equently became the most famous of all the commercial and
intellectual centres of antiquity. From Rhacotis Alexander marched along
the coast to Parastonium, a distance of about two hundred miles
through the desert; and there, or on his way there, he was met by the
ambassadors from Cyrene, who were sent with gifts to beg for peace,
and to ask him to honour their city with a visit. Alexander graciously
received the gifts of the Cyrenaeans, and promised them his friendship,
but could not spare time to visit their city; and, without stopping, he
turned southward to the oasis.

At Memphis Alexander received the ambassadors that came from Greece to
wish him joy of his success; he reviewed his troops, and gave out his
plans for the government of the kingdom. He threw bridges of boats over
the Nile at the ford below Memphis, and also over the several branches
of the river. He divided the country into two nomarchies or judgeships,
and to fill these two offices of nomarchs or chief judges, the highest
civil offices in the kingdom, he chose Doloaspis and Petisis, two
Egyptians. Their duty was to watch over the due administration of
justice, one in Upper and the other in Lower Egypt, and perhaps to hear
appeals from the lower judges.

He left the garrisons in the command of his own Greek generals;
Pantaleon commanded the counts, or knights-companions, who garrisoned
Memphis, and Pole-mon was governor of Pelusium. These were the chief
fortresses in the kingdom: Memphis overlooked the Delta, the navigation
of the river, and the pass to Upper Egypt; Pelusium was the harbour for
the ships of war, and the frontier town on the only side on which Egypt
could be attacked. The other cities were given to other governors;
Licidas commanded the mercenaries, Peucestes and Balacrus the other
troops, Eugnostus was secretary, while AEschylus and Ephippus were left
as overlookers, or perhaps, in the language of modern governments, as
civil commissioners. Apollonius was made prefect of Libya, of which
district Paraetonium was the capital, and Cleomenes prefect of Arabia at
Heroopolis, in guard of that frontier. Orders were given to all these
generals that justice was to be administered by the Egyptian nomarchs
according to the common law or ancient customs of the land. Petisis,
however, either never entered upon his office or soon quitted it, and
Doloaspis was left nomarch of all Egypt.

Alexander sent into the Thebaid a body of seven thousand Sam