Ἐγγὺς δὲ καὶ ἡ Μέμφις αὐτὴ τὸ βασίλειον τῶν Αἰγυπτίων· ἔστι γὰρ ἀπὸ τοῦ Δέλτα τρίσχοινον εἰς αὐτήν· ἔχει δὲ ἱερά, τό τε τοῦ Ἄπιδος ὅς ἐστιν ὁ αὐτὸς καὶ Ὄσιρις, ὅπου ὁ βοῦς ὁ Ἆπις ἐν σηκῷ τινι τρέφεται, θεὸς ὡς ἔφην νομιζόμενος, διάλευκος τὸ μέτωπον καὶ ἄλλα τινὰ μικρὰ τοῦ σώματος, τἆλλα δὲ μέλας· οἷς σημείοις ἀεὶ κρίνουσι τὸν ἐπιτήδειον εἰς τὴν διαδοχήν, ἀπογενομένου τοῦ τὴν τιμὴν ἔχοντος. ἔστι δʼ αὐλὴ προκειμένη τοῦ σηκοῦ, ἐν ᾗ καὶ ἄλλος σηκὸς τῆς μητρὸς τοῦ βοός· εἰς ταύτην δὲ τὴν αὐλὴν ἐξαφιᾶσι τὸν Ἆπιν καθʼ ὥραν τινὰ καὶ μάλιστα πρὸς ἐπίδειξιν τοῖς ξένοις· ὁρῶσι μὲν γὰρ καὶ διὰ θυρίδος ἐν τῷ σηκῷ, βούλονται δὲ καὶ ἔξω· ἀποσκιρτήσαντα δʼ ἐν αὐτῇ μικρὰ ἀναλαμβάνουσι πάλιν εἰς τὴν οἰκείαν στάσιν. τό τε δὴ τοῦ Ἄπιδός ἐστιν ἱερὸν παρακείμενον τῷ Ἡφαιστείῳ καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ Ἡφαίστειον πολυτελῶς κατεσκευασμένον ναοῦ τε μεγέθει καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις. πρόκειται δʼ ἐν τῷ δρόμῳ καὶ μονόλιθος κολοσσός· ἔθος δʼ ἐστὶν ἐν τῷ δρόμῳ τούτῳ ταύρων ἀγῶνας συντελεῖσθαι πρὸς ἀλλήλους, οὓς ἐπίτηδες τρέφουσί τινες, ὥσπερ οἱ ἱπποτρόφοι· συμβάλλουσι γὰρ εἰς μάχην ἀφέντες, ὁ δὲ κρείττων νομισθεὶς ἄθλου τυγχάνει. ἔστι δʼ ἐν Μέμφει καὶ Ἀφροδίτης ἱερόν, θεᾶς Ἑλληνίδος νομιζομένης· τινὲς δὲ Σελήνης ἱερὸν εἶναί φασιν.
Memphis itself also, the residence of the kings of Egypt, is near, being only three schoeni distant from the Delta. It contains temples, among which is that of Apis, who is the same as Osiris. Here the ox Apis is kept in a sort of sanctuary, and is held, as I have said, to be a god. The forehead and some other small parts of its body are white; the other parts are black. By these marks the fitness of the successor is always determined, when the animal to which they pay these honours dies. In front of the sanctuary is a court, in which there is another sanctuary for the dam of Apis. . Into this court the Apis is let loose at times, particularly for the purpose of exhibiting him to strangers. He is seen through a door in the sanctuary, and he is permitted to be seen also out of it. After he has frisked about a little in the court, he is taken back to his own stall.
The temple of Apis is near the Hephaesteium (or temple of Vulcan); the Hephaesteium itself is very sumptuously constructed, both as regards the size of the naos and in other respects. In front of the Dromos is a colossal figure consisting of a single stone. It is usual to celebrate bull-fights in this Dromos; the bulls are bred expressly for this purpose, like horses. They are let loose, and fight with one another, the conqueror receiving a prize.
At Memphis also there is a temple of Venus, who is accounted a Grecian deity. But some say that it is a temple dedicated to Selene, or the moon.
ἔστι δὲ καὶ Σαράπειον ἐν ἀμμώδει τόπῳ σφόδρα ὥσθʼ ὑπʼ ἀνέμων θῖνας ἄμμων σωρεύεσθαι, ὑφʼ ὧν αἱ σφίγγες αἱ μὲν καὶ μέχρι κεφαλῆς ἑωρῶντο ὑφʼ ἡμῶν κατακεχωσμέναι αἱ δʼ ἡμιφανεῖς· ἐξ ὧν εἰκάζειν παρῆν τὸν κίνδυνον, εἰ τῷ βαδίζοντι πρὸς τὸ ἱερὸν λαῖλαψ ἐπιπέσοι. πόλις δʼ ἐστὶ μεγάλη τε καὶ εὔανδρος, δευτέρα μετὰ Ἀλεξάνδρειαν, μιγάδων ἀνδρῶν, καθάπερ καὶ τῶν ἐκεῖ συνῳκισμένων· πρόκεινται δὲ καὶ λίμναι τῆς πόλεως καὶ τῶν βασιλείων, ἃ νῦν μὲν κατέσπασται καί ἐστιν ἔρημα· ἵδρυται δʼ ἐφʼ ὕψους καθήκοντα μέχρι τοῦ κάτω τῆς πόλεως ἐδάφους· συνάπτει δʼ ἄλσος αὐτῷ καὶ λίμνη.
