Abstract
Manetho of Sebennytos is one of the most famous Egyptian priests of Ptolemaic Egypt. An ancient tradition has preserved a large amount of information about him. Meanwhile, little is known about his position and role as a member of the wider Egyptian priesthood and about his life. Even his real Egyptian name remains a mystery. The main purpose of this article is to place Manetho in the larger context of the Egyptian priesthood and thus to defi ne his position and role within it. We would also like to determine what kind of activity he was engaged in as an Egyptian priest. The article reveals three main categories of the Egyptian priesthood, based on the attitude towards the ruler of the Ptolemaic dynasty: 1) priests who did not show loyalty to the dynasty; 2) priests who supported the new dynasty, but did not take an active part in its legitimation; 3) priests who actively worked for the kings and initiated new forms of dynastic propaganda. Manetho must be transferred to the third group. He took part in various activities to increase the legitimacy of the new dynasty: he was one of the founders of the cult of Sarapis and used his work Αἰγυπτιακά to show that the Ptolemaic dynasty was endowed with a sacred kingdom. As for the specifi c activities of Manetho as an Egyptian priest, we cannot say anything with a high degree of certainty. Thus, based on the sources, it can be assumed that Manetho was a priest in a number of temples of Sebennytos and Heliopolis.
Keywords
Ancient Egypt, Hellenism, Ptolemies, Manetho of Sebennytos, priesthood, royal cult.
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