Egypt
The country now known as Egypt was called Aigyptos by the Greeks; the name came from the prehistoric descendant of the Heifer-Maiden Io, Aigyptos.
The god Zeus wanted to seduce Io and to hide his intentions from his sister-wife Hera he transformed Io into a cow. Hera was not fooled by the deception and forced Io to flee her home in Greece and seek refuge in what came to be known as Egypt. Zeus restored Io to her human form and she became the matriarch of a dynasty. Her grandson Belus had two sons, Aigyptos and Danaus. Aigyptos inherited the Nile valley and Belus gave Libya to Danaus. Dissatisfied with his inheritance, Danaus returned to Greece where he established Argos, one of the oldest Greek cities.
Eventually, the name Aigyptos was shortened to Egypt and the river was renamed Nile after a former king, Nileus.
Approximate Geographic Center
Latitude North, Longitude East
27.1179, 31.1269
| References: Homer, Iliad book 9, line 386 Homer, Odyssey book 4, line 277 Pausanias, Description of Greece book 2.24.2 Diodorus of Sicily, Library of History book 1.28.2 |