oth tongues: and in my opinion it is from this god that the
Ammonians took the name which they have, for the Egyptians call Zeus
Amun. The Thebans then do not sacrifice rams but hold them sacred for
this reason; on one day however in the year, on the feast of Zeus, they
cut up in the same manner and flay one single ram and cover with its
skin the image of Zeus, and then they bring up to it another image
of Heracles. This done, all who are in the temple beat themselves in
lamentation for the ram, and then they bury it in a sacred tomb.

43. About Heracles I heard the account given that he was of the number
of the twelve gods; but of the other Heracles whom the Hellenes know I
was not able to hear in any part of Egypt: and moreover to prove that
the Egyptians did not take the name of Heracles from the Hellenes, but
rather the Hellenes from the Egyptians,--that is to say those of the
Hellenes who gave the name Heracles to the son of Amphitryon,--of that, I
say, besides many other evidences there is chiefly this, namely that the
parents of this Heracles, Amphitryon and Alcmene, were both of Egypt by
descent, 46 and also that the Egyptians say that they do not know
the names either of Poseidon or of the Dioscuroi, nor have these been
accepted by them as gods among the other gods; whereas if they had
received from the Hellenes the name of any divinity, they would
naturally have preserved the memory of these most of all, assuming that
in those times as now some of the Hellenes were wont to make voyages
4601 and were sea-faring folk, as I suppose and as my judgment compels
me to think; so that the Egyptians would have learnt the names of these
gods even more than that of Heracles. In fact however Heracles is a
very ancient Egyptian god; and (as they say themselves) it is seventeen
thousand years to the beginning of the reign of Amasis from the time
when the twelve gods, of whom they count that Heracles is one, were
begotten of the eight gods.

44. I moreover, desiring to know something certain of these matters so
far as might be, made a voyage also to Tyre of Phenicia, hearing that
in that place there was a holy temple of Heracles; and I saw that it
was richly furnished with many votive offerings besides, and especially
there were in it two pillars, 47 the one of pure gold and the other of
an emerald stone of such size as to shine by night: 48 and having come
to speech with the priests of the god, I asked them how long time it