before this, and now I will give an account of it, seeing that it is
worthy to be described. This Oracle which is in Egypt is sacred to Leto,
and it is established in a great city near that mouth of the Nile which
is called Sebennytic, as one sails up the river from the sea; and the
name of this city where the Oracle is found is Buto, as I have said
before in mentioning it. In this Buto there is a temple of Apollo and
Artemis; and the temple-house 134 of Leto, in which the Oracle is, is
both great in itself and has a gateway of the height of ten fathoms: but
that which caused me most to marvel of the things to be seen there, I
will now tell. There is in this sacred enclosure a house of Leto made of
one single stone as regards both height and length, and of which all the
walls are in these two directions equal, each being forty cubits; and
for the covering in of the roof there lies another stone upon the top,
the cornice measuring four cubits. 135
156. This house then of all the things that were to be seen by me in
that temple is the most marvellous, and among those which come next is
the island called Chemmis. This is situated in a deep and broad lake
by the side of the temple at Buto, and it is said by the Egyptians
that this island is a floating island. I myself did not see it either
floating about or moved from its place, and I feel surprise at hearing
of it, wondering if it be indeed a floating island. In this island of
which I speak there is a great temple-house of Apollo, and three several
altars are set up within, and there are planted in the island many
palm-trees and other trees, both bearing fruit and not bearing fruit.
And the Egyptians, when they say that it is floating, add this story,
namely that in this island, which formerly was not floating, Leto, being
one of the eight gods who came into existence first, and dwelling in the
city of Buto where she has this Oracle, received Apollo from Isis as a
charge and preserved him, concealing him in the island which is said now
to be a floating island, at that time when Typhon came after him seeking
everywhere and desiring to find the son of Osiris. Now they say that
Apollo and Artemis are children of Dionysos and of Isis, and that Leto
became their nurse and preserver; and in the Egyptian tongue Apollo is
Oros, Demeter is Isis, and Artemis is Bubastis. From this story and from
no other Æschylus the son of Euphorion took 136 this which I shall say,
wherein he differs from all the preceding poets; he represented namely
that Artemis was the daughter of Demeter. For this reason then, they
say, it became a floating island.
Such is the story which they tell;
157, but as for Psammetichos, he was king over Egypt for four-and-fifty
years, of which for thirty years save one he was sitting before Azotos,
a great city of Syria, besieging it, until at last he took it: and this
Azotos of all cities about which we have knowledge held out for the
longest time under a siege.
158. The son of Psammetichos was Necos, and he became king of Egypt.
This man was the first who attempted the channel leading to the
Erythraian Sea, which Dareios the Persian afterwards completed: the
length of this is a voyage of four days, and in breadth it was so dug
that two triremes could go side by side driven by oars; and the water is
brought into it from the Nile. The channel is conducted a little above
the city of Bubastis by Patumos the Arabian city, and runs into the
Erythraian Sea: and it is dug first along those parts of the plain of
Egypt which lie towards Arabia, just above which run the mountains which
extend opposite Memphis, where are the stone-quarries,—along the base of
these mountains the channel is conducted from West to East for a great
way; and after that it is directed towards a break in the hills and
tends from these mountains towards the noon-day and the South Wind
to the Arabian gulf. Now in the place where the journey is least and
shortest from the Northern to the Southern Sea (which is also called
Erythraian), that is from Mount Casion, which is the boundary between
Egypt and Syria, the distance is exactly 137 a thousand furlongs to the
Arabian gulf; but the channel is much longer, since it is more winding;
and in the reign of Necos there perished while digging it twelve myriads
13701 of the Egyptians. Now Necos ceased in the midst of his digging,
because the utterance of an Oracle impeded him, which was to the effect
that he was working for the Barbarian: and the Egyptians call all men
Barbarians who do not agree with them in speech.
159. Thus having ceased from the work of the channel, Necos betook
himself to waging wars, and triremes were built by him, some for the
Northern Sea and others in the Arabian gulf for the Erythraian Sea; and
of these the sheds are still to be seen. These ships he used when he
needed them; and also on land Necos engaged battle at Magdolos with the
Syrians, and conquered them; and after this he took Cadytis, which is
a great city of Syria: and the dress which he wore when he made these
conquests he dedicated to Apollo, sending it to Branchidai of the
Milesians. After this, having reigned in all sixteen years, he brought
his life to an end, and handed on the kingdom to Psammis his son.
