t Egypt owes her survival in the memory of men to the presence of Greeks upon her soil and to their curiosity."
Just as Greek readership of Egyptian texts was evident during the Ptolemaic period, papyri excavated in the towns of the Nile Valley indicate the existence of a small segment of the Egyptian public who were avid readers of Greek literature. These excavated works of Greek authors range from Homer to Menander. The types of reading matter included novels, prose romances, oratorial works, poetry, and treatises.
The influence of Greek on the Egyptian culture is most evident in the area of language. Early in the Ptolemaic period, several languages were in use. The Egyptian native forms included: hieroglyphic, hieratic (a shorthand form of hieroglyphic), and demotic (a cursive form of hieratic). Also in use were Coptic (basically Egyptian written in the Greek alphabet) and Latin. Greek became the predominant language, particularly in its written form. Egyptians generally adapted to the use of Greek, as evidenced by numerous Ptolemaic contr
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