Des doreai aux ousiai? Les propriétés foncières royales et impériales en Égypte

The Hellenistic doreai of Egypt have been interpreted by Rostovtzeff as a kind of land tenure that knew a revival in Roman times, when imperial ousiai have been created, in Julio-Claudian years. This article, after analyzing the main historiographical voices on this subject, tries to focus on the nature of the Ptolemaic doreà, on the influences of Egyptian and Macedonian models on this institution and on the juridical title of the beneficiaries of the doreai. A confrontation with the Roman ousiai, beyond some common elements, shows that there is not any continuity between them: ousiai are a Roman institution and doreai are embedded in the royal Ptolemaic idea of rural exploitation.