With Cleopatra’s death, Egypt became

With Cleopatra’s death, Egypt became a province of Rome
and was ruled from that center of power. In contrast with the
Greek Ptolemaic effort to build strong and friendly ties with
the Egyptians, the Romans truly subjugated them. Rome saw
Egypt as a colony from which it could take what it needed.
Above all, Egypt was to serve as the granary of Rome, provid-
ing the motherland with cereal crops and other agricultural
produce. Roman agents collected the exotic wildlife of Egypt
and lands farther south for the arena games held in Rome.
Gold and valuable types of building and ornamental stone were
mined and quarried in remote locations in the Eastern Desert
for use throughout the Roman Empire. The often brutal labor
required to harvest these resources was supplied mainly by
peasant peoples forced to work by the Romans. This was the
so-called corvée system of labor that other later occupiers of
Egypt also used. Rome also placed a huge tax burden on the
people of Egypt. Not surprisingly, Egyptians came to despise
the Roman occupation.
There were also religious conflicts between many Egyptians
and their Roman overlords. Christianity came early to Egypt
from Palestine and won many converts. For the first three cen-
turies a.d., Christianity was officially rejected by Rome, and at
some times Romans carried out vicious persecutions of Chris-
tians. Some devout men fled to the desert to pray in isolation
and avoid Roman persecution. Among them were St.