Abstract

This paper presents a historical reinterpretation of the Cairo papyrus n. 65445 which includes an elegant epigram concerning the creation of a γέρας intended for Lagids sovereigns. Starting from the editions of the text proposed by the philologists and from insights advanced by the archaeologists, the paper focuses on the elements that offer valuable economic and political data; these allow us to corroborate the identification of the excellent characters mentioned in the papyrus (a Ptolemy and an Arsinoe). The origin of the marble, the function and the location of the original structure are interpreted as indicators of a historical and economic context of the Ptolemaic kingdom in the second quarter of the third century B. C.