Histories

Cyrus' son Cambyses was leading an army of his subjects, Ionian and Aeolian Greeks among them,[*](The received date is 525 B.C.) against this Amasis for the following reason. Cambyses had sent a herald to Egypt [30,27] (nation), Africa Egypt asking Amasis for his daughter; he asked on the advice of an Egyptian, who advised it out of resentment against Amasis, that out of all the Egyptian physicians Amasis had dragged him away from his wife and children and sent him up to Iran [53,32] (nation), AsiaPersia when Cyrus sent to Amasis asking for the best eye-doctor in Egypt [30,27] (nation), Africa Egypt.

Out of resentment, the Egyptian by his advice induced Cambyses to ask Amasis for his daughter, so that Amasis would either be wretched if he gave her, or hated by Cambyses if he did not. Amasis, intimidated by the power of Iran [53,32] (nation), AsiaPersia and frightened, could neither give his daughter nor refuse her; for he knew well that Cambyses was not going to take her as his wife but as his concubine.

After considering the matter, he did as follows. There was a daughter of the former king Apries, all that was left of that family, quite tall and pretty, and her name was Nitetis; this girl Amasis adorned with clothes and gold and sent to Cambyses as his own daughter.

But after a time, as he embraced her addressing her as the daughter of Amasis, the girl said to him, “O King, you do not understand how you have been made a fool of by Amasis, who dressed me in finery and sent me to you as his own daughter, when I am in fact the daughter of Apries, the ruler Amasis revolted from with the Egyptians and killed.”

This speech and this crime that occurred turned Cyrus' son Cambyses, furiously angry, against Egypt [30,27] (nation), Africa Egypt. So the Persians say.