160. While this Psammis was king of Egypt, there came to him men sent by
the Eleians, who boasted that they ordered the contest at Olympia in the
most just and honourable manner possible and thought that not even the
Egyptians, the wisest of men, could find out anything besides, to be
added to their rules. Now when the Eleians came to Egypt and said that
for which they had come, then this king called together those of the
Egyptians who were reputed the wisest, and when the Egyptians had come
together they heard the Eleians tell of all that which it was their part
to do in regard to the contest; and when they had related everything,
they said that they had come to learn in addition anything which the
Egyptians might be able to find out besides, which was juster than this.
They then having consulted together asked the Eleians whether their own
citizens took part in the contest; and they said that it was permitted
to any one who desired it, both of their own people and of the other
Hellenes equally, to take part in the contest: upon which the Egyptians
said that in so ordering the games they had wholly missed the mark of
justice; for it could not be but that they would take part with the man
of their own State, if he was contending, and so act unfairly to the
stranger: but if they really desired, as they said, to order the games
justly, and if this was the cause for which they had come to Egypt, they
advised them to order the contest so as to be for strangers alone to
contend in, and that no Eleian should be permitted to contend. Such was
the suggestion made by the Egyptians to the Eleians.
161. When Psammis had been king of Egypt for only six years and had made
an expedition to Ethiopia and immediately afterwards had ended his life,
Apries the son of Psammis received the kingdom in succession. This man
came to be the most prosperous of all the kings up to that time except
only his forefather Psammetichos; and he reigned five-and-twenty years,
during which he led an army against Sidon and fought a sea-fight with
the king of Tyre. Since however it was fated that evil should come upon
him, it came by occasion of a matter which I shall relate at greater
length in the Libyan history, 138 and at present but shortly. Apries
having sent a great expedition against the Kyrenians, met with
correspondingly great disaster; and the Egyptians considering him
to blame for this revolted from him, supposing that Apries had with
forethought sent them out to evident calamity, in order (as they said)
that there might be a slaughter of them, and he might the more securely
rule over the other Egyptians. Being indignant at this, both these men
who had returned from the expedition and also the friends of those who
had perished made revolt openly.
162. Hearing this Apries sent to them Amasis, to cause them to cease
by persuasion; and when he had come and was seeking to restrain the
Egyptians, as he was speaking and telling them not to do so, one of the
Egyptians stood up behind him and put a helmet 139 upon his head, saying
as he did so that he put it on to crown him king. And to him this
that was done was in some degree not unwelcome, as he proved by his
behaviour; for as soon as the revolted Egyptians had set him up as king,
he prepared to march against Apries: and Apries hearing this sent to
Amasis one of the Egyptians who were about his own person, a man of
reputation, whose name was Patarbemis, enjoining him to bring Amasis
alive into his presence. When this Patarbemis came and summoned Amasis,
the latter, who happened to be sitting on horseback, lifted up his leg
and behaved in an unseemly manner, 140 bidding him take that back to
Apries. Nevertheless, they say, Patarbemis made demand of him that he
should go to the king, seeing that the king had sent to summon him; and
he answered him that he had for some time past been preparing to do
so, and that Apries would have no occasion to find fault with him. Then
Patarbemis both perceiving his intention from that which he said, and
also seeing his preparations, departed in haste, desiring to make known
as quickly as possible to the king the things which were being done:
and when he came back to Apries not bringing Amasis, the king paying
no regard to that which he said, 141 but being moved by violent anger,
ordered his ears and his nose to be cut off. And the rest of the
Egyptians who still remained on his side, when they saw the man of most
repute among them thus suffering shameful outrage, waited no longer but
joined the others in revolt, and delivered themselves over to Amasis.
163. Then Apries having heard this also, armed his foreign mercenaries
and marched against the Egyptians: now he had about him Carian and
Ionian mercenaries to the number of thirty thousand; and his royal
palace was in the city of Saïs, of great size and worthy to be seen.
