emple; for
within the temple they did not draw it, because, as it said, while the
house was being drawn along, the chief artificer of it groaned aloud,
seeing that much time had been spent and he was wearied by the work; and
Amasis took it to heart as a warning and did not allow them to draw it
further onwards. Some say on the other hand that a man was killed by it,
of those who were heaving it with levers, and that it was not drawn in
for that reason.

176. Amasis also dedicated in all the other temples which were of
repute, works which are worth seeing for their size, and among them also
at Memphis the colossal statue which lies on its back in front of the
temple of Hephaistos, whose length is five-and-seventy feet; and on the
same base made of the same stone 150 are set two colossal statues, each
of twenty feet in length, one on this side and the other on that side of
the large statue. 151 There is also another of stone of the same size in
Sais, lying in the same manner as that at Memphis. Moreover Amasis was
he who built and finished for Isis her temple at Memphis, which is of
great size and very worthy to be seen.

177. In the reign of Amasis it is said that Egypt became more prosperous
than at any other time before, both in regard to that which comes to the
land from the river and in regard to that which comes from the land
to its inhabitants, and that at this time the inhabited towns in it
numbered in all twenty thousand. It was Amasis too who established the
law that every year each one of the Egyptians should declare to the
ruler of his district, from what source he got his livelihood, and if
any man did not do this or did not make declaration of an honest way
of living, he should be punished with death. Now Solon the Athenian
received from Egypt this law and had it enacted for the Athenians, and
they have continued to observe it, since it is a law with which none can
find fault.

178. Moreover Amasis became a lover of the Hellenes; and besides other
proofs of friendship which he gave to several among them, he also
granted the city of Naucratis for those of them who came to Egypt to
dwell in; and to those who did not desire to stay, but who made voyages
thither, he granted portions of land to set up altars and make sacred
enclosures for their gods. Their greatest enclosure and that one which
has most name and is most frequented is called the Hellenion, and this
was established by the following cities in comm