§3.2.1Αἰθίοπας τοίνυν ἱστοροῦσι πρώτους ἀνθρώπων ἁπάντων γεγονέναι, καὶ τὰς ἀποδείξεις τούτων ἐμφανεῖς εἶναί φασιν.
they relate that the Ethiopians were the first of all mankind, and they say that the proofs of these things are manifest.
ὅτι μὲν γὰρ οὐκ ἐπήλυδες ἐλθόντες, ἀλλʼ ἐγγενεῖς ὄντες τῆς χώρας δικαίως αὐτόχθονες ὀνομάζονται, σχεδὸν παρὰ πᾶσι συμφωνεῖσθαι· ὅτι δὲ τοὺς ὑπὸ τὴν μεσημβρίαν οἰκοῦντας πιθανόν ἐστι πρώτους ὑπὸ τῆς γῆς ἐζωογονῆσθαι, προφανὲς ὑπάρχειν ἅπασι· τῆς γὰρ περὶ τὸν ἥλιον θερμασίας ἀναξηραινούσης τὴν γῆν ὑγρὰν οὖσαν ἔτι κατὰ τὴν τῶν ὅλων γένεσιν καὶ ζωογονούσης, εἰκὸς εἶναι τὸν ἐγγυτάτω τόπον ὄντα τοῦ ἡλίου πρῶτον ἐνεγκεῖν φύσεις ἐμψύχους. §3.2.2φασὶ δὲ παρʼ αὐτοῖς πρώτοις καταδειχθῆναι θεοὺς τιμᾶν καὶ θυσίας ἐπιτελεῖν καὶ πομπὰς καὶ πανηγύρεις καὶ τἄλλα διʼ ὧν ἄνθρωποι τὸ θεῖον τιμῶσι· διὸ καὶ τὴν παρʼ αὐτοῖς εὐσέβειαν διαβεβοῆσθαι παρὰ πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις, καὶ δοκεῖν τὰς παρʼ Αἰθίοψι θυσίας μάλιστʼ εἶναι τῷ δαιμονίῳ κεχαρισμένας. §3.2.3μάρτυρα δὲ τούτων παρέχονται τὸν πρεσβύτατον σχεδὸν καὶ μάλιστα τῶν ποιητῶν θαυμαζόμενον παρʼ Ἕλλησι· τοῦτον γὰρ κατὰ τὴν Ἰλιάδα παρεισάγειν τόν τε Δία καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους μετʼ αὐτοῦ θεοὺς ἀποδημοῦντας εἰς Αἰθιοπίαν πρός τε τὰς θυσίας τὰς ἀπονεμομένας αὐτοῖς κατʼ ἔτος καὶ εὐωχίαν κοινὴν παρὰ τοῖς Αἰθίοψι,
"Ζεὺς γὰρ ἐς ὠκεανὸν μετʼ ἀμύμονας Αἰθιοπῆας χθιζὸς ἔβη μετὰ δαῖτα, θεοὶ δʼ ἅμα πάντες ἕποντο. " §3.2.4λέγουσι δὲ καὶ τῆς εἰς τὸ θεῖον εὐσεβείας φανερῶς αὐτοὺς κομίζεσθαι τὰς χάριτας, μηδέποτε δεσποτείας ἐπήλυδος πεῖραν λαβόντας· ἐξ αἰῶνος γὰρ ἐν ἐλευθερίᾳ μεμενηκέναι καὶ τῇ πρὸς ἀλλήλους ὁμονοίᾳ, πολλῶν μὲν καὶ δυνατῶν ἐστρατευκότων ἐπʼ αὐτούς,
For on the one hand, that they did not arrive as immigrants, but being native to the land are justly called "autochthons," is agreed upon by almost all; and on the other hand, that it is probable that those who dwell under the south were the first to be endowed with life by the earth is obvious to all; for since the heat of the sun dried the earth, which was still wet at the birth of the universe, and gave it life, it is reasonable that the place closest to the sun was the first to bring forth living natures. they say that among them first it was established to honor the gods and to perform sacrifices and processions and festivals and the other things by which men honor the divine; and that therefore their piety has been famous among all men, and the sacrifices among the Ethiopians seem to be most pleasing to the deity. as a witness of these things they present the one who is almost the oldest and most admired of the poets among the Greeks; for they say that he, in the Iliad, introduces Zeus and the other gods with him departing for Ethiopia to attend the sacrifices offered to them annually and a common feast among the Ethiopians: "For Zeus went yesterday to Oceanus, to the blameless Ethiopians, for a feast, and all the gods followed together." they say also that they receive the rewards of their piety toward the divine in a manifest way, having never experienced an invading foreign rule; for from eternity they have remained in freedom and in harmony with one another, although many and powerful nations have made expeditions against them,