History of Egypt and Other Works

by Ptolemy and Manetho

Published 31 January 1940
Manetho was an Egyptian of the 3rd century BCE. Born probably at Sebennytus in the Delta, he became a priest or high priest at Heliopolis. Apparently he and a Greek Timotheus did much to establish the cult of Serapis in Egypt. Eight works or parts of works were ascribed to him, all on history and religion and all apparently in Greek: Aegyptiaca, on the history of Egypt; The Sacred Book on Egyptian religion; An Epitome of Physical Doctrines; On Festivals; On Ancient Ritual and Religion; On the Making of Kyphi (an incense); The Criticisms of Herodotus; and the spurious Book of Sothis. These survive only as quoted by other writers. This volume also contains the doubtful Kings of Thebes (in Egypt) and the Old Chronicle.

Tetrabiblos

by Ptolemy

Published 1 January 1940

Classic astrology.

The Tetrabiblos of the famous astronomer and geographer Claudius Ptolemaeus (ca. AD 100–178) of Egypt consists of four books, the title given in some manuscripts meaning “Mathematical Treatise in Four Books,” in others “The Prognostics addressed to Syrus.” The subject is astrology, which in Ptolemy’s time as down to the Renaissance was fused as a respectable science with astronomy. Translations and commentaries are few, and only three Greek texts had been printed (all in the 16th century) before the present one and the one begun by F. Boll and finished by Emilie Boer in 1940.