Ptolemies_ (London, 1895), _A History of Egypt under_ _the
Ptolemaic Dynasty_ (London, 1899); A. Bouche-Leclercq, _Histoire des
Lagides_ (4 vols., Paris, 1903- ); E. A. W. Budge, _A History of
Egypt_, vols. vii.-viii. (London, 1902); J. G. Milne, _A History of
Egypt under Roman Rule_ (London, 1898); E. Gibbon, _Decline and Fall
of the Roman Empire_ (edited by J. B. Bury) (London, 1900). The
administration and condition of Egypt under the Ptolemaic and Roman
rules are abundantly illustrated in recently discovered papyri, see
especially the English publications of B. P. Grenfell and A. S. Hunt
(_Memoirs of the Graeco-Roman Branch of the Egypt Exploration Fund_)
and F. G. Kenyon (British Museum Catalogues); also Mr Kenyon's annual
summaries in the _Archaeological Report of the Egypt Exploration
Fund_. An ample selection of the Greek inscriptions from Egypt is to
be found in W. Dittenberger, _Orientis Graeci inscriptiones selectae_
(2 vols., Leipzig, 1903-1905). (R. S. P.; F. Ll. G.)

2. _Mahommedan Period._

(1) _Moslem Conquest of Egypt._--In accordance with the scheme of
universal conquest conceived by the founder of Islam, an army of some
4000 men was towards the end of the year A.D. 639 sent against Egypt
under the command of 'Amr (see 'AMR-IBN-EL-ASS), by the second caliph,
Omar I., who had some doubt as to the expediency of the enterprise. The
commander marched from Syria through El-'Arish, easily took Farama or
Pelusium, and thence proceeded to Bilbeis, where he was delayed for a
month; having captured this place, he proceeded to a point on the Nile
called Umm Dunain, the siege of which also occasioned him some
difficulty. After taking it, he crossed the Nile to the Fayum. On the
6th of June of the following year (640) a second army of 12,000 men,
despatched by Omar, arrived at Heliopolis (On). 'Amr recrossed the river
and joined it, but presently was confronted by a Roman army, which he
defeated at the battle of Heliopolis (July 640); this victory was
followed by the siege of Babylon, which after some futile attempts at
negotiation was taken partly by storm and partly by capitulation on Good
Friday, the 6th of April 641. 'Amr next proceeded in the direction of
Alexandria, which was surrendered to him by a treaty signed on the 8th
of November 641, under which it was to be occupied by the Moslems on the
29th of September of the following year. The interval was spent by him
in found