UNESCO Ancient Civilizations of Africa (Editor G. Mokhtar)

Ancient Civilizations of Africa
and had gone back to their home towns as notables in the little group
of metropolitans.
The constitution did away, in principle, with the dual status of the
empire's inhabitants. The ordinary law became that of Rome and the
general structure of society was accordingly completely changed. Nevertheless,
if any country felt this social revolution less than the rest, it was
Egypt. An article in the constitution barred from citizenship the dediticii,
those who had surrendered after a military defeat, which the Egyptians
were deemed to have done. Once more the emperors favoured the hellenized
urban middle class against the indigenous peasantry. An edict of Caracalla
actually forbade Egyptians to enter Alexandria except to bring in fuel for
the public baths or cattle for slaughter. It exempted, however, those who
wished - and were able - to live there to acquire an education that
assimilated them to the Greeks. Nothing could show more clearly the
economic base of the discrimination.
Together with the constitution the general administrative system was
also changed. When Alexandria recovered its senate, a general reform
altered the standing of the towns. The métropoles became cities (poleis)
and took over the direct administration of their provinces. Public office
was no longer conferred on rich and capable (euporoi kai epitedeiot) persons
whom the epistratege chose by lot, but on members of the senate (boule)
which every town now had. In return, each senator was bound to perform
his spell of administration and contribute towards its expenses. Some papyri
contain full reports of meetings of the high-ranking boards on which the
prytanes (senators) decided who should hold public office. Some eligible
candidates tried to avoid it. Indeed these honours became unbearably
burdensome in an economy hard hit by the revolt of the cattlemen and
the ensuing decay of the system, which thus lost most of its former
splendour.
Egypt was no longer the empire's granary. That function was performed
by Africa (the present Maghrib), from the end of the second century
onwards. This could only mean that Egypt was exhausted. A movement
that started, spread and became increasingly dangerous was the flight
(anachoresis) of cultivators from their fieldsinto the desert because they
could no longer pay the taxes the state demanded of them.
Towards the middle of the third century a series of highly dramatic
events happened. A prefect of Egypt, Marcus Julius Aemilianus, had himself
proclaimed emperor in 262 and was heavily defeated by Gallienus after
reigning a few months. Foreign peoples appeared on the frontiers, raided
the country and even occupied tracts of it for some time. It was not by
chance that in the reign of Claudius II (268-70) an Egyptian named
Thimagenes called the Palmyrians into the country. These people lived
in a rich caravan town and were allied to the empire but independent
of it. Their queen Zenobia, without an open breach with Rome, sent in
an army 70 000 strong which gave the legions a great deal of trouble because
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