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King Ptolemy's control over industry was very typical. Ptolemaic Egypt has many industrial sectors, such as oil pressing, textiles, salt, glass, papyrus, mining, winemaking, ceramics and so on. The monopoly of oil extraction was the main project of the Ptolemaic kings.
In Ptolemaic Egypt, "some branches of industry were operated only by the state. The preparation of vegetable oil is exactly like this. All manufacturing plants and raw materials absolutely belong to the state".
In Ptolemaic Egypt, it was difficult to separate the king from the state, and all the productive departments, functional departments, and violent organs of the state were controlled by the king, and the king often represented the state, and it could even be said that the king was the state, so it was said that "some branches of industry were operated only by the state", rather "operated by the king".
The entire process, from the collection, planting, processing and sale of oil crop seeds, was strictly controlled by the king. The workers of the oil mills, although not slaves but free men, were not allowed to leave the factories during the oil pressing season, and private oil mills that previously existed were now banned. The temple also gave only two months to squeeze oil, and the price of oil was set by the government, was fixed, and had to be sold by wholesalers.
In 259 BC, an edict concerning the oil monopoly during the reign of Ptolemy II was revealed. From the entire edict, the king decided on the area of land on which cash crops would be grown annually in each nom, mainly on royal fields leased to native Egyptian cultivators. The king's agents supervised cultivation and harvesting with contractors or franchised tenants and sold crops at fixed prices.
The production of oil is carried out in state factories under the supervision of local officials. The sale of the oil was made by officials and contractors with retailers in the village, who represented the king and sold it to consumers at a fixed price. Private production of vegetable oil was not allowed, although certain privileges were granted to the temple. Those who violate the regulations, whether officials, contractors, or private individuals, are subject to heavy penalties. In particular, it is worth noting that much of the edict details oil monopoly measures.
Ptolemaic Egypt's second largest specialty industry was textiles. The textile industry was under strict supervision and control by the state, and the production of each factory had to be approved by the king. The priests were also allowed to produce certain textiles, but had to pay large amounts of linen to the king to meet the needs of export. Other monopolistic industries include salt, "natron" and beer manufacturing, mining, etc. The king taxed these properties.
Even the kings of the Ptolemaic dynasty set the prices of these products in the form of edicts. For example, the following document is the king's strict rule on the price of myrrh: "Those who buy myrrh from the acting governors and other [officials] of the various villages should not pay more than 40 drachma of silver per mina or 2000 drachma of copper per tarrant, and the freight is 200 drachma [copper] per tarrant [myrrh]; Anyone who violates these orders will make himself a defendant. ”
Ptolemaic Egypt's import and export trade developed. Alexandria is an important base for imports and exports. The export trade was in the hands of the aristocracy and bureaucracy of Alexandria. Almost all imported goods were manipulated by members of the royal family and high priests of religion in Alexandria. The nobility was mainly members of the royal family, and bureaucrats and high priests were appointed by and accountable to the king.
Thus, the king controlled the import and export trade. The Ptolemaic kings regulated the conduct and obligations of merchants, for example, the following decree from 50 BC stated: "Whoever buys wheat or beans from Nome above Memphis may not take it to Lower Egypt, nor to Thebes for any reason, although all may transport it to Alexandria without any problem." If a person is examined for the first two conditions, then the person will be put to death. Whoever wishes to inform his Governor of Nome of the unlawful acts referred to in this decree will receive 1/3 of the property of the person found guilty, and if he is a slave, he will be freed and receive 1/6 of the property of the person found guilty. ”
Ptolemaic Egypt also saw the emergence of value intermediaries——— monetary and financial institutions, ——— banks. The world's first coinage was done by the Lydians. Subsequently, coinage technology was introduced to Greece and other places. The Greeks began minting money around the 5th century BC.
After the Persians first occupied Egypt, the Greeks arrived in Egypt and brought coinage technology to Egypt. The main minting of Ptolemaic Egypt was silver and copper coins. The Ptolemaic kings strictly controlled the right to mint, and almost every king had to mint his own currency, with images of himself, the queen and the god on both sides of the coinage. Mastering the right to mint is equivalent to mastering the national treasury and economic lifeline to a large extent.
Banks were brought to Egypt from the Greek world by the Ptolemaic dynasty as a result of the Ptolemaic dynasty's introduction of a monetary system in Egypt. In Ptolemaic Egypt, the opening of banks was strictly subordinate to the king, and only to the king. Whether the Ptolemaic dynasty had a national bank or not, as far as the author has so far, is not yet certain. But Alexandria does have one or several larger banks, which scholars refer to as the "royal bank." The duties of the Royal Bank are mainly to exchange money, issue and recover loans, and tender for banks or other commercial matters for tourists and merchants around the world.
