The Institution

Attention is devoted to the diffusion, terminology, and foundation of the institution of the gymnasium in Ptolemaic Egypt, including the possible link with the army and the evidence from archaeology. The chapter shows how gymnasia in Egypt were introduced both in the three poleis of the country as well as in villages, throughout the Ptolemaic period. It highlights the close connection that the institution had with military settlers but stresses how the gymnasium was not a military institution but rather the by-product of the settlers’ residence habits, promoted by Ptolemaic policies. Finally, it offers an account of the first and so far only archaeologically attested Hellenistic gymnasium of Egypt, recently uncovered in the village of Philoteris in the Arsinoite nome.