Abstract: This chapter discusses the use of money in Ptolemaic Egypt in relation to the development of the state. The aim is to summarize some recent work and to set the process of monetization into a broader context of state development. Topics covered include the history of ‘money’ in Egypt, the Ptolemaic economy, coin as ‘code’ on Ptolemaic Egypt, and money and the Ptolemaic state. It argues that the economic power of the state is the crucial element in the history of monetization, and state power to demand taxes in coin and payments into state banks were keys to the process.

Keywords: Ptolemaic Egypt, money, monetization, economic development, taxes,