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It is more appropriate to take Hermes as a symbol of speech; for thus it is written in the Acts that: "They called Barnabas, Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker." 2.58 The things written on the image, then, are these: The great King Ptolemy, son of King Ptolemy and Queen Arsinoe, sibling gods, descendant of King Ptolemy and Queen Berenice, savior gods, on his father's side from Heracles the son of Zeus, and on his mother's side from Dionysus the son of Zeus, having received from his father the kingdom of Egypt and Libya and Syria and Phoenicia and Cyprus and Lycia and Caria and the Cyclades islands, marched into Asia with forces of infantry and cavalry and a naval fleet and Troglodytic and Ethiopian elephants, which his father and he himself were the first to hunt from these lands and, bringing them down to Egypt, equipped for use in war. 2.59 And having become master of all the land within the Euphrates, and of Cilicia and Pamphylia and Ionia and the Hellespont and Thrace, and of all the forces in these lands and of the Indian elephants, and having made all the monarchs in these places subject to him, he crossed the Euphrates river and, having brought under his control Mesopotamia and Babylonia and Susiana and Persis and Media and all the rest as far as Bactria, and having sought out whatever sacred objects were carried out of Egypt by the Persians and having brought them back to Egypt with the other treasure from those places, he sent forces through the canals dug ... And these things were written on the image, which we were also able to save; but few things were lost, for the broken part of it was not large. Then, as if in continuation, it was written on the throne thus: 2.60 ...after which, having acted bravely and commanded the nations nearest to the kingdom to be at peace, I warred against and subjugated in battles the nations written below: I warred against the Gaze nation, then having conquered the Agame and the Sigyene I took for myself half of all they and their people possessed. The Aua and Zingabene and Aggabe and Tiamaa and Athagaous and Kalaa and the Samene nation dwelling beyond the Nile in inaccessible and snowy mountains, in which there are constant snowstorms and frosts and deep snows, so that a man sinks up to his knees, I crossed the river and subjugated, then the Lasine and Zaa and Gabala dwelling by a mountain that gushes with and is irrigated by hot waters. The Atalmo and Bega and all the nations with them of the Taggaitae, who dwell up to the borders of Egypt, having subjugated them I made the road from the places of my kingdom as far as Egypt passable on foot, then the Annine and the Metine dwelling in precipitous mountains. 