<P> The last ruler from the Ptolemaic dynasty was Cleopatra, who committed suicide following the burial of her lover Mark Antony, who had died in her arms (from a self - inflicted stab wound) after Augustus had captured Alexandria and her mercenary forces had fled . </P> <P> The Ptolemies faced rebellions of native Egyptians, often caused by an unwanted regime, and were involved in foreign and civil wars that led to the decline of the kingdom and its annexation by Rome . Nevertheless, Hellenistic culture continued to thrive in Egypt well after the Muslim conquest . The native Egyptian / Coptic culture continued to exist as well (the Coptic language itself was Egypt's most widely spoken language until at least the 10th century). </P> <P> Egypt quickly became the Empire's breadbasket supplying the greater portion of the Empire's grain in addition to flax, papyrus, glass, and many other finished goods . The city of Alexandria became a key trading outpost for the Roman Empire (by some accounts, the most important for a time). Shipping from Egypt regularly reached India and Ethiopia among other international destinations . It was also a leading (perhaps the leading) scientific and technological center of the Empire . Scholars such as Ptolemy, Hypatia, and Heron broke new ground in astronomy, mathematics, and other disciplines . Culturally, the city of Alexandria at times rivaled Rome in its importance . </P> <P> Christianity reached Egypt relatively early in the evangelist period of the first century (traditionally credited to Mark the Evangelist). Alexandria, Egypt and Antioch, Syria quickly became the leading centers of Christianity . Diocletian's reign marked the transition from the Roman to the Byzantine era in Egypt, when a great number of Egyptian Christians were persecuted . The New Testament had by then been translated into Egyptian . After the Council of Chalcedon in AD 451, a distinct Egyptian Coptic Church was firmly established . </P>

When did egyptian rule become an empire beyond the nile