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“For I reason thus: had Helen been in Ilion, then with or without the will of Alexandrus she would have been given back to the Greeks. For surely Priam was not so mad, or those nearest to him, as to consent to risk their own persons and their children and their city so that Alexandrus might cohabit with Helen. Even if it were conceded that they were so inclined in the first days, yet when not only many of the Trojans were slain in the fighting against the Greeks, but Priam himself lost to death two or three or even more of his sons in every battle (if the poets are to be believed), in this turn of events, had Helen been Priam’s own wife, I cannot but think that he would have restored her to the Greeks, if by so doing he could escape from the evils besetting him.” (2.120)
HERODOTUS, HISTORIES, BOOK 2.120; A. D. GODLEY TRANSLATION
Summary
Herodotus continues his account of Egypt with their first kings.
The first king of Egypt was Min. He diverted the Nile River and founded Memphis on the land the Nile used to run through. The dam put in place was being maintained by the Persians in Herodotus’ day because, if it broke, Memphis would be flooded.
After Min, there were 330 kings, most of whom did nothing remarkable. There were two exceptions. The first is Nitocris, the only queen on that list (no relation to the Nitocris who was queen over Babylon when Cyrus invaded it). Her brother was the king until he was murdered. Taking his place, she built a grand chamber, and under the pretense of inaugurating it with a feast, inviting everyone who was complicit with her brother’s murder into it. Then, she opened a secret passage which flooded the chamber with water and they all drowned. Nitocris then committed suicide by throwing herself on burning ashes.
The other is Moeris, who built the pyramids (among other building projects).
The next king was Sesostris1. Leaving his brother in charge of Egypt, he launched a sea campaign, taking over those who lived along the Red Sea, and then a land campaign, taking over nations on his way to Europe. He then crossed into Europe, defeated the Scythians and Thracians, then crossed back. On his way home, he was invited by his brother to a feast. His brother then had the house set fire. Sesostris’ wife suggested he have two of his six sons lay down in the fire while everyone else crossed over them and Sesostris agreed to the plan.
After getting revenge on his brother (Herodotus provides no details), Sesostris had all the people he captured on his campaigns put to work building works and digging canals. It was thanks to Sesostris that there were so many canals that horses and carts could no longer be used in Egypt. However, the canals were dug so that people who lived away from the Nile could get fresh water.
After Sesostris, his son Pheros ruled. He waged no wars, but went blind due to an eye disease after the Nile River flooded higher than usual and he threw a spear at it. After ten years, an oracle approached him saying his punishment was almost over and that in order to cure his eyes he needed to wash them in the urine of a woman who has only slept with her husband. Pheros started with his own wife, but his eyes weren’t cured. It then took many women for him to find one who could cure his eyes. After he was cured, he gathered up all the women who failed him in a town, including his wife, burned it to the ground, and married the woman who cured him.
After Pheros, a man named Proteus took over as ruler. It was during the reign of Proteus that the Trojan War occurred. According to Egyptian priests, after Paris carried away Helen and some of Menelaus’ property from Sparta, he got caught in a storm and ended up in Egypt. At the place he landed was a temple to Heracles. Any servants who fled to this temple and marked with sacred marks would become suppliants. Some of Paris’ servants fled to the temple of Heracles and told the priests and the warden of the area what Paris had done. The warden sent a message to Proteus asking him what to do. Proteus told him to seize Paris, Helen, Menelaus’ property, and the suppliants, and send them to him in Memphis. The warden does so, and when Proteus interviews Paris about the accusations, he gets evasive. His servants then relay the whole story which incenses Proteus. He keeps Helen and Menelaus’ property with him and tells Paris he has three days to leave or Proteus will go to war with him.
At the same time, the Greeks went to Troy and demanded Helen back. When the Trojans told them she wasn’t there, but with the Egyptians, the Greeks didn’t believe them and besieged Troy. After sacking it, they learned the Trojans were telling the truth and Menelaus went to Egypt where he was reunited with Helen. However, because winds were preventing Menelaus from leaving Egypt, he sacrificed two Egyptian children which angered Egypt. Menelaus then fled to Libya with the Egyptians chasing after him.
Herodotus ends the Egyptians’ account of the Trojan War there. He opines that the Egyptians’ account of the Trojan War is more believable because it’s more likely that if Helen really was at Troy, King Priam of Troy would have handed her over, especially once the war got underway and he lost multiple sons to it.
Sesostris Dishing Out the Burns
I wanted to highlight this passage because it made me laugh the first time I read it:
“When those that he met were valiant men and strove hard for freedom, he set up pillars in their land, the inscription on which showed his own name and his country’s, and how he had overcome them with his own power; but when the cities had made no resistance and been easily taken, then he put an inscription on the pillars just as he had done where the nations were brave; but he also drew on them the private parts of a woman, wishing to show clearly that the people were cowardly.”
Herodotus, Histories, Book 2.102; A. D. Godley translation
It seems that, even when it comes to how men insult each other, there is nothing new under the sun.
The Trojan War
We see in Book 2 of the Histories that Herodotus is once again trying to find a more rational explanation for stories in his own culture. The target this time: the Trojan War. As you see in the epigraph above, Herodotus points out what a lot of people think about the war: Why did the Trojans protect Paris? Why didn’t they give Helen back—especially when the bloodshed started?
