Project Details
Projekt
Late Roman Administration and Cultural Entanglement in the Egyptian Dakhla Oasis
Applicant
Professorin Dr. Gesa Schenke
Subject Area
Egyptology and Ancient Near Eastern Studies
Term
since 2023
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 465372539
Egypt in the 4th century is a prime example of a region under continuous foreign rule changing and shaping the Egyptian population for centuries to come. The proposed research project focuses on the lasting effects of Hellenistic and Roman rule and its administrative structures already in place in Egyptian localities, placing particular emphasis on the administrative changes brought about by the late Roman emperors over the course of the 4th century. The project addresses the question to what extent an advanced fragmentation of administrative processes during the 4th century is responsible for an increasing de-xenocratization at the local level. The project examines whether the development of a more diverse local administrative body led to an increase in local self-government through its associated administrative staff, a process that ultimately brought about not only a local Roman elite, but also a broader Roman middle class firmly integrated in local administrative processes within Egyptian localities. This in effect enabled larger parts of the local population to transition from being governed to governing themselves within their respective and well-defined microcosm. Focusing on the Egyptian population under Roman rule, the project aims to examine not only the vertical structures of late Roman administration from top to bottom, but to study the horizontal claims to authority and influence made among a newly developed complex network of local Egyptian administrators and their associated Egyptian inhabitants themselves setting in motion a number of important cultural changes in Egyptian society.
DFG Programme
Research Units
