Histories

At present, of course, there are no people, either in the rest of Egypt [30,27] (nation), Africa Egypt or in the whole world, who live from the soil with so little labor; they do not have to break the land up with the plough, or hoe, or do any other work that other men do to get a crop; the river rises of itself, waters the fields, and then sinks back again; then each man sows his field and sends swine into it to tread down the seed, and waits for the harvest; then he has the swine thresh his grain, and so garners it.

Now if we agree with the opinion of the Ionians, who say that only the Delta is Egypt [30,27] (nation), Africa Egypt, and that its seaboard reaches from the so-called Watchtower of Perseus forty schoeni to the Salters' at Pelusium (deserted settlement), Shamal Sina', Desert, Egypt, AfricaPelusium, while inland it stretches as far as the city of Cercasorus,[*](At the southern point of the Delta, where the two main channels of the Nahr an- Nil [31.1,30.166] (river), AfricaNile divide, not far below Cairo [31.25,30.5] (inhabited place), Cairo, Urban, Egypt, Africa Cairo.) where the Nahr an- Nil [31.1,30.166] (river), AfricaNile divides and flows to Pelusium (deserted settlement), Shamal Sina', Desert, Egypt, Africa Pelusium and Canopus [30.5,31.316] (deserted settlement), Al-Iskandariyah, Urban, Egypt, AfricaCanobus, and that all the rest of Egypt [30,27] (nation), Africa Egypt is partly Libya [17,25] (nation), AfricaLibya and partly Arabian Peninsula [45,25] (region (general)), AsiaArabia—if we follow this account, we can show that there was once no land for the Egyptians;

for we have seen that (as the Egyptians themselves say, and as I myself judge) the Delta is alluvial land and but lately (so to speak) came into being. Then if there was once no land for them, it was an idle notion that they were the oldest nation on earth, and they need not have made that trial to see what language the children would first speak.

I maintain, rather, that the Egyptians did not come into existence together with what the Ionians call the Delta, but have existed since the human race came into being; and as the land grew in extent, there were many of them who stayed behind, and many who spread down over it. Be that as it may, the Theban district, a land of seven hundred and sixty-five miles in circumference, was in the past called Egypt [30,27] (nation), Africa Egypt.

If, then, our judgment of this is right, the Ionians are in error concerning Egypt [30,27] (nation), Africa Egypt; but if their opinion is right, then it is plain that they and the rest of the Greeks cannot reckon truly, when they divide the whole earth into three parts, Europe (continent)Europe, Asia (continent)Asia, and Libya [17,25] (nation), AfricaLibya;

they must add to these a fourth part, the Delta of Egypt [30,27] (nation), Africa Egypt, if it belongs neither to Asia (continent)Asia nor to Libya [17,25] (nation), AfricaLibya; for by their showing the Nahr an- Nil [31.1,30.166] (river), AfricaNile is not the river that separates Asia (continent)Asia and Libya [17,25] (nation), AfricaLibya; the Nahr an- Nil [31.1,30.166] (river), AfricaNile divides at the apex of this Delta, so that this land must be between Asia (continent)Asia and Libya [17,25] (nation), AfricaLibya.