Ptolemais Hermeiou
 
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Ptolemais Hermiou (Greek Πτολεμαὶς Ἑρμείου even Ptolemy Hermaiou Πτολεμαὶς ἡ Ἑρμαίου or Πτολεμαὶς τῆς Θηβαίδος "Ptolemais in Thebais", today el-Manscha) is an ancient city in the eighth Upper Egyptian nome , on the western bank of the Nile 12 km south of Sohag .
The city was founded by Ptolemy I on the site of the small village of Psoi to cultivate the surrounding farmland. Under the Ptolemies, Ptolemais Hermeiou was the seat of the administration of the Thebais and next to Alexandria a second capital of Egypt. The city was formally a polis (the only one in Egypt except Alexandria and Naukratis ) with a Greek constitution; however, the city administration was occupied by royal officials. The ancient geographer Strabo compared the size of the city in the 1st century BC. With that of Memphis . During the Theban revolt in the 2nd century BC, the city was probably conquered by the rebels. After the fall of the Ptolemaic dynasty, the city experienced a decline in favor of Koptos , but remained inhabited until the Arab period.
literature
- Wolfgang Helck : Thebais 3 . In: Konrat Ziegler u. a. (Ed.): Little Pauly . Dtv, Munich 1979, ISBN 3-423-05963-X (5 vols., Here especially vol. 4, col. 1233-1234).
- Gerhard Plaumann : Ptolemais in Upper Egypt. A contribution to the history of Hellenism . Quelle & Meyer, Leipzig 1910 (Leipzig historical treatises; 18).
- Samy Shenouda: Ptolemais Hermiou (El-Manshâh) Egypt . In: Richard Stillwell et al. a. (Ed.): The Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites. Princeton University Press, Princeton NJ 1976, ISBN 0-691-03542-3 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Strabon 17, 1, 42 ( English translation ).
Coordinates: 26 ° 29 ' N , 31 ° 48' E