Greek Nomos and Egyptian religion: cultural identity in Hellenistic Egypt

Abstract

This paper approaches the historical context of social and cultural interactions between Greeks and Egyptians from the Macedonian conquest to the Roman rule over Egypt. It aims to understand the formation of cultural Greek and Egyptian self-perceptions during that period, as well as the symbolic relations between their counterparts in that society. For that purpose, the Greek concept of nomos is proposed here in articulation to Egyptian religiousness as key makers to better understand the complex matter of cultural identity in Hellenistic Egypt.