Histories

When he became king, he did not take care of the shrines of the gods who had acquitted him of theft, or give them anything for maintenance, or make it his practice to sacrifice there, for he knew them to be worthless and their oracles false; but he took scrupulous care of the gods who had declared his guilt, considering them to be gods in very deed and their oracles infallible.

Amasis made a marvellous outer court for the temple of Athena [*](Apparently, Nit; also identified with Demeter (Hdt. 2.132, note).) at Saïs, far surpassing all in its height and size, and in the size and quality of the stone blocks; moreover, he set up huge images and vast man-headed sphinxes,[*](Visitors to +Karnak [32.65,25.716] (inhabited place), Qina, Upper Egypt, Egypt, Africa Karnak will remember the double row of sphinxes leading to the temple.) and brought enormous blocks of stone besides for the building.