Histories

For from this time Egypt [30,27] (nation), Africa Egypt, although a level land, could use no horses or carts, because there were so many canals going every which way. The reason why the king thus intersected the country was this:

those Egyptians whose towns were not on the Nahr an- Nil [31.1,30.166] (river), AfricaNile, but inland from it, lacked water whenever the flood left their land, and drank only brackish water from wells.

For this reason Egypt [30,27] (nation), Africa Egypt was intersected. This king also (they said) divided the country among all the Egyptians by giving each an equal parcel of land, and made this his source of revenue, assessing the payment of a yearly tax.

And any man who was robbed by the river of part of his land could come to Sesostris and declare what had happened; then the king would send men to look into it and calculate the part by which the land was diminished, so that thereafter it should pay in proportion to the tax originally imposed.