At the death of Cleopatra VII in 30 BC, Egypt became a province of the Roman Empire, governed by a prefect chosen directly by the Emperor. The main Roman interest in Egypt was the reliable delivery of grain to the city of Rome. Roman administrators made few changes to the Ptolemaic system of government: Greeks continued to staff most of the government under Roman rule, and Greek remained the language of government introducing the cult of the Roman Emperor into the array of deities worshipped by the Egyptians.

Dr. Michael Birrell lectured at the Ancient History of Macquarie University, and has taught many courses for Continuing Education at Sydney University. He has worked on numerous archaeological excavations in both Egypt and Israel, and has travelled widely in the Middle East, Asia and Europe. Dr. Birrell runs his own guided tour company, 'B.C. Archaeology.

'B.C. Archaeology' is a small travel company which was founded by Dr Michael Birrell, an Australian historian and archaeologist, in 2000. He saw a need for a specialised inexpensive tour experience which catered to those with a desire to travel and learn about archaeology. To learn more, please visit: http://www.bcarchaeology.com/