The Twitter Herodotus

2.91 The Egyptians avoid following Greek customs, although in Chemmis they honor Perseus. His ancestors, they say, came from their city.

2.92 The Egyptians who live in the marshes make bread out of lotuses, and they eat papyrus and the fruit of lilies. Also dried fish.

2.93 Certain fish migrate at breeding time, the males leading. They shed their seed en route & the females swallow it & so become pregnant.

2.94 The Egyptians use oil made from the fruit of the castor bean. It can be used in lamps, like olive oil, but it smells bad.

2.95 Egypt has lots of mosquitoes. South of the marshes ppl sleep in towers to avoid them. In the marshes they use mosquito netting.

2.96 The Egyptians make boats from acacia wood, with sails of papyrus. They sail downstream but usually have to be towed upstream.

2.97 When the Nile floods you can sail across Egypt's plains and right by the pyramids themselves. One city you'll pass by is Anthylla.

2.98 Anthylla is noteworthy because the city is obliged to provide shoes for the wife of the reigning king of Egypt.

2.99 Min, the first king of Egypt, dammed up the river south of what is now Memphis, which he then founded after the land had dried out.

2.100 After Min there were 330 sovereigns. Nitocris ruled after her bro was killed. She drowned those responsible in a custom-built chamber.