EGYPTIAN COLONIES. DIODORUS

"Now the Egyptians say that after these events a great number of colonies were spread from Egypt over all the inhabited world. To Babylon, for instance, colonists were led by Belus, who was held to be the son of Poseidon and Libya; and after establishing himself on the Euphrates River he appointed priests, called Chaldaeans by the Babylonians, who were exempt from taxation and free from every kind of service to the state, as are the priests of Egypt; and they also make observations of the stars , following the example of Egyptian priests, physicists and astrologers. They say also that those who set forth with Danaus, likewise from Egypt, settled what is practically the oldest city of Greece, Argos, and that the nation of Colchi in Pontus and that of the Jews, which lies between Arabia and Syria, were founded as colonies by certain emigrants from their country; and this is why it is a long established institution among these two peoples to circumcise their male children, the custom having been brought over from Egypt. Even the Athenians, they say, are colonies from Sais in Egypt, and they undertook to offer further proofs of such a relationship; for the Athenians are the only Greeks who call their city 'Asty', a name brought over from the city Asty in Egypt. Furthermore, their body politic had the same classification and division of the people as found in Egypt, where the citizens have divided into three orders: the first Athenian class consisted of the 'eupatrids', as they were called, being those who were such as had received the best education and were held worthy of the highest honor, as is the case with the priests of Egypt; the second was that of the 'geomoroi', who were expected to possess arms and to serve in defense of the state, like those in Egypt who are known as husbandmen and supply the warriors; and the last class was reckoned to be that of the 'demiurgoi,' who practice the mechanical arts and render only the most menial services to the state, this class among the Egyptians having a similar function. "Moreover, certain of the rulers of Athens were originally Egyptians, they say. Petes, for instance, the father of that Menestheus who took part in the expedition against Troy, having clearly been an Egyptian, later claimed citizenship at Athens and the kingship ... "29. In the same way Erechtheus also, who was by birth an Egyptian, became king of Athens, and in proof of this they offer the following considerations. Once when there was a great drought , as is generally agreed, which extended over practically all the inhabited earth except Egypt because of the peculiar character of that country, and there followed a destruction of crops and men in great numbers, Erechtheus, through his racial connection with Egypt, brought from there to Athens, a great supply of grain, and in return, those who had enjoyed this aid made their benefactor king. After he had secured the throne he instituted the initiatory rites of Demeter in Eleusis and established the mysteries, transferring the ritual from Egypt. And the tradition that had an advent of the goddess into Attica also took place at that time is reasonable, since it was then that the fruits which are named after her were brought to Athens , and this is why it is thought that the discovery of the seed had been made again, as though Demeter had bestowed the gift. And the Athenians on their part agree that it was in the reign of Erechtheus, when the lack of rain had wiped out the crops, that Demeter came to them with the gifts of grain. Furthermore, the initiatory rites and mysteries of the goddess was instituted in Eleusis at the time. And their sacrifices as well as their ancient ceremonies are observed by the Athenians in the same way as by the Egyptians; for Eupolidae were derived from the priests of Egypt and the Ceryces from the 'pastophoroi.' They are also the only Greeks who swear by Isis, and they closely resemble the Egyptians in both their appearance and manners. " P.91-97, Book I. LIBRARY OF HISTORY by Diodorus Siculus (1933, 1998)