Rhampsinitos

Family: Egyptian · Role: king · First appears: Book 2 · §121–121

Life events

Rhampsinitos received the kingdom in succession.(Book 2 · §121–121)
- “After Proteus, they told me, Rhampsinitos received in succession the kingdom”
Rhampsinitos left a gateway and two statues as a memorial.(Book 2 · §121–121 · 📍 temple of Hephaistos)
- With: Hephaistos
- “Rhampsinitos received in succession the kingdom, who left as a memorial of himself that gateway to the temple of Hephaistos which is turned towards the West, and in front of the gateway he set up two statues”
Rhampsinitos stored his silver wealth in a stone chamber built into his palace.(Book 2 · §121–121)
- “So when the chamber was finished, the king stored his money in it”
Thieves entered Rhampsinitos’s treasury and carried away much of his wealth.(Book 2 · §121–121)
- “his sons made no long delay in setting to work, but went to the palace by night, and having found the stone in the wall of the chamber they dealt with it easily and carried forth for themselves great quantity of the wealth within.”
Rhampsinitos set traps around the money vessels after discovering repeated thefts.(Book 2 · §121–121)
- “he did as follows:—having ordered traps to be made he set these round about the vessels in which the money was”
A thief was caught in a trap in Rhampsinitos’s treasury and died after his brother cut off his head.(Book 2 · §121–121)
- “then so soon as he came near to one of the vessels he was straightway caught in the trap”
Rhampsinitos displayed the dead thief’s body and set guards to seize anyone who mourned.(Book 2 · §121–121)
- “he hung up the dead body of the thief upon the wall and set guards there, with charge if they saw any one weeping or bewailing himself to seize him and bring him before the king.”
Rhampsinitos ordered his daughter to question visitors to discover the thief.(Book 2 · §121–121)
- “he caused his own daughter to sit in the stews, and enjoined her to receive all equally, and before having commerce with any one to compel him to tell her what was the most cunning and what the most unholy deed which had been done by him in all his life-time”
Rhampsinitos proclaimed a pardon and reward for the thief to come before him.(Book 2 · §121–121)
- “he sent round to all the cities and made proclamation granting a free pardon to the thief, and also promising a great reward if he would come into his presence.”
Rhampsinitos gave his daughter in marriage to the thief.(Book 2 · §121–121)
- “Rhampsinitos greatly marvelled at him, and gave him this daughter of his to wife”
Rhampsinitos went alive to Hades, played dice with Demeter, and returned with a golden handkerchief.(Book 2 · §122–129 · 📍 Hades)
- With: Demeter
- “this king went down alive to that place which by the Hellenes is called Hades, and there played at dice with Demeter, and in some throws he overcame her and in others he was overcome by her; and he came back again having as a gift from her a handkerchief of gold”
The Egyptians began celebrating a feast because of Rhampsinitos's descent and return.(Book 2 · §122–129 · 📍 Egypt)
- “because of the going down of Rhampsinitos the Egyptians after he came back celebrated a feast”

Book 2 · §121–121

with Hephaistos (Rhampsinitos left a memorial gateway at Hephaistos’s temple.) “who left as a memorial of himself that gateway to the temple of Hephaistos which is turned towards the West”

Book 2 · §122–129

with Demeter (They played dice together.) “and there played at dice with Demeter, and in some throws he overcame her and in others he was overcome by her”
with Cheops (Cheops succeeded Rhampsinitos as king.) “Down to the time when Rhampsinitos was king, they told me there was in Egypt nothing but orderly rule, and Egypt prospered greatly; but after him Cheops became king over them”
with Demeter (They played dice together.) “there played at dice with Demeter”

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Extracted from the original text of The Histories. Made with Rho MD.