Pharaoh - Page 2 of 3

Romances

ROMANCES There are two Coptic romances: the Alexander Romance and the Cambyses Romance. The Alexander Romance All genres of literature—from history to poetry—include chronicles of the life of Alexander the Great of Macedonia (reigned 336-323 B.C.). The most widespread work, the Alexander Romance, is falsely ascribed to the Greek historian Callisthenes (c. 370-327 B.C.). In …

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Roman Emperors In Egypt

History / By Armia FAYEZ

ROMAN EMPERORS IN EGYPT Although Alexandria never became a “Second Rome,” the existence and, in some sense, the presence of the Roman emperor was a common and permanent experience for the inhabitants of Egypt. The head of the provincial administration, the prefect of Egypt, was the direct representative of the emperor. The importance and power …

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Theophilus

Eminent / By Armia FAYEZ

THEOPHILUS The twenty-third patriarch of the See of Saint Mark (385-412). A complex and controversial patriarch, Theophilus was much admired for his many writings, his destruction of pagan temples and subsequent church-building program, as well as his important role as a mediator of schisms at Antioch, Bostra, and Jerusalem during the early part of his …

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Birth Rites And Customs

Culture / By Arsanious Adel

BIRTH RITES AND CUSTOMS Birth practices in Egypt are based on ancient, time-honored customs, and although they have tended to disappear among urban dwellers, especially since the twentieth century, they are still maintained as strongly as ever in rural society. An expectant woman receives much attention from those about her, as they seek to satisfy …

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Biblical Subjects In Coptic Art

Bible / By Arsanious Adel

BIBLICAL SUBJECTS IN COPTIC ART [The term “biblical subjects” here designates subjects taken from the Old Testament; subjects from the New Testament are grouped with the Christian subjects as a whole (see CHRISTIAN SUBJECTS IN COPTIC ART). Biblical subjects are far from rare in Coptic art, although they are not as frequent as they are, for …

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Tall Al-‘Amarnah

Places / By Armia FAYEZ

TALL AL-‘AMARNAH Also known as Tall Bani ‘Imran, from the name of the bedouin tribe that established itself in the neighborhood, site famous for the ruins of the capital founded by Amenophis IV, the pharaoh who wished to impose the cult of one god. Several tombs in the necropolis, north of the town, were fitted …

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Beja Tribes

Groups, History / By Arsanious Adel

BEJA TRIBES The nomadic and warlike Beja tribes have occupied the Red Sea hills of Egypt and Sudan since very early times. In pharaonic days, the tribes were known as the Medjay and were already regarded as a menace by the settled populations in the Nile Valley. One of the Egyptian frontier fortresses built in …

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Athanasius Of Clysma

Eminent / By Arsanious Adel

ATHANASIUS OF CLYSMA A third-century martyr and undoubtedly an Egyptian saint although probably not a Coptic saint. His Passion exists in Greek, Georgian, and Arabic. It may be considered to be a Greco-Palestinian document. The Greek text (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Graeca 193) was published by A. Papadopoulos Kerameus in 1898 from the still unique Paris manuscript …

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Dioscorus I

Eminent / By Arsanious Adel

DIOSCORUS I The saint and twenty-fifth patriarch of the See of Saint Mark (444-458). He succeeded Saint CYRIL THE GREAT and must be regarded as one of the chief architects of Coptic Christianity and the Egyptian church. Little is known about his early life beyond the supposition that he was a native of Alexandria, born …

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Greeks In Egypt

History / By Armia FAYEZ

GREEKS IN EGYPT Greek contacts with Egypt had been frequent and varied before Alexander the Great conquered the country in 332 B.C., inaugurating the Hellenistic period of Egyptian history. As early as the times of the Sea Peoples and the Dark Ages of Greece Egypt experienced Greek invaders and raiders, but the country was not …

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