So Apries and his army were going against the Egyptians, and Amasis and
those with him were going against the mercenaries; and both sides came
to the city of Momemphis and were about to make trial of one another in
fight.
164. Now of the Egyptians there are seven classes, and of these one
class is called that of the priests, and another that of the
warriors, while the others are the cowherds, swineherds, shopkeepers,
interpreters, and boatmen. This is the number of the classes of the
Egyptians, and their names are given them from the occupations
which they follow. Of them the warriors are called Calasirians and
Hermotybians, and they are of the following districts, 142—for all Egypt
is divided into districts.
165. The districts of the Hermotybians are those of Busiris, Saïs,
Chemmis, Papremis, the island called Prosopitis, and the half of
Natho,—of these districts are the Hermotybians, who reached when most
numerous the number of sixteen myriads. 14201 Of these not one has
learnt anything of handicraft, but they are given up to war entirely.
166. Again the districts of the Calasirians are those of Thebes,
Bubastis, Aphthis, Tanis, Mendes, Sebennytos, Athribis, Pharbaithos,
Thmuïs Onuphis, Anytis, Myecphoris,—this last is on an island opposite
to the city of Bubastis. These are the districts of the Calasirians;
and they reached, when most numerous, to the number of five-and-twenty
myriads 14202 of men; nor is it lawful for these, any more than for the
others, to practise any craft; but they practise that which has to do
with war only, handing down the tradition from father to son.
167. Now whether the Hellenes have learnt this also from the Egyptians,
I am not able to say for certain, since I see that the Thracians also
and Scythians and Persians and Lydians and almost all the Barbarians
esteem those of their citizens who learn the arts, and the descendants
of them, as less honourable than the rest; while those who have got free
from all practice of manual arts are accounted noble, and especially
those who are devoted to war: however that may be, the Hellenes have all
learnt this, and especially the Lacedemonians; but the Corinthians least
of all cast slight upon those who practise handicrafts.
168. The following privilege was specially granted to this class and to
none others of the Egyptians except the priests, that is to say, each
man had twelve yokes 143 of land specially granted to him free from
imposts: now the yoke of land measures a hundred Egyptian cubits every
way, and the Egyptian cubit is, as it happens, equal to that of Samos.
This, I say, was a special privilege granted to all, and they also had
certain advantages in turn and not the same men twice; that is to say, a
thousand of the Calasirians and a thousand of the Hermotybians acted as
body-guard to the king during each year; 144 and these had besides their
yokes of land an allowance given them for each day of five pounds weight
14401 of bread to each man, and two pounds of beef, and four half-pints
145 of wine. This was the allowance given to those who were serving as
the king's bodyguard for the time being.
169. So when Apries leading his foreign mercenaries, and Amasis at
the head of the whole body of the Egyptians, in their approach to one
another had come to the city of Momemphis, they engaged battle: and
although the foreign troops fought well, yet being much inferior in
number they were worsted by reason of this. But Apries is said to have
supposed that not even a god would be able to cause him to cease from
his rule, so firmly did he think that it was established. In that battle
then, I say, he was worsted, and being taken alive was brought away to
the city of Saïs, to that which had formerly been his own dwelling but
from thenceforth was the palace of Amasis. There for some time he was
kept in the palace, and Amasis dealt well with him; but at last, since
the Egyptians blamed him, saying that he acted not rightly in keeping
alive him who was the greatest foe both to themselves and to him,
therefore he delivered Apries over to the Egyptians; and they strangled
him, and after that buried him in the burial-place of his fathers: this
is in the temple of Athene, close to the sanctuary, on the left hand as
you enter. Now the men of Saïs buried all those of this district who had
been kings, within the temple; for the tomb of Amasis also, though it is
further from the sanctuary than that of Apries and his forefathers,
yet this too is within the court of the temple, and it consists of
a colonnade of stone of great size, with pillars carved to imitate
date-palms, and otherwise sumptuously adorned; and within the colonnade
are double-doors, and inside the doors a sepulchral chamber.
