And it was when Nimrod conquered all his enemies, he found a great valley extending to the east, and he built a city and called its name Shinar because there Hashem scattered his enemies, etc. He reigned over all the children of Noah, etc., and the whole earth had one language and the same words, etc. He became more wicked than all men who came before him since the days of the Flood, and he taught bad ways.
Nimrod his son was a hundred times more wicked than his father. The cities that Nimrod built after the Tower he called by the name of what happened at the building of the Tower when they were dispersed [(as it says)], and they called his name Amraphel because all his ministers and men fell at the building of the Tower [(Sefer HaYashar)]. Some say his kingdom began 22 years after Serug, etc. He made an idol in his image and forced people to bow to it and called it Baal, and this idol stood until Daniel abolished it.
In this kingdom 37 kings reigned for about 1304 years, etc. Some say at the end of Nimrod's days his eight sons rebelled against him and expelled him from his kingdom, etc. From then the world began that when a wise man or woman was found, they would set up statues in their name and bow before them and call them gods, etc. The Egyptians chose the calf as a god because their custom when going to war was to draw figures in the form of animals on their flag, and whoever achieved a great victory, his flag image was worshipped.
Thus one man achieved a great victory and on his flag was drawn the form of a calf, therefore they chose it as a god. Also because of the benefit received from it in working the land. Similarly the dog because it guards its master faithfully and goes hunting. The worship of Peor was to show the form of the excretory organs as despised organs that throw out waste and produce similar things.
Similarly throwing stones at Markulis because they worshipped as a god the first thing that came before them in the morning, which was the earth, and many similar things [(Ashav)]. This error continued until the days of Tola the judge, for in that generation they chose 15 male gods and 12 female gods - these were the heads and parents of the gods, for there were more than 30,000 gods. After this worship, almost the whole world went this way all the days of the earth except the seed of Abraham, until Constantine the emperor came about 240 years after the creation, 4004 years after the destruction, and destroyed all these images and faiths.
And still this error exists beyond the mountains of Cush, as found in the house that they believe in different gods - see Moreh Nevuchim part 2, chapter 9. And see Raavad Parshat Vayigash and Orach BaShulchan that the people of India do not eat anything that comes from a living creature and do not believe in creation, and all of them are children of Ham - more than half the world - and the first day of their week is Thursday, being ruled by the planet of the sun [(Shir HaKallah Tzadi'')].