Causes Of Theban Revolt Of Upper Egypt

This inherent resistance would manifest itself during the Theban Revolt of Upper Egypt which detached itself from control of the Ptolemies from 206 to 186 BC and came under the rule of two native pharaohs, Hyrgonaphor and Chaonnophris. Reasons for this stemmed from the anti-colonial resentment of the Egyptian people toward their Greek rulers and from how the Ptolemaic kings misconducted themselves according to the role of the Pharaoh. The traditional objective of the Egyptian leader was to ensure that “they were victorious in battle, brought rich booty and the stolen images of the gods, and last but not least, fought in a ‘distant valley’ to keep Egypt safe.” This characterization did not align with the actual goals of Ptolemy IV who continually
The Maccabean Revolt which occurred years later and lasted from 167 to 160 BC serves as an example of resistance to Hellenistic influence on Jewish life in the Seleucid kingdom. Similar to the desire of the Ptolemies to consolidate their power, Antiochus IV “issued a proclamation to the whole of his kingdom that they should all form one people and that they should each give up their own customs…and anyone who did not conform to the king’s edict would be punished with death”. The degree of cultural oppression was markedly more severe than examples seen with the Ptolemies, who did offer natives the freedom to practice in peace alongside Greek settlers. In addition, while groups of Egyptians became “Hellenized” as a means of solidifying their position in a stratified Egyptian class system, factions of Jews envisioned that conforming to the proclamation of Antiochus IV would equate establishing beneficial relations with the Seleucids since “many evils befell upon them from the time [the Jews] separated from the [Seleucids].” Therefore, traditional Jews were pitted against the forces of Antiochus and Hellenized Jews who had abandoned their culture, making their fight for the survival of the Jewish identity all the more important. Like the Egyptians of the Theban revolt who desired a native pharaoh, the Jews desired the freedom to practice their culture, which heavily influenced how they organized themselves as a nation. In contrast with Antiochus IV, the relationship of the Jews with his father was that of peace in which Antiochus III allowed them to “govern themselves in accordance with their ancestral law, in which the senate, the priests, and the scribes of the Temple were exempted from taxes.” In essence, the interfering actions of the Greeks regarding the practice of native traditions was the major cause of both of these revolts and was met accordingly with