Banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO: LINCON MATHEUS LOPES DA SILVA

Uma banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO de MESTRADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : LINCON MATHEUS LOPES DA SILVA
DATE: 27/06/2024
TIME: 15:00
LOCAL: videoconferência
TITLE:

Alexandria with Egypt": The Serapis of Ptolemy I and the Temples as Elements of Greco-Egyptian Appropriation and Coexistence and Their Developments

KEY WORDS:

Separis Cult, Alexandria ad Aegyptum; Ptolemy I Soter

PAGES: 23
BIG AREA: Ciências Humanas
AREA: História
SUMMARY:

The object of study in this work is the deity that, according to Plutarch, was introduced by Ptolemy I Soter in Alexandria: Serapis. Plutarch recounts:

“Ptolemy Soter saw in a dream the colossus of Pluto in Sinope. Without knowing or having seen its form before, he ordered that it be transported as quickly as possible to Alexandria. (...) And after it had been brought, it was displayed, and the disciples of Timotheus, the exegete, and those of Manetho, the Sebennytian, supposed it to be of Pluto. The statue, with Cerberus and the Serpent, testified on their behalf and persuaded Ptolemy that the statue was of no other god but Serapis; for, where it came from, it was not called this way, but after being taken to Alexandria, it received the name Serapis among the Egyptians (Plutarch, XXVIII).”

Serapis appears to represent, on a smaller scale, the Hellenism and cosmopolitanism that were so dear to the Hellenistic period and that thrived in Alexandria. In Serapis, we can see Alexandria; in Alexandria, we can see Hellenism. Therefore, Serapis seems to express, respectively, Alexandria and Hellenism. Following this reasoning, one becomes the representation of the other in a more focused and delineated way, where we can see the larger in the smaller. The goal of this work is, in a broader sense, to demonstrate the cultural and political relations of the larger (Hellenism and Alexandria) in the smaller (Serapis) and vice versa. To glimpse this understanding, let us briefly examine the socio-cultural context of this place. The city of Alexandria, which still bears the name of its founder, was established in 331 BCE, on the site of the ancient Egyptian settlement of Rhacotis by Alexander the Great (Sales, 2003, p. 83). However, it was from Ptolemy I Soter that the city developed to the point of becoming the first cosmopolitan city, hosting various peoples of antiquity: Greeks, Persians, Macedonians, Jews, Indians, Africans, Syrians, Anatolians, Mesopotamians, and Gauls (__________, 2003, p. 85). Through the 'Great Port,' the eastern port, and the 'Eunostos Port,' the western port, and their inflows of goods, the axis and center of trade and goods exchanges in the Mediterranean world shifted, becoming centralized in Alexandria instead of Athens (__________, 2003, p. 86). Thus, migratory waves of peoples, especially Greeks and Macedonians, eager to build successful careers in the new and attractive city, began to occur frequently during this time (Fonseca, 2021, p. 85). Ptolemy I, heir to the Egyptian throne, inaugurated numerous investments in the city to firmly place it within his Ptolemaic or Lagid lineage. Thus, palaces, temples, buildings, and institutions were constructed in Alexandria (Clímaco, 2010, p. 27). As a cosmopolitan city, the Hellenistic period, marked by this cultural hybridity, provided Alexandria with an equal 'international circulation of ideas' through Koine Greek, showing that the Ptolemies desired the union of power and culture in one place from the beginning of their dynasty (__________, 2010, p. 28). Through these institutions, the city aimed to gather all the knowledge produced in the regions within its reach. With copies, purchases of original manuscripts, and strong efforts in this direction, texts from all over the Mediterranean were quickly concentrated there. Adding to this the universalization of Koine Greek, Alexandria became a hub for scholars of the time, bequeathing knowledge of great importance to posterity (__________, 2010, p. 28). Ptolemy Soter knew how to manage these cultural institutions he created, attracting intellectuals from practically the entire Greek region and those Hellenized by it to develop their studies there. The characteristic cosmopolitanism of the Hellenistic era was reflected in the intellectual environments of his time (Sales, 2005, pp. 69-70).  The reason for emphasizing this multicultural character of Alexandria is precisely to show the socio-cultural scenario in which this god was situated. With this in mind, it will be possible to understand the three major historiographical currents later on, and through this, the problem, hypothesis, and objectives of the work.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Externo ao Programa - 1659715 - LUIS EDUARDO LOBIANCO - nullPresidente - 1533038 - MARCOS JOSE DE ARAUJO CALDAS
Externa à Instituição - MARIA THEREZA DAVID JOÃO - UNINTER