Of Kings, Minds and (Hi)stories

This paper is a review discussion of an edited volume entirely devoted to Herodotus’ Cambyses logos, the story of the Achaemenid king Cambyses. While reviewing this book, I argue the following: (1) the Greeks transformed the Libyan-Egyptian name Psmṯk into Ψαμμήτιχος through a process of Volksetymologie; (2) Herodotus’ account of Cambyses’ conquest of Egypt may draw on an authentic Egyptian tradition in which narratives about conquests by Eastern powers (Assyrians, Babylonians, and Persians) were partially amalgamated; and (3) the Herodotean tradition concerning Cambyses’ madness should not be taken too literally, since historical events are more complex and their causes manifold, making it problematic to attribute them primarily to a ruler’s mentality.