History of the Peloponnesian War

The Athenians in Egypt and their allies were still remaining there, and hostilities assumed many different phases with them.

For at first the Athenians were masters of Egypt; and the king sent Megabazus, a Persian, to Lacedaemon with a sum of money, that he might cause the recall of the Athenians from Egypt by the Peloponnesians being persuaded to invade Attica.

But when he did not succeed, and the money was being spent to no purpose, Megabazus with the remainder of it went back to Asia; and he sent Megabyzus, son of Zopyrus, a Persian, with a large force;

who, having arrived by land, defeated the Egyptians and their allies in a battle, and drove the Greeks out of Memphis, and at last shut them up in the island of Prosopis, and besieged them in it a year and six months, till by draining the canal and turning off the water by another course, he left their ships on dry ground, and joined most of the island to the mainland, and crossed over and took it on foot.

Thus the cause of the Greeks was ruined, after a war of six years: and only a few of many marched through Libya and escaped to Cyrene, while most of them perished.

So Egypt again came under the power of the king, excepting Amyrtaeus, the king in the marshes, whom they could not take owing to the extent of the fen; and besides, the marsh-men are the most warlike of the Egyptians.

As for Inarus, the king of the Libyans, who had concocted the whole business respecting Egypt, he was taken by treachery and crucified.

Moreover, fifty triremes that were sailing to Egypt from Athens and the rest of the confederacy to relieve their former force, put in to shore at the Mendesian branch, knowing nothing of what had happened: and the land forces falling on them from the shore, and the fleet of the Phoenicians by sea, destroyed the greater part of the ships: the smaller part escaped back. Thus ended the great expedition of the Athenians and their allies to Egypt.