Based on Herodotus’ comments, he read the Iliad at least as closely as I did. In the epigraph, Herodotus wrote:
For surely Priam was not so mad, or those nearest to him, as to consent to risk their own persons and their children and their city so that Alexandrus might cohabit with Helen.
In the Iliad, Paris had bribed at least one Trojan elder to side with him concerning keeping Helen in Troy.2 Earlier in the Iliad, another of the Trojan elders tried to reason with everyone else about returning Helen and ending the war, but Paris pretty much vetoed him and that was the end of the discussion.3 In addition, none of the Trojans seemed to like Paris.4 If this was the case, why were they protecting him? Why were they risking the lives of their wives and children for this guy?
It seems that Homer was also aware of these objections. In Book 3, the same Book as the duel between Paris and Menelaus, Hector comments to Paris:
The Trojans are a weak-kneed people, or ere this you would have had a shirt of stones for the wrongs you have done them.
Samuel Butler translation
Hector blames the weakness of the Trojans for not putting a stop to everything. This may include his father, King Priam, who does nothing but go “woe is me” throughout the whole story and refuses to accept responsibility.5
However, Homer presents another side to the Trojan War—one that none of the mortals see going on. It’s what the gods are doing behind the scenes. This is the only way to justify the whole story of the Iliad. There are multiple points throughout where the war almost ends:
Book 2: Agamemnon tests his army’s loyalty by feigning giving up on the war and wishing to go home. His army is ecstatic and begin packing up. Athena has to encourage Odysseus to rally the troops.
Book 3: Menelaus almost kills Paris in their duel, which would have meant an end to the war, but Aphrodite intervenes and whisks Paris away.
Book 4: After Aphrodite whisks Paris away, leaving Menelaus the de facto winner of the duel, the Trojan and Achaean armies are not sure what to do. Athena ends up tempting one of the Trojans into shooting Menelaus with an arrow in order to break the truce and get the war going again.
There are other examples, but none of them were advantageous for Troy (the war would have ended with the sacking of Troy sooner rather than later).
The reason the war kept going was because Hera and Athena had a grudge against Troy and wanted to see it sacked and the people suffer. Hera went so far as to tell Zeus he could destroy her three most favorite cities if he would just give her Troy.6 Why? Because Paris didn’t choose them in a beauty contest.7 No joke.
I wonder if this is what Herodotus was referring to when he said:
And, in my opinion, Homer knew this story, too; but seeing that it was not so well suited to epic poetry as the tale of which he made use, he rejected it… (2.116)
Herodotus, Histories, Book 2.102; A. D. Godley translation
Homer knew the story as it was related to Herodotus by the Egyptian priests, but altered it for the sake of telling a dramatic story. If you strip out the gods working behind the scenes, the story would truly make no sense. The questions about why the Trojans were allowing Paris to do whatever he wanted would be justified.
However, with the gods in the picture, another story can develop instead. The mortals want one thing to happen (an ending to the war) while the gods want another (the war to drag on with one side losing utterly). Of course, because the gods are more powerful, the gods are going to get their way. We, the audience, are aware of the gods’ machinations, but the mortals in the story are largely unaware. It creates a dramatic tension that is felt throughout the entire story.
Herodotus once again looks to non-Greek sources for more rational accounts of stories from Greek legend. It will be interesting to see if he continues doing this and to see if he provides an explanation for why he doesn’t trust his own native people’s accounts as much.
That's all for the Histories, Book 2.99-120.
May your days be filled with grace.
-Andronikos
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Thumbnail: Statue of Rameses II. Taken from World History Encyclopedia.
1Identified as Rameses II.
2“It was Antimachus who had been foremost in preventing Helen’s being restored to Menelaus, for he was largely bribed by Alexandrus…” (Book 11; Samuel Butler translation)
3[Antenor]: “Let us give up Argive Helen and her wealth to the sons of Atreus, for we are now fighting in violation of our solemn covenants, and shall not prosper till we have done as I say.” (Book 7; Samuel Butler translation)
4[When Paris was whisked away by Aphrodite after almost being killed by Menelaus during their duel]: “If they had seem him they were in no mind to hide him, for they all of them hated him as they did death itself.” (Book 3; Samuel Butler translation); [Hector to Paris]: “It grieves me to the heart to hear the ill that the Trojans speak about you, for they have suffered much on your account.” (Book 6; Samuel Butler translation)
5[Priam to Helen]: “I lay no blame upon you, it is the gods, not you who are to blame. It is they that have brought about this terrible war with the Achaeans.” (Book 3; Samuel Butler translation)
6"My own three favourite cities," answered Juno, "are Argos, Sparta, and Mycenae. Sack them whenever you may be displeased with them. I shall not defend them and I shall not care... Let it be a case, then, of give-and-take between us, and the rest of the gods will follow our lead. Tell Minerva to go and take part in the fight at once, and let her contrive that the Trojans shall be the first to break their oaths and set upon the Achaeans." (Book 4; Samuel Butler translation)
7“All were of this mind save only Juno, Neptune, and Jove’s grey-eyed daughter, who persisted in the hate which they had ever borne towards Ilius with Priam and his people; for they forgave not the wrong done them by Alexandrus in disdaining the goddesses who came to him when he was in his sheepyards, and preferring her who had offered him a wanton to his ruin.” (Book 24; Samuel Butler translation)