Ἄρχομαι γράφειν, ἀφ᾽ ὧν ἄλλοι τε ἐμνημόνευσαν, καὶ τὰ πρῶτα Ἐλλάνικός τε ὁ Λέσβιος, καὶ Κτησίας ὁ Κνίδιος, ἔπειτα ὁ Ἡρόδοτος, Ἀλικαρνασσεύς.
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Սկսանիմ գրել յորոց և այլք յիշատակեցին . և նախ՝ եղանիկոս (91) ղեսբիացի, և կտէսիէս կնիդացի , ապա հերոդոտոս աղեկառնացի :
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“I begin my account with what the other writers have mentioned: firstly Hellanicus of Lesbos and Ctesias of Cnidus, and then Herodotus of Halicarnassus.
In ancient times, the Assyrians ruled over Asia, and Ninus the son of Belus was their king.
In his reign, many great events occurred.” Then he writes about the birth of Semiramis, Zoroaster the magus, the war with the king of the Bactrians and the disaster [suffered] by Semiramis; and about the death of Ninus, after a reign of 52 years.
After Ninus, Semiramis became queen.
She built the walls around Babylon, in the manner which has been described by many writers, such as Ctesias, Zenon [(?) or Dinon ], Herodotus, and later authors.
Then he tells of her expedition into the land of the Indians, how she was defeated and fled; and how she killed her own sons, but was herself put to death by Ninyas, another of her sons, when she had reigned for 42 years.
After her, Ninyas became king, but Cephalion says that he achieved nothing worthy of mention.
(61) Then he passes over all the other [kings]; “they ruled in total for a thousand years, handing down the kingdom from father to son; and none of them reigned for less than twenty years.
Their unwarlike, unadventurous and effeminate character kept them safe.
Because they were inactive and remained indoors, no-one had access to them except for their concubines and effeminate men.
If anyone wishes to know, I think that Ctesias lists the names of 23 of these kings.
But what pleasure or benefit would I provide, if I wrote down the names of barbarian kings, who achieved nothing, but were cowardly, weak and degenerate?”