There is also a temple of Sarapis, situated in a very sandy spot, where the sand is accumulated in masses by the wind. Some of the sphinxes which we saw were buried in this sand up to the head, and one half only of others was visible. Hence we may conceive the danger, should any one, in his way to the temple, be surprised by a [sand] storm.
The city is large and populous; it ranks next to Alexandreia, and, like that place, is inhabited by mixed races of people. There are lakes in front of the city and of the palaces, which at present are in ruins and deserted. They are situated upon an eminence, and extend as far as the lower part of the city.
Close to this place are a grove and a lake.
τετταράκοντα δʼ ἀπὸ τῆς πόλεως σταδίους προελθόντι ὀρεινή τις ὀφρύς ἐστιν, ἐφʼ ᾗ πολλαὶ μέν εἰσι πυραμίδες, τάφοι τῶν βασιλέων, τρεῖς δʼ ἀξιόλογοι· τὰς δὲ δύο τούτων καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἑπτὰ θεάμασι καταριθμοῦνται· εἰσὶ γὰρ σταδιαῖαι τὸ ὕψος, τετράγωνοι τῷ σχήματι, τῆς πλευρᾶς ἑκάστης μικρῷ μεῖζον τὸ ὕψος ἔχουσαι· μικρῷ δὲ καὶ ἡ ἑτέρα τῆς ἑτέρας ἐστὶ μείζων· ἔχει δʼ ἐν ὕψει μέσως πως τῶν πλευρῶν λίθον ἐξαιρέσιμον· ἀρθέντος δὲ σῦρίγξ ἐστι σκολιὰ μέχρι τῆς θήκης· αὗται μὲν οὖν ἐγγὺς ἀλλήλων ἐπὶ τῷ αὐτῷ ἐπιπέδῳ, ἀπωτέρω δʼ ἐστὶν ἐν ὕψει μείζονι τῆς ὀρεινῆς ἡ τρίτη πολὺ ἐλάττων τῶν δυεῖν, πολὺ δὲ μείζονος δαπάνης κατεσκευασμένη· ἀπὸ γὰρ θεμελίων μέχρι μέσου σχεδόν τι μέλανος λίθου ἐστίν, ἐξ οὗ καὶ τὰς θυΐας κατασκευάζουσι, κομίζοντες πόρρωθεν· ἀπὸ γὰρ τῶν τῆς Αἰθιοπίας ὀρῶν· καὶ τῷ σκληρὸς εἶναι καὶ δυσκατέργαστος πολυτελῆ τὴν πραγματείαν παρέσχε· λέγεται δὲ τῆς ἑταίρας τάφος γεγονὼς ὑπὸ τῶν ἐραστῶν, ἣν Σαπφὼ μὲν ἡ τῶν μελῶν ποιήτρια καλεῖ Δωρίχαν, ἐρωμένην τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτῆς Χαράξου γεγονυῖαν, οἶνον κατάγοντος εἰς Ναύκρατιν Λέσβιον κατʼ ἐμπορίαν, ἄλλοι δʼ ὀνομάζουσι Ῥοδῶπιν· μυθεύουσι δʼ ὅτι λουομένης αὐτῆς ἓν τῶν ὑποδημάτων αὐτῆς ἁρπάσας ἀετὸς παρὰ τῆς θεραπαίνης κομίσειεν εἰς Μέμφιν καὶ τοῦ βασιλέως δικαιοδοτοῦντος ὑπαιθρίου, γενόμενος κατὰ κορυφὴν αὐτοῦ ῥίψειε τὸ ὑπόδημα εἰς τὸν κόλπον· ὁ δὲ καὶ τῷ ῥυθμῷ τοῦ ὑποδήματος καὶ τῷ παραδόξῳ κινηθεὶς περιπέμψειεν εἰς τὴν χώραν κατὰ ζήτησιν τῆς φορούσης ἀνθρώπου τοῦτο, εὑρεθεῖσα δʼ ἐν τῇ πόλει τῶν Ναυκρατιτῶν ἀναχθείη καὶ γένοιτο γυνὴ τοῦ βασιλέως, τελευτήσασα δὲ τοῦ λεχθέντος τύχοι τάφου.