2.61 I warred against the Sesea nation, whom, when they had ascended a very great and most inaccessible mountain, I surrounded with a guard and brought them down, and I selected for myself their young men and women and children and maidens and all the property belonging to them. The Rauso, inland nations of frankincense-bearing barbarians dwelling within great waterless plains, and the Solate nation, I subjugated, and I ordered them to guard the shores of the sea. 2.62 And all these nations, protected by strong mountains, I myself, being present in the battles, conquered and subjugated, I graciously granted them all their lands in return for tribute. Many other nations willingly submitted to me for tribute. And the Arabitae and Kinaidokolpitai dwelling beyond the Red Sea, having sent across a naval and land force, and having subjugated their kings, I commanded them to pay tribute for the land and to travel and sail in peace, and I warred from Leuke Kome as far as the lands of the Sabaeans. 2.63 And all these nations I was the first and only one of the kings before me to subjugate, for which I give thanks to my greatest god Ares, who also begat me, through whom I brought under my control all the nations bordering my land, from the east as far as the frankincense country, and from the west as far as the regions of Ethiopia and Sasu, some by coming myself and conquering, others by sending expeditions, and having established them in peace

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Ἑρμέα μᾶλλον σύμβολον λόγου ἐστὶ λαβεῖν· οὕτως γὰρ γέγραπται ἐν ταῖς Πράξεσιν ὅτι· "Ἐκάλουν τὸν μὲν Βαρνάβαν, ∆ία, τὸν δὲ Παῦλον, Ἑρμῆν, ὅτι αὐτὸς ἡγούμενος ἦν τοῦ λόγου." 2.58 Εἰσὶν οὖν τὰ γεγραμμένα ἐν τῇ εἰκόνι ταῦτα· Βασιλεὺς μέγας Πτολεμαῖος, υἱὸς βασιλέως Πτολεμαίου καὶ βασιλίσσης Ἀρσινόης θεῶν ἀδελφῶν, τῶν βασιλέως Πτολεμαίου καὶ βασιλίσσης Βερενίκης θεῶν σωτήρων ἀπόγονος, τὰ μὲν ἀπὸ πατρὸς Ἡρακλέος τοῦ ∆ιός, τὰ δὲ ἀπὸ μητρὸς ∆ιονύσου τοῦ ∆ιός, παραλαβὼν παρὰ τοῦ πατρὸς τὴν βασιλείαν Αἰγύπτου καὶ Λιβύης καὶ Συρίας καὶ Φοινίκης καὶ Κύπρου καὶ Λυκίας καὶ Καρίας καὶ τῶν Κυκλάδων νήσων ἐξεστράτευσεν εἰς τὴν Ἀσίαν μετὰ δυνάμεως πεζικῶν καὶ ἱππικῶν καὶ ναυτικοῦ στόλου καὶ ἐλεφάντων τρωγλοδυτικῶν καὶ αἰθιοπικῶν, οὓς ὅ τε πατὴρ αὐτοῦ καὶ αὐτὸς πρῶτος ἐκ τῶν χώρων τούτων ἐθήρευσαν καὶ καταγαγόντες εἰς Αἴγυπτον κατεσκεύασαν πολεμικὴν χρείαν. 2.59 Κυριεύσας δὲ τῆς τε ἐντὸς Εὐφράτου χώρας πάσης, καὶ Κιλικίας καὶ Παμφυλίας καὶ Ἰωνίας καὶ τοῦ Ἑλλησπόντου καὶ Θρᾴκης καὶ τῶν δυνάμεων τῶν ἐν ταῖς χώραις ταύταις πασῶν καὶ ἐλεφάντων ἰνδικῶν, καὶ τοὺς μονάρχους τοὺς ἐν τοῖς τόποις πάντας ὑπηκόους καταστήσας, διέβη τὸν Εὐφράτην ποταμὸν καί, τὴν Μεσοποταμίαν καὶ Βαβυλωνίαν καὶ Σουσιάνην καὶ Περσίδα καὶ Μηδείαν καὶ τὴν λοιπὴν πᾶσαν ἕως Βακτριανῆς ὑφ' ἑαυτῷ ποιησάμενος καὶ ἀναζητήσας ὅσα ὑπὸ τῶν Περσῶν ἱερὰ ἐξ Αἰγύπτου ἐξήχθη καὶ ἀνακομίσας μετὰ τῆς ἄλλης γάζης τῆς ἀπὸ τῶν τόπων εἰς Αἴγυπτον, δυνάμεις ἀπέστειλε διὰ τῶν ὀρυχθέντων ποταμῶν ... Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ἐν τῇ εἰκόνι ἐγέγραπτο, ἃ καὶ εὕραμεν σῶσαι· ὀλίγα δὲ ἦσαν τὰ ἀπολλόμενα, οὐδὲ γὰρ πολὺ ἦν τὸ κεκλασμένον μέρος αὐτῆς. Εἶτα ὡς ἐξ ἀκολουθίας καὶ εἰς τὸν δίφρον ἐγέγραπτο οὕτως· 2.60 ...μεθ' ἃ ἀνδρειώσας τὰ μὲν ἔγγιστα τοῦ βασιλείου ἔθνη εἰρηνεύεσθαι κελεύσας, ἐπολέμησα καὶ ὑπέταξα μάχαις τὰ ὑπογεγραμμένα ἔθνη· Γάζη ἔθνος ἐπολέμησα, ἔπειτα Ἄγαμε καὶ Σιγύηνε νικήσας τὴν ἡμίσειαν πάντων τῶν παρ' αὐτοῖς καὶ αὐτῶν ἐμερισάμην. Αὔα καὶ Ζινγαβηνὲ καὶ Ἀγγαβὲ καὶ Τιάμαα καὶ Ἀθαγαοὺς καὶ Καλαὰ καὶ Σαμῆνε ἔθνος πέραν τοῦ Νείλου ἐν δυσβάτοις καὶ χιονώδεσι ὄρεσιν οἰκοῦντας, ἐν οἷς διὰ παντὸς νιφετοὶ καὶ κρύη καὶ χιόνες βαθεῖαι, ὡς μέχρι γονάτων καταδύειν τὸν ἄνδρα, τὸν ποταμὸν διαβὰς ὑπέταξα, ἔπειτα Λασινὲ καὶ Ζαὰ καὶ Γαβαλὰ οἰκοῦντας παρ' ὄρεει θερμῶν ὑδάτων βλύοντι καὶ καταρρύτῳ. Ἀταλμῶ καὶ Βεγὰ καὶ τὰ σὺν αὐτοῖς ἔθνη πάντα Ταγγαϊτῶν, τὰ μέχρι τῶν τῆς Αἰγύπτου ὁρίων οἰκοῦντα, ὑποτάξας πεζεύεσθαι ἐποίησα τὴν ὁδὸν ἀπὸ τῶν τῆς ἐμῆς βασιλείας τόπων μέχρι Αἰγύπτου, ἔπειτα Ἀννήνε καὶ Μετίνε ἐν ἀποκρήμνοις οἰκοῦντας ὄρεσι. 2.61 Σεσέα ἔθνος ἐπολέμησα, οὓς καὶ μέγιστον καὶ δυσβατώτατον ὄρος ἀνελθόντας περιφρουρήσας κατήγαγον, καὶ ἀπελεξάμην ἐμαυτῷ τούς τε νέους αὐτῶν καὶ γυναῖκας καὶ παῖδας καὶ παρθένους καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν ὑπάρχουσαν αὐτοῖς κτῆσιν. Ῥαυσῶ ἔθνη μεσόγεια λιβανωτοφόρων βαρβάρων οἰκοῦντα ἐντὸς πεδίων μεγάλων ἀνύδρων, καὶ Σολάτε ἔθνος ὑπέταξα, οἷς καὶ τοὺς αἰγιαλοὺς τῆς θαλάσσης φυλάσσειν ἐκέλευσα. 2.62 Ταῦτα δὲ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ὄρεσιν ἰσχυροῖς πεφρουρημένα αὐτὸς ἐγὼ ἐν ταῖς μάχαις παρὼν νικήσας καὶ ὑποτάξας, ἐχαρισάμην αὐτοῖς πάσας τὰς χώρας ἐπὶ φόροις. Ἄλλα δὲ πλεῖστα ἔθνη ἑκόντα ὑπετάγη μοι ἐπὶ φόροις. Καὶ πέραν δὲ τῆς Ἐρυθρᾶς θαλάσσης οἰκοῦντας Ἀραβίτας καὶ Κιναιδοκολπίτας, στράτευμα ναυτικὸν καὶ πεζικὸν διαπεμψάμενος, καὶ ὑποτάξας αὐτῶν τοὺς βασιλέας, φόρους τῆς γῆς τελεῖν ἐκέλευσα καὶ ὁδεύεσθαι μετ' εἰρήνης καὶ πλέεσθαι, ἀπό τε Λευκῆς κώμης ἕως τῶν Σαβαίων χώρας ἐπολέμησα. 2.63 Πάντα δὲ ταῦτα τὰ ἔθνη πρῶτος καὶ μόνος βασιλέων τῶν πρὸ ἐμοῦ ὑπέταξα, δι' ἣν ἔχω πρὸς τὸν μέγιστον θεόν μου Ἄρην εὐχαριστίαν, ὅς με καὶ ἐγέννησε, δι' οὗ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη τὰ ὁμοροῦντα τῇ ἐμῇ γῇ ἀπὸ μὲν ἀνατολῆς μέχρι τῆς λιβανωτοφόρου, ἀπὸ δὲ δύσεως μέχρι τῶν τῆς Αἰθιοπίας καὶ Σάσου τόπων, ὑπ' ἐμαυτὸν ἐποίησα, ἃ μὲν αὐτὸς ἐγὼ ἐλθὼν καὶ νικήσας, ἃ δὲ διαπεμπόμενος, καὶ ἐν εἰρήνῃ καταστήσας