of Ankhwennefer's Upper Egyptian revolt. * Stone 1: ''Stele of Philae II'' * Stone 2: ''Stele of Cairo''

186 BC New Year's Decree (Ptolemy V)

Issued on 9 October 186 BC (New Year's day), perhaps to celebrate the birth of

Ptolemy VI Ptolemy VI Philometor (, ''Ptolemaĩos Philomḗtōr'';"Ptolemy, lover of his Mother". 186–145 BC) was a Greeks, Greek Pharaoh, king of Ptolemaic Egypt who reigned from 180 to 164 BC and from 163 to 145 BC. He is often considered ...

. * Papyrus 1: ''P. Kroll. = P. Köln'' 7.313

185 BC Philensis I Decree (Ptolemy V)

Issued at Memphis on 29 October 185 BC, upon the enthronement of an Apis bull. * Stone 1: ''Stele of Philae I''

182 BC Memphis decree (Ptolemy V)

Issued on 29 May 182 BC, after a visit to Memphis by the Mnevis bull.

161 BC Decree (Ptolemy VI)

Issued on 31 July 161 BC, upon a royal visit to Memphis, shortly after

was restored to power. * Stone 1: Cairo Stele 22184.

References

Works cited

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External links

Hellenistic Inscriptions: Egyptian Decrees
in English translation Ancient Egyptian stelas Decrees Ptolemaic Greek inscriptions Multilingual texts