Ethnic Minority Groups

In Ptolemaic Egypt, the ethnic status of an individual was part of his or her official identity; ethnika (ethnic labels) were recorded in all legal documents, alongside personal names and patronymics. The Ptolemaic politeumata prompt two main observations. First, they compel us to refine the notion of ethnic minority communities. Second, the form of organization that was conceded to politeumata was equally granted to other occupational and professional groups, including for instance Egyptian priests. Decidedly, the category of ethnic minority group did not make much sense to the Ptolemaic state culture. Another clue to the existence of organized communities is the presence of cultic places. Betokening stable settlement, they contributed to the maintenance of distinct cults and cultic practices over lengthy periods of time. This was true not only for Jews, but for Idumeans and Syrians as well.