Abstract

Herodotus founded the literary topic of collecting information from Egyptian priests, at a time when the Greeks’ fascination with the Egyptians was clear. From then on, the Egyptians became a model of stored knowledge and civilization. We will see how, in three important moments, this encounter with Egypt is narrated from the Greek perspective and invention (heuresis, inventio) and how the Egyptian priests represent a superior knowledge safeguarded by writing. Our focus, however, is on recognizing, in these historical layers, Dion’s palimpsest, that is, the literary assimilation of the commonplaces presents in Herodotus, Plato, Stesichorus, the Trojan Cycle and probably also in Returns of Agias of Troezen.