Hearing This Apries Sent To
Them Amasis, To Cause Them To Cease By Persuasion; And When He Had
Come And
Was seeking to restrain the Egyptians, as he was speaking and
telling them not to do so, one of the
Egyptians stood up behind him
and put a helmet upon his head, saying as he did so that he put it on
to crown him king. And to him this that was done was in some degree
not unwelcome, as he proved by his behaviour; for as soon as the
revolted Egyptians had set him up as king, he prepared to march
against Apries: and Apries hearing this sent to Amasis one of the
Egyptians who were about his own person, a man of reputation, whose
name was Patarbemis, enjoining him to bring Amasis alive into his
presence. When this Patarbemis came and summoned Amasis, the latter,
who happened to be sitting on horseback, lifted up his leg and behaved
in an unseemly manner, bidding him take that back to Apries.
Nevertheless, they say, Patarbemis made demand of him that he should
go to the king, seeing that the king had sent to summon him; and he
answered him that he had for some time past been preparing to do so,
and that Apries would have no occasion to find fault with him, for he
would both come himself and bring others with him. Then Patarbemis
both perceiving his intention from that which he said, and also seeing
his preparations, departed in haste, desiring to make known as quickly
as possible to the king the things which were being done: and when he
came back to Apries not bringing Amasis, the king paying no regard to
that which he said, but being moved by violent anger, ordered his ears
and his nose to be cut off. And the rest of the Egyptians who still
remained on his side, when they saw the man of most repute among them
thus suffering shameful outrage, waited no longer but joined the
others in revolt, and delivered themselves over to Amasis. Then Apries
having heard this also, armed his foreign mercenaries and marched
against the Egyptians: now he had about him Carian and Ionian
mercenaries to the number of thirty thousand; and his royal palace was
in the city of Sais, of great size and worthy to be seen. So Apries
and his army were going against the Egyptians, and Amasis and those
with him were going against the mercenaries; and both sides came to
the city of Momemphis and were about to make trial of one another in
fight.
Now of the Egyptians there are seven classes, and of these one class
is called that of the priests, and another that of the warriors, while
the others are the cowherds, swineherds, shopkeepers, interpreters,
and boatmen. This is the number of the classes of the Egyptians, and
their names are given them from the occupations which they follow. Of
them the warriors are called Calasirians and Hermotybians, and they
are of the following districts, - for all Egypt is divided into
districts. The districts of the Hermotybians are those of Busiris,
Sais, Chemmis, Papremis, the island called Prosopitis, and the half of
Natho, - of these districts are the Hermotybians, who reached when most
numerous the number of sixteen myriads. Of these not one has been
learnt anything of handicraft, but they are given up to war entirely.
Again the districts of the Calasirians are those of Thebes, Bubastis,
Aphthis, Tanis, Mendes, Sebennytos, Athribis, Pharbaithos, Thmuis,
Onuphis, Anytis, Myecphoris, - this last is on an island opposite to
the city of Bubastis. These are the districts of the Calasirians; and
they reached, when most numerous, to the number of five-and-twenty
myriads of men; nor is it lawful for these, any more than for the
others, to practise any craft; but they practise that which has to do
with war only, handing down the tradition from father to son. Now
whether the Hellenes have learnt this also from the Egyptians, I am
not able to say for certain, since I see that the Thracians also and
Scythians and Persians and Lydians and almost all the Barbarians
esteem those of their citizens who learn the arts, and the descendants
of them, as less honourable than the rest; while those who have got
free from all practice of manual arts are accounted noble, and
especially those who are devoted to war: however that may be, the
Hellenes have all learnt this, and especially the Lacedemonians; but
the Corinthians least of all cast slight upon those who practise
handicraft.
The following privilege was specially granted to this class and to
none others of the Egyptians except the priests, that is to say, each
man had twelve yokes of land specially granted to him free from
imposts: now the yoke of land measures a hundred Egyptian cubits every
way, and the Egyptian cubit is, as it happens, equal to that of Samos.
This, I say, was a special privilege granted to all, and they also had
certain advantages in turn and not the same men twice; that is to say,
a thousand of the Calasirians and a thousand of the Hermotybians acted
as body-guard to the king during each year; and these had besides
their yokes of land an allowance given them for each day of five
pounds weight of bread to each man, and two pounds of beef, and four
half-pints of wine. This was the allowance given to those who were
serving as the king's body-guard for the time being.
So when Apries leading his foreign mercenaries, and Amasis at the head
of the whole body of the Egyptians, in their approach to one another
had come to the city of Momemphis, they engaged in battle: and
although the foreign troops fought well, yet being much inferior in
number they were worsted by reason of this. But Apries is said to have
supposed that not even a god would be able to cause him to cease from
his rule, so firmly did he think that it was established.
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