Book 2
12.2
besides, Egypt [30,27] (nation), Africa Egypt is like neither the neighboring land of Arabian Peninsula [45,25] (region (general)), Asia Arabia nor Libya [17,25] (nation), Africa Libya , not even like Syria [38,35] (nation), Asia Syria (for Syrians inhabit the seaboard of Arabian Peninsula [45,25] (region (general)), Asia Arabia ); it is a land of black and crumbling earth, as if it were alluvial deposit carried down the river from Aethiopia;
12.3
but we know that the soil of Libya [17,25] (nation), Africa Libya is redder and somewhat sandy, and Arabian Peninsula [45,25] (region (general)), Asia Arabia and Syria [38,35] (nation), Asia Syria are lands of clay and stones.
13.1
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, Africa Memphis .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.
