The histories of Herodotus;

42-44]
CUSTOMS OF THE EGYPTlA
opians, and who speak a language between both, have
adopted the same practice ; and, as I conjecture, the Ammonians
from hence derived their name, for the Egyptians
call Jupiter, Ammon. The Thebans then do not sacrifice rams,
but they are for the above reason accounted sacred by them;
on one day in the year, however, at the festival of Jupiter,
they kill and flay one ram, and put it on the image of Jupiter,
and then they bring another image of Hercules to it,; when
they have done this, all who are in the temple beat themselves
in mourning for the ram, and then bury him in a. sacred vault.
Of this Hercules I have heard this account, that ke-' is dne
of the twelve gods ; but of the other Hercules who is known
to the Grecians, I could never hear in any part of Egypt. And
that the Egyptians did not derive the name of Hercules from
the Grecians, but rather the Grecians (and especially those
who gave the name of Hercules to the son of Amphitryon)
from the Egyptians, I have both many other proofs to show,
and moreover the following, that the parents of this Hercules,
Amphitryon and Alcmene, were both of Egyptian descent,
and because the Egyptians say they do not know the names
of Neptune and the Dioscuri, and that they have never been
admitted into the number of their gods ; yet, if they had derived
the name of any deity from the Grecians, they would
certainly have mentioned these above all others, since even
at that time they made voyages, and some of the Grecians
were sailors, so that I believe, and am persuaded, that the
Egyptians must have learned the names of these gods, rather
than that of Hercules. But Hercules is one of the ancient
gods of the Egyptians; and as they say themselves, it was
seventeen thousand years before the reign of Amasis, when
the number of their gods was increased from eight to twelve,
of whom Hercules was accounted one. And being desirous
of obtaining certain information from whatever source I could,
I sailed to Tyre in Phoenicia, having heard that there was
there a temple dedicated to Hercules ; and I saw it richly
adorned with a great variety of offerings, and in it were two
pillars, one of fine gold, the other of emerald stone, both shining
exceedingly at night. Conversing with the priests of this
god, I inquired how long this temple had been built, and I
found that neither did they agree with the Greeks. For they
said that the temple was built at the time when Tyre was
founded, and that two thousand three hundred years had
elapsed since the foundation of Tyre. In this city I also saw
another temple dedicated to Hercules by the name of Thasian
I went, therefore, to Thasos, and found there a Temple of
;