''Epistrategos'' ( grc, ἐπιστράτηγος, , over-
general
A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...
; la, epistrategus) was a senior military and administrative office in
Ptolemaic Egypt, which was retained during the subsequent
Roman period
The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Roman Republic, Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings aro ...
as well. Each ''epistrategos'' were responsible for an epistrategy ( grc, ἐπιστρατηγία, epistratēgia).
Under Ptolemaic rule, a Greek ''
strategos
''Strategos'', plural ''strategoi'', Linguistic Latinisation, Latinized ''strategus'', ( el, στρατηγός, pl. στρατηγοί; Doric Greek: στραταγός, ''stratagos''; meaning "army leader") is used in Greek language, Greek to ...
'' was appointed to each of the Egyptian
nomes, originally as garrison commander for the Greek troops, but soon eclipsing the
nomarch
A nomarch ( grc, νομάρχης, egy, ḥrj tp ꜥꜣ Great Chief) was a provincial governor in ancient Egypt; the country was divided into 42 provinces, called nomes (singular , plural ). A nomarch was the government official responsib ...
and assuming administrative duties as well. Gradually, a number of nomes began being placed under the authority of a single ''strategos'', and under
Ptolemy II Philadelphus
; egy, Userkanaenre Meryamun Clayton (2006) p. 208
, predecessor = Ptolemy I
, successor = Ptolemy III
, horus = ''ḥwnw-ḳni'Khunuqeni''The brave youth
, nebty = ''wr-pḥtj'Urpekhti''Great of strength
, gol ...
(), the office of ''epistrategos'' of the "''Chora''" (i.e. the interior country) was established, with authority over the other ''strategoi'' in the entirety of Egypt beyond the capital,
Alexandria
Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...
. Later, a second ''epistrategos'' was created for the
Thebaid
The Thebaid or Thebais ( grc-gre, Θηβαΐς, ''Thēbaïs'') was a region in ancient Egypt, comprising the 13 southernmost nomes of Upper Egypt, from Abydos to Aswan.
Pharaonic history
The Thebaid acquired its name from its proximity to ...
. As with most of the Ptolemaic system, the office was retained after the Roman takeover in 30 BC, with a layer of Roman officials under the
augustal prefect grafted onto the existing administrative structure. The office remained important, although it apparently lost any military responsibility; very soon, it came to be held by
Roman citizens
Citizenship in ancient Rome (Latin: ''civitas'') was a privileged political and legal status afforded to free individuals with respect to laws, property, and governance. Citizenship in Ancient Rome was complex and based upon many different laws, t ...
of
equestrian
The word equestrian is a reference to equestrianism, or horseback riding, derived from Latin ' and ', "horse".
Horseback riding (or Riding in British English)
Examples of this are:
* Equestrian sports
*Equestrian order, one of the upper classes i ...
status. Reflecting the Roman division of Egypt in three broad areas (the
Nile Delta
The Nile Delta ( ar, دلتا النيل, or simply , is the delta formed in Lower Egypt where the Nile River spreads out and drains into the Mediterranean Sea. It is one of the world's largest river deltas—from Alexandria in the west to Po ...
area or
Lower Egypt
Lower Egypt ( ar, مصر السفلى '; ) is the northernmost region of Egypt, which consists of the fertile Nile Delta between Upper Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea, from El Aiyat, south of modern-day Cairo, and Dahshur. Historically, ...
, Middle Egypt or
Heptanomis
Middle Egypt () is the section of land between Lower Egypt (the Nile Delta) and Upper Egypt, stretching upstream from Asyut in the south to Memphis in the north. At the time, Ancient Egypt was divided into Lower and Upper Egypt, though Middle ...
, and the Thebaid), during the Roman era there were three or four ''epistrategoi'', as there were often two holders of the office in Lower Egypt, one for the east and one for the west.
Sources
*
*
* {{cite book , last = Vandoni , first = Mariangela , title = Gli Epistrategi nell' Egitto greco-romano , language = Italian , year = 1971 , location = Milan
Government of the Ptolemaic Kingdom
Roman Egypt
Ancient Greek titles
Gubernatorial titles