§2.175.1καὶ τοῦτο μὲν ἐν Σάι τῇ Ἀθηναίῃ προπύλαια θωμάσια οἷα ἐξεποίησε, πολλὸν πάντας ὑπερβαλόμενος τῷ τε ὕψεϊ καὶ τῷ μεγάθεϊ, ὅσων τε τὸ μέγαθος λίθων ἐστὶ καὶ ὁκοίων τεῶν· τοῦτο δὲ κολοσσοὺς μεγάλους καὶ ἀνδρόσφιγγας περιμήκεας ἀνέθηκε, λίθους τε ἄλλους ἐς ἐπισκευὴν ὑπερφυέας τὸ μέγαθος ἐκόμισε.
On the one hand, in Sais, at the temple of Athena, he built wondrous propylaea, far surpassing all in both height and size, and in how great the size of the stones is and of what kind they are; on the other hand, he dedicated great colossi and very long male-headed sphinxes, and brought other stones of extraordinary size for restoration.
§2.175.2ἠγάγετο δὲ τούτων τοὺς μὲν ἐκ τῶν κατὰ Μέμφιν ἐουσέων λιθοτομιέων, τοὺς δὲ ὑπερμεγάθεας ἐξ Ἐλεφαντίνης πόλιος πλόον καὶ εἴκοσι ἡμερέων ἀπεχούσης ἀπὸ Σάιος.
He brought some of these from the quarries near Memphis, and others, which were extremely large, from the city of Elephantine, which is a voyage of twenty days away from Sais.
§2.175.3τὸ δὲ οὐκ ἥκιστα αὐτῶν ἀλλὰ μάλιστα θωμάζω, ἔστι τόδε· οἴκημα μουνόλιθον ἐκόμισε ἐξ Ἐλεφαντίνης πόλιος, καὶ τοῦτο ἐκόμιζον μὲν ἐπʼ ἔτεα τρία, δισχίλιοι δέ οἱ προσετετάχατο ἄνδρες ἀγωγέες, καὶ οὗτοι ἅπαντες ἦσαν κυβερνῆται.
But what I wonder at not the least of these things, but most of all, is this: he brought a monolithic chamber from the city of Elephantine, and they were bringing this for three years, and two thousand men were appointed for him as haulers, and all of these were pilots.
τῆς δὲ στέγης ταύτης τὸ μὲν μῆκος ἔξωθεν ἐστὶ εἷς τε καὶ εἴκοσι πήχεες, εὖρος δὲ τεσσερεσκαίδεκα, ὕψος δὲ ὀκτώ.
The length of this building on the outside is twenty-one cubits, its width fourteen, and its height eight.
§2.175.4ταῦτα μὲν τὰ μέτρα ἔξωθεν τῆς στέγης τῆς μουνολίθου ἐστί, ἀτὰρ ἔσωθεν τὸ μῆκος ὀκτωκαίδεκα πηχέων καὶ πυγόνος,τὸ δὲ ὕψος πέντε πηχέων ἐστί. αὕτη τοῦ ἱροῦ κέεται παρὰ τὴν ἔσοδον·
These are the measurements of the monolithic building on the outside, but on the inside the length is eighteen cubits and a pygon, and the height is five cubits.
§2.175.5ἔσω γάρ μιν ἐς τὸ ἱρόν φασι τῶνδε εἵνεκα οὐκ ἐσελκύσαι· τὸν ἀρχιτέκτονα αὐτῆς ἑλκομένης τῆς στέγης ἀναστενάξαι, οἷά τε χρόνου ἐγγεγονότος πολλοῦ καὶ ἀχθόμενον τῷ ἔργῳ, τὸν δὲ Ἄμασιν ἐνθύμιον ποιησάμενον οὐκ ἐᾶν ἔτι προσωτέρω ἑλκύσαι.
This lies by the entrance of the temple; for they say that they did not drag it inside into the temple for the following reason: that as the building was being dragged, the architect groaned aloud, because much time had elapsed and he was weary of the work, and Amasis, taking it to heart, did not allow them to drag it any further.
ἤδη δὲ τινὲς λέγουσι ὡς ἄνθρωπος διεφθάρη ὑπʼ αὐτῆς τῶν τις αὐτὴν μοχλευόντων, καὶ ἀπὸ τούτου οὐκ ἐσελκυσθῆναι.
But some already say that one of the men who were leveraging it was killed by it, and for this reason it was not dragged inside.