Author
Abstract
[fre] Résumé Les auteurs antiques ont accordé plus d'attention au phénomène naturel de la crue du Nil qu'au réseau de canaux qui favorisaient la production agricole égyptienne. L'article considère les données relatives au rythme et à la hauteur de la crue, et le système appliqué aux époques ptolémaïque et romaine pour calculer les revenus de la terre et fixer l'assiette des impôts. Il étudie le fonctionnement des canaux d'irrigation, et met en évidence la nécessité d'un état fort pour assurer la surveillance et l'entretien du réseau hydraulique. La documentation papyrologique est fondamentale pour comprendre l'organisation des travaux; les textes juridiques font ressortir l'importance des sanctions prévues contre ceux qui portaient atteinte au système. Le coût de l'irrigation était élevé, mais l'importance du blé égyptien pour le ravitaillement de Rome explique l'attention et les efforts mis en œuvre par l'administration romaine pour la contrôler. [eng] Abstract Those who have written in Antiquity have always focused their attention on the natural phenomenon of the floods of the Nile, rather than the network of canals that favoured Egyptian agricultural production. This article takes into consideration data relative to the rhythm and the depth of the floods, and to the system applied during the Ptolemaic and Roman eras in order to calculate land income, and to set the tax rates. This article will also study how the water canals worked, and will show clearly the need for a strong body to watch over and maintain the hydraulic network. The papyrological documentation is essential for understanding how the works were organised, and the judicial texts underline the sanctions brought against those who tried to attack the system. The cost of irrigation was high, but the importance of the Egyptian wheat supply to Rome was such, that it explains the attention and the efforts that were invested the Roman Administration to control it.
Suggested Citation
Fabienne Burkhalter, 1997.
"Irrigation et production agricole en Egypte hellénistique et romaine,"
Histoire, économie & société, Programme National Persée, vol. 16(3), pages 343-352.
Handle:
RePEc:prs:hiseco:hes_0752-5702_1997_num_16_3_1950
DOI: 10.3406/hes.1997.1950
Note: DOI:10.3406/hes.1997.1950
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