UNESCO Ancient Civilizations of Africa (Editor G. Mokhtar)

Egypt in the Hellenistic era
own characteristic style. Study of these figurines is rewarding as they
reflect the daily lives of the inhabitants of Cyrenaica, especially in the
cities.
In the sphere of religion, the dynastic Ptolemaic cult found its way to
Cyrenaica, as can be seen from the large number of dedicatory inscriptions
to the Ptolemaic kings and queens. The cities of Cyrenaica also adopted
the cult of Serapis, and temples to Isis and Osiris have been found at
Cyrene and Ptolema'is.
From Cyrenaica, this Graeco-Egyptian cult probably reached Tripolitania,
which was never ruled by the Ptolemies in pre-Roman times. The
sanctuary of Serapis and of Isis was discovered at Leptis Magna, and
it is interesting to note that at Sabrata the cult of Isis was combined
with Isiac rites. The cults of Isis and Serapis must have extended farther
west as the cult of Isis became more general and as the Serapis cult started
giving the ancient world a new hope of a better life.
Much of what has been said about hellenistic Cyrenaica concerns only
the Greeks, since information concerning the native Libyans and the
extent to which they were influenced by hellenistic civilization is scarce
and hard to find. We know that the native Libyans, driven away from
the fertile coastal lands and contained in the interior, did not welcome the
presence of the Greeks. Hellenistic civilization, nevertheless, owed much
to this region of North Africa which enabled it to develop and flourish
for three centuries.
The great prosperity of Meroe, especially during the reigns of
Ergamenes and his successors, was due essentially to its friendly relations
with Egypt. Few traces of hellenistic influence have to date been found
in the temples and pyramids of Meroe. 35 The temple built by Ergamenes
at Dakka in Lower Nubia is purely Egyptian in conception. When he
died, his mummy was entombed in a pyramid near Meroe, decorated with
scenes taken from the Book of the Dead. His successor, Azekramon
(Ezekher-Amon), built a temple in the Egyptian style near Debod, not far
from Philae.
The life of the people of Meroe was very like that of the Egyptians. Our
knowledge of the life and society of those times has to be derived from a
study of archaeological finds since we are not yet able to read the
Meroitic language 3 6 and have no such rich source of information about daily
life as is furnished by the tomb paintings of ancient Egypt.
As in Egypt, the king was regarded as divine. Queens played an important
part in the life of the country and sometimes ruled in their own right.
Considerable influence was wielded by the priests, and the temples had
rich possessions. The Meroitic people derived most of their official religious
ideas from Egypt but also had their own gods.
35. See F. and U. Hintze, 1967, pp. 23-8.
36. See Chapter 10 below.
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