Histories

besides, Egypt [30,27] (nation), Africa Egypt is like neither the neighboring land of Arabian Peninsula [45,25] (region (general)), AsiaArabia nor Libya [17,25] (nation), AfricaLibya, not even like Syria [38,35] (nation), Asia Syria (for Syrians inhabit the seaboard of Arabian Peninsula [45,25] (region (general)), AsiaArabia); it is a land of black and crumbling earth, as if it were alluvial deposit carried down the river from Aethiopia;

but we know that the soil of Libya [17,25] (nation), AfricaLibya is redder and somewhat sandy, and Arabian Peninsula [45,25] (region (general)), AsiaArabia and Syria [38,35] (nation), Asia Syria are lands of clay and stones.

This, too, that the priests told me about Egypt [30,27] (nation), Africa Egypt, is a strong proof: when Moeris was king, if the river rose as much as thirteen feet, it watered all of Egypt [30,27] (nation), Africa Egypt below Mit Rahina [31.25,29.85] (inhabited place), Giza, Upper Egypt, Egypt, AfricaMemphis.[*](Supposing this statement to be true, Moeris must have been king much more than 900 years before Hdt.: 900 years being much too short a period for a rise of eight cubits in the height of the Nile valley.) Moeris had not been dead nine hundred years when I heard this from the priests. But now, if the river does not rise at least twenty-six or twenty-five feet, the land is not flooded.

And, in my opinion, the Egyptians who inhabit the lands lower down the river than Birkat Qarun [30.666,29.466] (salt lake), Egypt, Africalake Moeris, and especially what is called the Delta—if this land of theirs rises in the same proportion and broadens likewise in extent, and the Nahr an- Nil [31.1,30.166] (river), AfricaNile no longer floods it—will forever after be in the same straits as they themselves once said the Greeks would be;

for, learning that all the Greek land is watered by rain, but not by river water like theirs, they said that one day the Greeks would be let down by what they counted on, and miserably starve: meaning that, if heaven send no rain for the Greeks and afflict them with drought, the Greeks will be overtaken by famine, for there is no other source of water for them except Zeus alone.

And this prediction of the Egyptians about the Greeks was true enough. But now let me show the prospect for the Egyptians themselves: if, as I have already said, the country below Mit Rahina [31.25,29.85] (inhabited place), Giza, Upper Egypt, Egypt, AfricaMemphis (for it is this which rises) should increase in height in the same proportion as formerly, will not the Egyptians who inhabit it go hungry, as there is no rain in their country and the river will be unable to inundate their fields?