ich I am about to speak, 17 tended from the
South towards Syria, the gulfs boring in so as almost to meet at their
extreme points, and passing by one another with but a small space left
between. If then the stream of the Nile should turn aside into this
Arabian gulf, what would hinder that gulf from being filled up with silt
as the river continued to flow, at all events within a period of twenty
thousand years? indeed for my part I am of opinion that it would be
filled up even within ten thousand years. How, then, in 18 all the time
that has elapsed before I came into being should not a gulf be filled up
even of much greater size than this by a river so great and so active?

12. As regards Egypt then, I both believe those who say that things
are so, and for myself also I am strongly of opinion that they are so;
because I have observed that Egypt runs out into the sea further than
the adjoining land, and that shells are found upon the mountains of it,
and an efflorescence of salt forms upon the surface, so that even
the pyramids are being eaten away by it, and moreover that of all the
mountains of Egypt, the range which lies above Memphis is the only one
which has sand: besides which I notice that Egypt resembles neither the
land of Arabia, which borders upon it, nor Libya, nor yet Syria (for
they are Syrians who dwell in the parts of Arabia lying along the sea),
but that it has soil which is black and easily breaks up, 19 seeing that
it is in truth mud and silt brought down from Ethiopia by the river: but
the soil of Libya, we know, is reddish in colour and rather sandy, while
that of Arabia and Syria is somewhat clayey and rocky. 1901

13. The priests also gave me a strong proof concerning this land as
follows, namely that in the reign of king Moiris, whenever the river
reached a height of at least eight cubits 20 it watered Egypt below
Memphis; and not yet nine hundred years had gone by since the death of
Moiris, when I heard these things from the priests: now however, unless
the river rises to sixteen cubits, or fifteen at the least, it does not
go over the land. I think too that those Egyptians who dwell below the
lake of Moiris and especially in that region which is called the Delta,
if that land continues to grow in height according to this proportion
and to increase similarly in extent, 21 will suffer for all remaining
time, from the Nile not overflowing their land, that same thing which
they themselves said that