Banks also have an important responsibility to collect taxes. A beer tax note from 245 B.C. exemplifies this role of the bank: "The 30th day of the month of Hassel, the second year [of the reign of such and such a king]. Obtained by the accountant Halleendotus from Tarmbis of Talle, the beer tax paid to the banker Pashorne of the tax office of the Fripichiscaut district and the auditor Stotutis for the month of Hassell, is 20 drachma of copper ... The total number is 20 [drachma]. Dorion was present. ”
The "banker" here is the banker, whose duty is to collect taxes. Who the exact head of the royal bank is, we don't know yet. Perhaps the head of the Royal Bank is the King, and more likely the Chief Chancellor. But it is certain that bankers are not all governors of banks, and one or more of them will be appointed governors of a bank, and he must obey the king. In addition, "almost all bankers are Greek, and almost all customers are Greek". This is because the Greeks are familiar with banking, while the Egyptians are unfamiliar with banking.
Bankers at the Royal Bank have different positions, but we can't yet be sure of the details. The banker's duties at the Royal Bank are responsible for the bank's revenues and expenditures, the management of taxes, the management of the royal estate, and the testimony of both borrowers and lenders. Around the bankers, there is a large number of assistants.
The following document is a declaration of office made by the bank assistant at the time of his appointment, reflecting the duties of the bank assistant: "At Phybiches of Cowit, I carry out my duties under the direction of Crétagus, the agent of the banker Asclepiades, who holds the accounting office; I swear to report accurately and impartially the sums due to the king's treasury, and separately the sums I have received from Cretagus and from myself; and to deposit these sums in the Bank of Heracleopolis, unless I am ordered to pay local fees; And give Cretagus a record of receipts and payments and receipts for any payments I made. ”
The Royal Bank has numerous branches throughout the country, which constitutes the local bank, which is under the management of the Royal Bank, and the chief is generally "Nome-level officials and local officials in the villages". As for how these local officials manage local banks, it is not clear. The business of local banks was also complex, such as "commercial exchanges, various types of savings, monetary calculations, loans of all kinds strictly prescribed by royal decree, conversion of claims, cash payments, and all kinds of commercial activities that had been carried out in Athens since the 4th century BC."
In addition to the branches of the Royal Bank, there are also local private banks. Private banks appear to have been leased by the royal family to individuals, engaged in both private and government business. Private banking deals with private business mainly currency conversion between private individuals, such as loans, mortgages, etc. Private banks are under the management of the king.
The Ptolemaic kings adopted a monopoly and monopoly approach to the management of industry, trade, money, and banks, and strictly controlled industrial production, trade, the minting and use of money, and the operation of banks through bureaucrats at all levels and royal nobles.
Combined with what we saw in the first part, that is, the king held the various powers of the land and agriculture of Egypt, the main economic type, it can be said that the king of Ptolemy held the supreme power of the various economic types in Egypt, and the economy of the whole country belonged to the king. This gave the Ptolemaic kings great economic power. With the help of this ownership, monopoly power, and franchise, he can control the economic income of the whole country.
Taxation was a major function of the state and a major source of finance for the Ptolemaic royal family, whose kings were firmly in control of the collection, use, and distribution of taxes.
In Ptolemaic's time, a large part of the government's (king's) income came from taxes in kind, including fixed and proportional taxes paid in grain and other kind.
Agriculture was the main economic type of Ptolemaic Egypt, the king divided a part of the royal land, drove farmers or slaves to cultivate, and the proceeds went to the king, leaving some agricultural products necessary for life for the peasants or slaves; The king leased another part of the royal land, so a large part of the tax in kind came from the rent of the land, mainly the fixed annual fixed tax paid by the peasants who rented the royal land; Other types of land cultivators or users are subject to a certain percentage of their total harvest, which is called "proportional tax", including "tithes", "June 1 taxes", etc.
A receipt for tithes paid by the temple in 125 BC reflects the regular payment of taxes by the temple for the possession and use of land: "The 27th day of the 45th year of the king's reign of Mackel. The god Sokus and Mares, son of his priest Sokotes, paid the holy tax of Sokus, but also 2 drachma for every 20 alula's land, which was the tithe that those who needed houses and land had to give to the temple.
Soknopis, son of Ax, priest of Sokoneib, the priest of Tunis, had paid a drachma tax of 2 drachmas for the vacant land in Sokus, village of Tabtunis, in the district of Pollermen, which he bought from Fanesis, son of Patcalpsenhesith; I have received the full amount from you without any arrears. "Agricultural rents or taxes in kind are to be transported to the treasury of Alexandria.