Egypt Becomes a Roman Province

In 30 BCE, Octavian annexed Egypt as a Roman province, ending the Ptolemaic dynasty and one of the oldest continuous civilizations on earth. Egypt's agricultural wealth was so strategically important that Augustus made it his personal province — no senator could even visit without imperial permission. The land of the Exodus was now a line item in Rome's budget, and Alexandria became one of the ancient world's greatest centers of learning and commerce.