Ancient Greek Literature - Amasis Translation
- Created by: Carys_Elizabeth
- Created on: 14-01-17 13:56
(a) With Apries having been killed, Amasis became King. At first, the Egyptians despised Amasis and held him in no great regard, since previosuly he was one of the common people and not from a famous house. But after, Amasis soon won them over with wisdom, not with his arrogance. He owned countless other valuables and a golden footbath in which Amasis himself and dinner guests used to wash their feet each time. Therefore having cut this up he made a statue of a God from it, and he set it up where it was most suitable.
And the Egyptians, visiting the statue, worshipped it very much. Amasis, having learned this, called together the Egyptians and revealed all, saying that the statue had been made from his footbath, in which the Egyptinas previously vomited and washed their feet, then they worshipped it very much.
Therefore, he went on to say that he, himself, had been treated in the same way as the footbath. For, although he was previously a commoner, nevertheless in the present time, he was their King. And he ordered them to honour and show respect for him.
(b) In such a way he won over the egyptians so that they thought it right to serve him. He used this system of affairs: in the morning until the market was full, he eagerly attended to the affairs brought to him. And…
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