Res Gestae

But in dry Libya are Paraetonion, Chaerecla, Neapolis, and a few small towns.

Egypt itself, which from the time when it was joined with the Roman empire has been governed by prefects in place of kings,[*](Because of its importance as a grain supply; cf. Suet., Jul. 35, 1; Tac., Hist. i. 11. The praefectus Aegypti ranked next to the praefectus praetorio in the equestrian cursus honorum. ) is adorned by the great cities of Athribis, Oxyrynchus, Thumis, and Memphis, to say nothing of many lesser towns.

But the crown of all cities is Alexandria, which is made famous by many splendid things, through the wisdom of its mighty founder and by the cleverness of the architect Dinocrates. The latter, when laying out its extensive and beautiful walls, for lack of lime, of which too little could at the time be found, sprinkled the whole line of its circuit with flour,[*](Cf. Strabo, xvii. 1, 6 (at end); Plutarch, Alex. 26, 5 f.) which chanced to be a sign that later the city would abound with a plentiful store of food.

There healthful breezes blow, the air is calm and mild, and as the accumulated experience of many ages has shown, there is almost no day on which the dwellers in that city do not see a cloudless sun.