Lesson plan
Raphia Decree
The Raphia Decree is an ancient inscribed stone stela dating from ancient Egypt. It comprises the second of the Ptolemaic Decrees issued by a synod of Egyptian priests meeting at Memphis under Ptolemy IV of the Hellenistic Ptolemaic dynasty, which ruled Egypt from 305 BC to 30 BC. The slab dates itself to 217 BC, and celebrates Ptolemy IV's victory at the Battle of Raphia. Like the Rosetta Stone, this decree is inscribed in three writing systems. It is bilingual, in ancient Egyptian language and Greek, and written in Egyptian hieroglyphs, Egyptian Demotic and Greek. A partial copy is on the stone known as the Memphis Stele, and a nearly complete copy is found on the Pithom Stele II.
Article summary
The Raphia Decree is an ancient inscribed stone stela dating from ancient Egypt. It comprises the second of the Ptolemaic Decrees issued by a synod of Egyptian priests meeting at Memphis under Ptolemy IV of the Hellenistic Ptolemaic dynasty, which ruled Egypt from 305 BC to 30 BC. The slab dates itself to 217 BC, and celebrates Ptolemy IV's victory at the Battle of Raphia. Like the Rosetta Stone, this decree is inscribed in three writing systems. It is bilingual, in ancient Egyptian language and Greek, and written in Egyptian hieroglyphs, Egyptian Demotic and Greek. A partial copy is on the stone known as the Memphis Stele, and a nearly complete copy is found on the Pithom Stele II.
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.