Faiyum is a city in middle Egypt, located 62 miles southwest of Cairo. In ancient times, the city worshipped the deity Sobek, and a crocodile named the Petsuchos would be worshipped by the citizens; on its death, it would be replaced by another one. During the Ptolemaic era, Greek soldier-veterans and cleruchs (elite military officials) settled on reclaimed lands in the Faiyum Oasis region, coming to make up 30% of the population; the remaining 70% were native Egyptians (including settlers from the Nile Delta, Upper Egypt, and Memphis). By the 1st century BC, the Egyptian majority was living in poverty as the Greek elite acquired Egyptian farmlands on the deaths of their owners, remained exempt from taxes, and maintained a strong military presence. By the Roman era, most "Greeks" in Faiyum were either Hellenized Egyptians or people of mixed Egyptian-Greek origins. After the arrival of Christianity, the Roman city of Arsinoe became a bishopric, and it became a titular see after the residential bishopric was abolished. Today, the city has large mosques, bazaars, baths, and a weekly market, and it had a population of 349,883 in 2012.
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