170. Also at Saïs there is the burial-place of him whom I account it not
pious to name in connexion with such a matter, which is in the temple of
Athene behind the house of the goddess, 146 stretching along the whole
wall of it; and in the sacred enclosure stand great obelisks of stone,
and near them is a lake adorned with an edging of stone and fairly made
in a circle, being in size, as it seemed to me, equal to that which is
called the "Round Pool" 147 in Delos.
171. On this lake they perform by night the show of his sufferings, and
this the Egyptians call Mysteries. Of these things I know more fully in
detail how they take place, but I shall leave this unspoken; and of the
mystic rites of Demeter, which the Hellenes call thesmophoria, of these
also, although I know, I shall leave unspoken all except so much as
piety permits me to tell. The daughters of Danaos were they who brought
this rite out of Egypt and taught it to the women of the Pelasgians;
then afterwards when all the inhabitants of Peloponnese were driven out
by the Dorians, the rite was lost, and only those who were left behind
of the Peloponnesians and not driven out, that is to say the Arcadians,
preserved it.
172. Apries having thus been overthrown, Amasis became king, being of
the district of Saïs, and the name of the city whence he was is Siuph.
Now at the first the Egyptians despised Amasis and held him in no
great regard, because he had been a man of the people and was of no
distinguished family; but afterwards Amasis won them over to himself by
wisdom and not wilfulness. Among innumerable other things of price which
he had, there was a foot-basin of gold in which both Amasis himself and
all his guests were wont always to wash their feet. This he broke up,
and of it he caused to be made the image of a god, and set it up in the
city, where it was most convenient; and the Egyptians went continually
to visit the image and did great reverence to it. Then Amasis, having
learnt that which was done by the men of the city, called together the
Egyptians and made known to them the matter, saying that the image had
been produced from the foot-basin, into which formerly the Egyptians
used to vomit and make water, and in which they washed their feet,
whereas now they did to it great reverence; and just so, he continued,
had he himself now fared, as the foot-basin; for though formerly he
was a man of the people, yet now he was their king, and he bade them
accordingly honour him and have regard for him.
173. In such manner he won the Egyptians to himself, so that they
consented to be his subjects; and his ordering of affairs was thus:—In
the early morning, and until the time of the filling of the market he
did with a good will the business which was brought before him;
but after this he passed the time in drinking and in jesting at his
boon-companions, and was frivolous and playful. And his friends being
troubled at it admonished him in some such words as these: "O king,
thou dost not rightly govern thyself in thus letting thyself descend
to behaviour so trifling; for thou oughtest rather to have been sitting
throughout the day stately upon a stately throne and administering thy
business; and so the Egyptians would have been assured that they were
ruled by a great man, and thou wouldest have had a better report: but as
it is, thou art acting by no means in a kingly fashion." And he answered
them thus: "They who have bows stretch them at such time as they wish to
use them, and when they have finished using them they loose them again;
148 for if they were stretched tight always they would break, so that
the men would not be able to use them when they needed them. So also
is the state of man: if he should always be in earnest and not relax
himself for sport at the due time, he would either go mad or be struck
with stupor before he was aware; and knowing this well, I distribute a
portion of the time to each of the two ways of living." Thus he replied
to his friends.
174. It is said however that Amasis, even when he was in a private
station, was a lover of drinking and of jesting, and not at all
seriously disposed; and whenever his means of livelihood failed him
through his drinking and luxurious living, he would go about and steal;
and they from whom he stole would charge him with having their property,
and when he denied it would bring him before the judgment of an Oracle,
whenever there was one in their place; and many times he was convicted
by the Oracles and many times he was absolved: and then when finally he
became king he did as follows:—as many of the gods as had absolved
him and pronounced him not to be a thief, to their temples he paid no
regard, nor gave anything for the further adornment of them, nor even
visited them to offer sacrifice, considering them to be worth nothing
and to possess lying Oracles; but as many as had convicted him of being
a thief, to these he paid very great regard, considering them to be
truly gods, and to present Oracles which did not lie.
