ABSTRACT
from what has been said in the preceding pages it is clear that the feature which differentiated this, the last period of the history of the Egyptians as an inde-pendent nation, from the periods which had gone before is the introduction of the Greek element as a permanent factor in Egyptian life. When once a Greek king had ascended the throne of the Pharaohs Egypt became included in the circle of Greek culture, and the Egyptian kingdom became a Hellenized state, even as did also Syria and the other eastern countries conquered by Alexander the Great. The king and his court and his army were Greeks and spoke Greek, but the religion of the country continued to be purely Egyptian, and the language of the priesthood and of the people was Egyptian. As time passed the Greek element in the country grew stronger, until at length, in Roman times, Greek became the official language of the country, and the Egyptian language was only used officially for religious purposes.
