§1.56.1ὁ δὲ Σεσόωσις ἀποστήσας τὰ πλήθη ἀπὸ τῶν πολεμικῶν ἔργων τοῖς μὲν συνανδραγαθήσασι συνεχώρησε τὴν ῥᾳστώνην καὶ τὴν ἀπόλαυσιν τῶν κατακτηθέντων ἀγαθῶν, αὐτὸς δὲ φιλόδοξος ὢν καὶ τῆς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα μνήμης ὀρεγόμενος κατεσκεύασεν ἔργα μεγάλα καὶ θαυμαστὰ ταῖς ἐπινοίαις καὶ ταῖς χορηγίαις, ἑαυτῷ μὲν ἀθάνατον περιποιοῦντα δόξαν, τοῖς δʼ Αἰγυπτίοις τὴν εἰς ἅπαντα τὸν χρόνον ἀσφάλειαν μετὰ ῥᾳστώνης.
Sesōosis, having released the multitudes from warlike tasks, granted to those who had acted bravely with him leisure and the enjoyment of the goods they had acquired; and he himself, being fond of glory and desiring remembrance for all time, constructed great and wonderful works in their conceptions and expenditures, which secured immortal glory for himself and for the Egyptians safety for all time along with ease.
§1.56.2πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ ἀπὸ θεῶν ἀρξάμενος ᾠκοδόμησεν ἐν πάσαις ταῖς κατʼ Αἴγυπτον πόλεσιν ἱερὸν θεοῦ τοῦ μάλιστα παρʼ ἑκάστοις τιμωμένου.
For starting first with the gods, he built in all the cities throughout Egypt a temple of the god who was most honored among each.
πρὸς δὲ τὰς ἐργασίας τῶν μὲν Αἰγυπτίων οὐδένα παρέλαβε, διʼ αὐτῶν δὲ τῶν αἰχμαλώτων ἅπαντα κατεσκεύασε· διόπερ ἐπὶ πᾶσι τοῖς ἱεροῖς ἐπέγραψεν ὡς οὐδεὶς ἐγχώριος εἰς αὐτὰ μεμόχθηκε.
And for the labors he employed no Egyptian, but constructed everything by means of the captives themselves; therefore he inscribed on all the temples that no local inhabitant had toiled upon them.
§1.56.3λέγεται δὲ τῶν αἰχμαλώτων τοὺς ἐκ τῆς Βαβυλωνίας ἁλόντας ἀποστῆναι τοῦ βασιλέως, μὴ δυναμένους φέρειν τὰς ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις ταλαιπωρίας· οὓς καταλαβομένους παρὰ τὸν ποταμὸν χωρίον καρτερὸν διαπολεμεῖν τοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις καὶ τὴν σύνεγγυς χώραν καταφθείρειν, τέλος δὲ δοθείσης ἀδείας αὐτοῖς κατοικῆσαι τὸν τόπον, ὃν καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς πατρίδος Βαβυλῶνα προσαγορεῦσαι.
And it is said that those of the captives who had been taken from Babylonia revolted from the king, being unable to bear the hardships in the works; and that they, having seized a strong place along the river, waged war against the Egyptians and ravaged the neighboring country, but finally, when impunity had been granted to them, they settled the place, which they also called Babylon after their homeland.
§1.56.4δι’ αἰτίας δὲ παραπλησίους φασὶν ὠνομάσθαι καὶ τὴν Τροίαν τὴν ἔτι νῦν οὖσαν παρὰ τὸν Νεῖλον· τὸν μὲν γὰρ Μενέλαον ἐξ Ἰλίου πλέοντα μετὰ πολλῶν αἰχμαλώτων παραβαλεῖν εἰς Αἴγυπτον, τοὺς δὲ Τρῶας ἀποστάντας αὐτοῦ καταλαβέσθαι τινὰ τόπον καὶ διαπολεμῆσαι μέχρι ὅτου συγχωρηθείσης αὐτοῖς τῆς ἀσφαλείας ἔκτισαν πόλιν, ἣν ὁμώνυμον αὐτοὺς ποιῆσαι τῇ πατρίδι.
And they say that for similar reasons the Troy which even now exists along the Nile was also named; for Menelaus, sailing from Ilium with many captives, put in at Egypt, and the Trojans, having revolted from him, seized a certain place and waged war until, when safety had been granted to them, they founded a city, which they made homonymous with their homeland.
§1.56.5οὐκ ἀγνοῶ δʼ ὅτι περὶ τῶν εἰρημένων πόλεων Κτησίας ὁ Κνίδιος διαφόρως ἱστόρησε, φήσας τῶν μετὰ Σεμιράμιδος παραβαλόντων εἰς Αἴγυπτόν τινας ἐκτικέναι ταύτας, ἀπὸ τῶν ἰδίων πατρίδων θεμένους τὴν προσηγορίαν.
But I am not ignorant that concerning the aforementioned cities Ctesias of Cnidus has written differently, saying that some of those who had come into Egypt with Semiramis founded them, giving them their names from their own homelands.
§1.56.6περὶ δὲ τούτων τὸ μὲν ἀληθὲς ἐκθέσθαι μετὰ ἀκριβείας οὐ ῥᾴδιον, τὸ δʼ ἀναγραφῆς ἀξιῶσαι τὰ διαφωνούμενα παρὰ τοῖς συγγραφεῦσιν ἀναγκαῖον, ὅπως ἀκέραιος ἡ περὶ τῆς ἀληθείας κρίσις ἀπολείπηται. τοῖς ἀναγινώσκουσιν.
Concerning these matters, to set forth the truth with accuracy is not easy, but it is necessary to deem the disagreements among historians worthy of record, so that an unbiased judgment concerning the truth may be left to the readers.