Hello!
I've been having some trouble finding info on Byzantine Egypt before the Muslim conquest. Eventually I thought 'why not ask on AH.com', and here I am. So in short, if anyone has the answers to the following questions, I'd be very happy. Thanks!
- I assume that Egypt was mostly Christian and hellenised in this period. Did the general populace speak Greek by now, or did they (or at least some of them) still speak the old Egyptian language?
- At least earlier, I know that the Roman Empire was fairly ambivalent toward religious differences, so long as they all paid their taxes and offered sacrifice before the Emperor's image (the Jews were exempt from the latter requirement). So were there still some practitioners of the old Egyptian polytheistic religion (as in Osiris, Ra and the rest)?
- Were the Egyptians content with imperial rule? I know that the Muslims were able to seize and convert the whole of it fairly quickly. Was this because of discontent with the old rulership, or was it because they were better off (as in paid less taxes and the like) under the Caliph?
- If they were fairly content, then what would it take for a rebellion to break out?
Again, thanks in advance.