herodotus

*****77. Of the Egyptians themselves, those who dwell in the part of Egyptwhich is sown for crops[67] practise memory more than any other menand are the most learned in history by far of all those of whom I havehad experience: and their manner of life is as follows:--For threesuccessive days in each month they purge, hunting after health withemetics and clysters, and they think that all the diseases which existare produced in men by the food on which they live; for the Egyptiansare from other causes also the most healthy of all men next after theLibyans (in my opinion on account of the seasons, because the seasonsdo not change, for by the changes of things generally, and especiallyof the seasons, diseases are most apt to be produced in men), and asto their diet, it is as follows:--they eat bread, making loaves ofmaize, which they call /kyllestis/, and they use habitually a winemade out of barley, for vines they have not in their land. Of theirfish some they dry in the sun and then eat them without cooking,others they eat cured in brine. Of birds they eat quails and ducks andsmall birds without cooking, after first curing them; and everythingelse which they have belonging to the class of birds or fishes, exceptsuch as have been set apart by them as sacred, they eat roasted orboiled. 78. In the entertainments of the rich among them, when theyhave finished eating, a man bears round a wooden figure of a dead bodyin a coffin, made as like the reality as may be both by painting andcarving, and measuring about a cubit or two cubits each way;[68] andthis he shows to each of those who are drinking together, saying:"When thou lookest upon this, drink and be merry, for thou shalt besuch as this when thou art dead." Thus they do at their carousals. 79.The customs which they practise are derived from their fathers andthey do not acquire others in addition; but besides other customarythings among them which are worthy of mention, they have onesong,[68a] that of Linos, the same who is sung of both in Phenicia andin Cyprus and elsewhere, having however a name different according tothe various nations. This song agrees exactly with that which theHellenes sing calling on the name of Linos,[69] so that besides manyother things about which I wonder among those matters which concernEgypt, I wonder especially about this, namely whence they got the songof Linos.[70] It is evident however that they have sung this song fromimmemorial time, and in the Egyptian tongue Linos is called Maneros.The Egyptians told me that he was the only son of him who first becameking of Egypt, and that he died before his time and was honoured withthese lamentations by the Egyptians, and that this was their first andonly song. 80. In another respect the Egyptians are in agreement withsome of the Hellenes, namely with the Lacedemonians, but not with therest, that is to say, the younger of them when they meet the elder