4 h 12 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 4 h 12 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What does Egypt look like through the eyes of a Greek traveler who never stops asking questions?
In An Account of Egypt, the second book of his Histories, Herodotus pauses before the Persian king Cambyses marches on Egypt. He wants Greek readers to understand the country at stake. His tour follows the Nile into a world of yearly floods, sacred animals, pyramid builders, and customs that challenge his expectations.
Herodotus draws on his travels and on what priests and guides tell him. He describes embalming, explores the land shaped by the river, and follows stories of kings from Min to Amasis. Throughout, his curiosity invites a second question: what does he see for himself, and what does he accept from others?
What you’ll discover
- A river shapes Egypt Follow the Nile as Herodotus explains how its mud builds the Delta.
- Customs through Greek eyes Encounter women trading and men weaving in a society that surprises its visitor.
- Sacred animals and gods Explore Egyptian worship and the practices Herodotus believes the Greeks learn from Egypt.
- Embalmers and great tombs Read his descriptions of burial customs, embalming, and the builders of the pyramids.
- Stories worth questioning Weigh firsthand observations against accounts from priests as history meets inherited stories.
Who will love it
This book suits readers who love travel writing, ancient history, and a curious eyewitness. If you enjoy pyramids, mummies and old tales told with a skeptic's wink, you will feel at home.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Egypt is a gift of the river
- The Nile's flood has no agreed explanation
- Egyptian customs run opposite to everyone else's
- Egyptian gods and festivals shaped Greek worship
- Sacred animals and mourning rites reveal Egyptian values
- The priests' kings run from Min to Sesostris
- Cheops and his heirs build pyramids amid hardship
- Psammetichus and Amasis open Egypt to the Greeks
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An Account of Egypt
by Herodotus
A king isolates two babies with goats to find the oldest people, and their first word is bekos.
Challenging2–5 hours to readEnglish
Excellent
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In short
What happens if you shut two newborn babies away with a shepherd and a flock of goats, and wait to hear their first word? According to Herodotus, the Egyptian king Psammetichus tried exactly that.
An Account of Egypt at a glance
- Reading time
- About 2 h 10 min1 h 45 min fast, 2 h 35 min slow
- Length
- 30,800 words
- Pages
- 103 pages156 in large print
- Library level
- Challenging long sentences, a rich vocabulary
- First published
- about 440 BCby Herodotus
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Egypt is a gift of the river
Herodotus opens with a claim about the land itself. The Egypt that Greek sailors reach is new ground, laid down by the river over a vast stretch of time. Anyone with some understanding can see it.
His proof is physical. Drop a sounding line a day from shore and it brings up mud from eleven fathoms down. The soil is black and crumbly, unlike the sand of Libya. Shells lie on the mountains, and salt rises from the ground and eats at the pyramids.
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- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 2 h 45 min
- Level
- Challenging
Cite this edition
Herodotus. An Account of Egypt. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/an-account-of-egypt.
Herodotus. (2026). An account of Egypt. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/an-account-of-egypt (Original work published ca. 440 B.C.E.)
Herodotus. An Account of Egypt. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/an-account-of-egypt.
@book{herodotus2026account,
author = {Herodotus},
title = {An Account of Egypt},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/an-account-of-egypt},
note = {First published ca. 440 BCE}
}
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What is An Account of Egypt by Herodotus about?
It is the second book of the Histories. Herodotus describes Egypt's land, the Nile, customs, religion, sacred animals and burial practices, then follows its kings from Min to Amasis, mixing his own travel observations with what priests told him.
Did Herodotus really visit Egypt?
He says he did. He names Memphis, Thebes, Heliopolis and Elephantine, describes measuring a pyramid, and walking through the upper chambers of the labyrinth. He also marks clearly which things he saw and which he only heard.
What does bekos mean in Herodotus?
Bekos is the first word that two children, raised in silence by order of King Psammetichus, are said to have spoken. The king learned that Phrygians used it for bread, so the Egyptians accepted that Phrygians were older.
The author
Herodotus
483 BC–424 BC · Ancient Greek historian
Herodotus was a Greek historian of the fifth century BC, honored as the "Father of History" for his sweeping account of the Greco-Persian Wars and the peoples, customs, and marvels of the ancient world.
More by Herodotus
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