Water, Toponymy, and the Image of the City in Graeco-Roman Egypt

Abstract

The space of the Egyptian city during the Graeco-Roman era is a multilayered and polysemic reality, due to multiple cultural identities and a complex relationship between physical data and symbolic constructions. This paper explores two interrelated fields where these articulations can be analyzed: urban toponymy and water management. The attention is focused on the case of Oxyrhynchus, where names of districts and toponyms such as Krios Potamos allow us to draw an image of the differing perceptions of urban space, with an emphasis on: a) dynamic definition of space through communal practices such as ritual, and b) the image of the city as a well-irrigated garden, belonging to both Greek and Egyptian tradition.