At the distance of 40 stadia from Memphis is a brow of a hill, on which are many pyramids, the tombs of the kings. Three of them are considerable. Two of these are reckoned among the seven wonders [of the world]. They are a stadium in height, and of a quadrangular shape. Their height somewhat exceeds the length of each of the sides. One pyramid is a little larger than the other. At a moderate height in one of the sides is a stone, which may be taken out; when that is removed, there is an oblique passage [leading] to the tomb. They are near each other, and upon the same level. Farther on, at a greater height of the mountain, is the third pyramid, which is much less than the two others, but constructed at much greater expense; for from the foundation nearly as far as the middle, it is built of black stone. Mortars are made of this stone, which is brought from a great distance; for it comes from the mountains of Ethiopia, and being hard and difficult to be worked, the labour is attended with great expense. It is said to be the tomb of a courtesan, built by her lovers, and whose name, according to Sappho the poetess, was Doriche. She was the mistress of her brother Charaxus, who traded to the port of Naucratis with wine of Lesbos. Others call her Rhodopis. A story is told of her, that, when she was bathing, an eagle snatched one of her sandals from the hands of her female attendant and carried it to Memphis; the eagle soaring over the head of the king, who was administering justice at the time, let the sandal fall into his lap. The king, struck with the shape of the sandal, and the singularity of the accident, sent over the country to discover the woman to whom it belonged. She was found in the city of Naucratis, and brought to the king, who made her his wife. At her death she was honoured with the above-mentioned tomb.
̔̀εν δέ τι τῶν ὁραθέντων ὑφʼ ἡμῶν ἐν ταῖς πυραμίσι παραδόξων οὐκ ἄξιον παραλιπεῖν. ἐκ γὰρ τῆς λατύπης σωροί τινες πρὸ τῶν πυραμίδων κεῖνται· ἐν τούτοις δʼ εὑρίσκεται ψήγματα καὶ τύπῳ καὶ μεγέθει φακοειδῆ· ἐνίοις δὲ καὶ ὡς ἂν πτίσμα οἷον ἡμιλεπίστων ὑποτρέχει· φασὶ δʼ ἀπολιθωθῆναι λείψανα τῆς τῶν ἐργαζομένων τροφῆς· οὐκ ἀπέοικε δέ· καὶ γὰρ οἴκοι παρʼ ἡμῖν λόφος ἐστὶν ἐν πεδίῳ παραμήκης, οὗτος δʼ ἐστὶ μεστὸς ψήφων φακοειδῶν λίθου πωρείας· καὶ αἱ θαλάττιαι δὲ καὶ αἱ ποτάμιαι ψῆφοι σχεδόν τι τὴν αὐτὴν ἀπορίαν ὑπογράφουσιν· ἀλλʼ αὗται μὲν ἐν τῇ κινήσει τῇ διὰ τοῦ ῥεύματος εὑρεσιλογίαν τινὰ ἔχουσιν, ἐκεῖ δʼ ἀπορωτέρα ἡ σκέψις. εἴρηται δʼ ἐν ἄλλοις καὶ διότι περὶ τὸ μέταλλον τῶν λίθων, ἐξ ὧν αἱ πυραμίδες γεγόνασιν, ἐν ὄψει ταῖς πυραμίσιν ὂν πέραν ἐν τῇ Ἀραβίᾳ, Τρωικόν τι καλεῖται πετρῶδες ἱκανῶς ὄρος καὶ σπήλαια ὑπʼ αὐτῷ καὶ κώμη πλησίον καὶ τούτοις καὶ τῷ ποταμῷ, Τροία καλουμένη, κατοικία παλαιὰ τῶν Μενελάῳ συγκατακολουθησάντων αἰχμαλώτων Τρώων, καταμεινάντων δʼ αὐτόθι.
One extraordinary thing which I saw at the pyramids must not be omitted. Heaps of stones from the quarries lie in front of the pyramids. Among these are found pieces which in shape and size resemble lentils. Some contain substances like grains half peeled. These, it is said, are the remnants of the workmen’s food converted into stone; which is not probable. For at home in our country (Amasia), there is a long hill in a plain, which abounds with pebbles of a porus stone, resembling lentils. The pebbles of the sea-shore and of rivers suggest somewhat of the same difficulty [respecting their origin]; some explanation may indeed be found in the motion [to which these are subject] in flowing waters, but the investigation of the above fact presents more difficulty. I have said elsewhere, that in sight of the pyramids, on the other side in Arabia, and near the stone quarries from which they are built, is a very rocky mountain, called the Trojan mountain; beneath it there are caves, and near the caves and the river a village called Troy, an ancient settlement of the captive Trojans who had accompanied Menelaus and settled there.
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