Police Force of Ptolemaic Egypt

When we think about law enforcement in ancient times, we usually picture soldiers, guards, or kings making decisions about justice. But in Ptolemaic Egypt, things were different. Unlike the Romans, who didn’t have an official police force, the Ptolemies created one called the phylakitai. This police force was useful but also had serious problems, like corruption and abuse of power.

The phylakitai weren’t just there to catch criminals. They protected important buildings, guarded valuable goods like grain, and kept order in their towns. But because they had so much power and little oversight, many of them misused it. There were reports of officers attacking civilians, stealing, and even working with criminals. The government tried to stop the corruption, but it didn’t really succeed.

This police system started after Alexander the Great conquered Egypt in 332 BCE. The Greek rulers, the Ptolemies, brought their own traditions but also kept some Egyptian customs. The Ptolemaic kings were responsible for justice, following the Egyptian idea of ma’at, which meant balance and fairness. People could ask the king or queen for justice, but most cases were handled by judges. Egypt was divided into regions called nomes, each with its own judges. Instead of creating one legal system, the Ptolemies had two: one for Greeks and another for Egyptians. The police worked alongside the army to make sure people followed the laws, especially when it came to taxes and trade.

The police were known by two names: phylakitai in Greek and kalasiries in Egyptian. At the top was the epistates phylakiton, like a modern police chief, who reported to the government. Below them were the archiphylakitai, or town police chiefs, who managed daily law enforcement. Regular officers investigated crimes, patrolled streets, and kept order. They carried weapons like swords, spears, or whips, depending on their jobs. Even though they were police, they were also considered part of the military. They received land and a salary, but they were paid much less than regular soldiers. A police officer might get 10 arouras of land, while a soldier got two or three times that. As Egypt faced wars and rebellions, the government started giving more land to police officers to keep them loyal.

The police had many duties, such as keeping the peace, investigating crimes, and guarding roads, temples, and grain supplies. They also protected important officials traveling across Egypt. Some even worked at border forts to stop attacks from outsiders. When a crime happened, victims could report it to the police directly or write a complaint through a scribe. Many of these old documents have survived because Egypt’s dry climate preserved the papyrus they were written on. One case tells of a man named Teos, who was attacked by a robber. Later, when Teos saw the same thief in another city, he told the local police chief, Hermais. But Hermais couldn’t just arrest the man—he had to wait for approval from a higher officer. This shows how slow and complicated the system could be. Investigations were simple. Officers asked witnesses, collected evidence, and could hold suspects in jail as long as needed. They also helped solve neighbor disputes, found lost animals, made sure grain was shared fairly, and even delivered official messages.

People who were arrested were kept in small jails until their punishment was decided. These prisons weren’t meant for long stays, but they were terrible places. Prisoners often suffered from hunger, lack of clothing, and disease. Instead of long jail sentences, the system focused on fines and payments. But for serious crimes, punishments were harsh. Beatings and whippings were common, and the worst criminals were sent to work in mines and quarries. These labor camps were miserable, with prisoners working under brutal conditions and constant watch. Some of Egypt’s gold mines relied on this forced labor, which made the Ptolemies richer while prisoners suffered. Escape was almost impossible. Workers were chained, and guards—who were often foreign mercenaries—spoke different languages, making bribery useless. The death penalty was rare, but torture was sometimes used to force confessions.

The biggest issue with the Ptolemaic police was corruption. With so much power and little supervision, many officers took bribes, arrested people unfairly, or even helped criminals. Because each region had its own police force, criminals could escape by moving to another area. Some officers ignored crimes, while others committed them. Wealthy officials also took advantage of the police. If someone made a powerful person angry, they could be arrested for no reason. Judges were supposed to stop unfair arrests, but in reality, innocent people often stayed in jail simply because they had no influence.

The Ptolemaic government tried to stop police corruption by making new laws. One major reform was the amnesty decree of 118 BCE, issued by Ptolemy VIII and the Cleopatras. This law made it clear that unlawful arrests, bribery, and theft by officials were illegal. But despite these efforts, corruption never really went away.

The phylakitai disappeared in 30 BCE, when Egypt was conquered by the Roman Empire. The last Ptolemaic ruler, Cleopatra VII, was defeated by Augustus, and the entire Egyptian military—including the police—was disbanded. The Romans didn’t have a formal police force. Instead, military officers handled law enforcement, and small village guards took care of local security. Without the structure of the phylakitai, law enforcement became much weaker in Egypt.