Home › The Tables of Abydos and of Memphis › The Tables of Abydos and of Memphis: Calasiries
The Tables of Abydos and of Memphis: Calasiries
The warriors receive from their countrymen the names of Calasiries and Hermotybies. They live in the nomes hereinafter enumerated, and all Egypt is divided into nomes.
CLXV. Those of the Hermotybies are: Busiris, Sais, Chemnis, Papremis, the island of Prosopitis and the half of Natho; the Hermotybies have their domains upon these nomes: their number is one hundred and sixty thousand men when they are complete. Not one of them has ever learned any of the mechanical arts, but they devote them. selves to the military profession.
CLXVI. The nomes of the Calasiries were Thebes, Bubastis, Aphris, Thanis, Mendes, Sebennys, Athribis, Pharbetis, Thmuis, Onuphis, Anysis, Mycephoris; the last named nome occupies an island opposite Bubastis; the Calasiries have their domains on these nomes. Their number is two hundred and fifty thousand when they are in their full muster They are not permitted to cultivate any mechanical art, but they practice the arts of war and hand them down from father to son.
CLXVII. I cannot decide with certainty whether the APPENDIX.
Greeks have received these usages from the Egyptians, since I perceive that the Thracians, the Scythians, the Per sians, the Lydians, and nearly all the barbarians place such of their citizens as have learned the mechanical arts, and their descendants after them, in the lowermost rank in their estimation, and considered those the noblest of men who free themselves from manual labor, and especially those who resort to warlike service. Such were the ideas of all the Greeks, especially of the Lacedæmonians; the Corinthians were they who least despised the artisan.
CLXVIII. The following privileges were assigned to the soldiers, and they were the only Egyptians, excepting the priests, to whom anything of the kind was ever granted. Each of them possesses twelve roods of excellent land exempt from taxation. The Egyptian rood is equivalent to a square lot measuring a hundred cubits on each side, the cubit being identical with that of Samos. Such are their privileges. They also enjoy by turns, and never twice the same, these other advantages: every year a thousand Calasiries and as many Hermotybies form the king's guard; to these, besides their land, are given every day five mini of baked bread, two mini of beef and four cups of wine. VIII.