175. First in Saïs he built and completed for Athene a temple-gateway
which is a great marvel, and he far surpassed herein all who had done
the like before, both in regard to height and greatness, so large
are the stones and of such quality. Then secondly he dedicated great
colossal statues and man-headed sphinxes very large, and for restoration
he brought other stones of monstrous size. Some of these he caused to
be brought from the stone-quarries which are opposite Memphis, others
of very great size from the city of Elephantine, distant a voyage of not
less than twenty days from Saïs: and of them all I marvel most at this,
namely a monolith chamber which he brought from the city of Elephantine;
and they were three years engaged in bringing this, and two thousand men
were appointed to convey it, who all were of the class of boatmen. Of
this house the length outside is one-and-twenty cubits, the breadth is
fourteen cubits, and the height eight. These are the measures of the
monolith house outside; but the length inside is eighteen cubits and
five-sixths of a cubit, 149 the breadth twelve cubits, and the height
five cubits. This lies by the side of the entrance to the temple; for
within the temple they did not draw it, because, as it said, while the
house was being drawn along, the chief artificer of it groaned aloud,
seeing that much time had been spent and he was wearied by the work; and
Amasis took it to heart as a warning and did not allow them to draw it
further onwards. Some say on the other hand that a man was killed by it,
of those who were heaving it with levers, and that it was not drawn in
for that reason.
176. Amasis also dedicated in all the other temples which were of
repute, works which are worth seeing for their size, and among them also
at Memphis the colossal statue which lies on its back in front of the
temple of Hephaistos, whose length is five-and-seventy feet; and on the
same base made of the same stone 150 are set two colossal statues, each
of twenty feet in length, one on this side and the other on that side of
the large statue. 151 There is also another of stone of the same size in
Saïs, lying in the same manner as that at Memphis. Moreover Amasis was
he who built and finished for Isis her temple at Memphis, which is of
great size and very worthy to be seen.
177. In the reign of Amasis it is said that Egypt became more prosperous
than at any other time before, both in regard to that which comes to the
land from the river and in regard to that which comes from the land
to its inhabitants, and that at this time the inhabited towns in it
numbered in all twenty thousand. It was Amasis too who established the
law that every year each one of the Egyptians should declare to the
ruler of his district, from what source he got his livelihood, and if
any man did not do this or did not make declaration of an honest way
of living, he should be punished with death. Now Solon the Athenian
received from Egypt this law and had it enacted for the Athenians, and
they have continued to observe it, since it is a law with which none can
find fault.
178. Moreover Amasis became a lover of the Hellenes; and besides other
proofs of friendship which he gave to several among them, he also
granted the city of Naucratis for those of them who came to Egypt to
dwell in; and to those who did not desire to stay, but who made voyages
thither, he granted portions of land to set up altars and make sacred
enclosures for their gods. Their greatest enclosure and that one which
has most name and is most frequented is called the Hellenion, and this
was established by the following cities in common:—of the Ionians Chios,
Teos, Phocaia, Clazomenai, of the Dorians Rhodes, Cnidos, Halicarnassos,
Phaselis, and of the Aiolians Mytilene alone. To these belongs this
enclosure and these are the cities which appoint superintendents of the
port; and all other cities which claim a share in it, are making a claim
without any right. 152 Besides this the Eginetans established on their
own account a sacred enclosure dedicated to Zeus, the Samians one to
Hera, and the Milesians one to Apollo.
179. Now in old times Naucratis alone was an open trading-place, and
no other place in Egypt: and if any one came to any other of the Nile
mouths, he was compelled to swear that he came not thither of his own
will, and when he had thus sworn his innocence he had to sail with his
ship to the Canobic mouth, or if it were not possible to sail by reason
of contrary winds, then he had to carry his cargo round the head of the
Delta in boats to Naucratis: thus highly was Naucratis privileged.
180. Moreover when the Amphictyons had let out the contract for building
the temple which now exists at Delphi, agreeing to pay a sum of three
hundred talents, (for the temple which formerly stood there had been
burnt down of itself), it fell to the share of the people of Delphi to
provide the fourth part of the payment; and accordingly the Delphians
went about to various cities and collected contributions. And when they
did this they got from Egypt as much as from any place, for Amasis gave
them a thousand talents' weight of alum, while the Hellenes who dwelt in
Egypt gave them twenty pounds of silver. 153