title: Army and Society in Ptolemaic Egypt (Armies of the Ancient World)
author:  Christelle Fischer-Bovet 
description: "Fischer-Bovet has written the first full-scale study of the Ptolemaic military in over a century. Few books have the potential to change the direction of scholarship; this is such a book ... This well-written, clearly argued study belongs in all university libraries." <br />S. M. Burstein, Choice<br /><br />"Army and Society in Ptolemaic Egypt offers a wide-ranging analysis of Ptolemaic military institutions, particularly as a social vehicle for stability and integrative activity. It features a comprehensive bibliography, numerous sources in translation, several helpful maps, charts and diagrams, and thorough indices." <br />Paul Johstono, Bryn Mawr Classical Review<br /><br />"... [the book] is filled with a great deal of useful and highly interesting information and, as such, it amply repays the time taken to make a considered read." <br />Victor Blunden, Ancient Egypt
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  Army and Society in Ptolemaic Egypt
  
  
  This is the only substantial and up-to-date reference work on the Ptole-
  
  
  maic army. Employing Greek and Egyptian papyri and inscriptions,
  
  
  and building on approaches developed in state-formation theory, it
  
  
  offers a coherent account of how the changing structures of the army
  
  
  in Egypt after Alexander’s conquest led to the development of an
  
  
  ethnically more integrated society. A new tripartite division of Ptole-
  
  
  maic history challenges the idea of gradual decline and emphasizes the
  
  
  reshaping of military structures that took place between _c_. 220 and
  
  
  _c_. 160 BC in response to changes in the nature of warfare, to mobiliza-
  
  
  tion and demobilization, and to financial constraints. An investigation
  
  
  of the socio-economic role played by soldiers permits a reassessment
  
  
  of the cleruchic system and shows how soldiers’ associations generated
  
  
  inter-ethnic group solidarity. By integrating Egyptian evi