] [p241] until the fourth year of the 157th
Olympiad
[149 B.
Eusebius - Chronicles
Aletes became a distinguished king and increased the power of Corinth; he reigned for 38 years.
After the death of Aletes, his descendants ruled the land, the eldest son succeeding in every case, until the tyrant Cypselus, who [came to power] 447 years after the return of the Heracleidae.
The first of them to become king was Ixion, for 38 years.
[p221] Then Agelas was king for 37 years.
Then Prymnis, for 35 years.
Then Bacchis, also for 35 years. Bacchis was the most distinguished of the kings up to his time; so that the kings after him called themselves Bacchidae instead of Heracleidae.
Then Agelas, for 30 years.
Eudemus, for 25 years.
Aristomedes, for 35 years.
When Aristomedes died, his son Telestes was still a child; and so the direct succession was interrupted by his uncle and guardian Agemon, for 16 years.
Then Alexander was king, for 25 years.
Telestes, who earlier had been deprived of his father's kingdom, killed Alexander, and ruled for 12 years.
Automenes ruled for one year, after Telestes was killed by his relatives.
The Bacchidae, descendants of Heracles who were more than 200 in number, seized power and jointly governed the city; each year they chose one of their number to be president, in place of the king. They governed the city for 90 years, until they were suppressed by the tyrant Cypselus.
The kings of the Corinthians are as follows:
Aletes - for 35 years
Ixion - for 37 years
Agelas - for 37 years
Prymnis - for 35 years
Bacchis - for 35 years
Agelas - for 30 years
Eudemus - for 25 years
Aristomedes - for 35 years
Agemon - for 16 years
Alexander - for 25 years
Teletes - for 12 years
Automenes - for one year
After which there were annual presidents.
The kings of the Spartans - from the books of Diodorus
It happens that it is difficult to establish the dates between the Trojan war and the first Olympiad, because at that time there were no annual magistrates either at Athens or at any other city. Therefore we will take the kings of the Spartans as an example.
According to Apollodorus of Athens, there were 308 years from the destruction of Troy [1183 B. C. ] until the first Olympiad [776 B. C. ]. 80 of those years passed before the expedition of the Heracleidae [1103 B. C. ]; [p223] the rest are covered by the reigns of the kings of the Spartans - Procles, Eurysthenes and their descendants. We will set down the order of [the kings of] each family up until the first Olympiad.
Eurysthenes began his reign in the 80th year after the Trojan war, and he was king for 42 years.
After him, Agis reigned for one year.
Echestratus for 31 years.
After him, Labotas reigned for 37 years.
Dorystus for 29 years.
They were followed by Agesilaus, who reigned for 44 years.
Archelaus for 60 years.
Teleclus for 40 years.
Alcamenes for 38 years. In the tenth year of his reign, the first Olympiad was established, in which Coroebus of Elis won the stadion race.
Procles was the first king of the other family, for (? ) 49 years.
After him, Prytanis reigned for 49 years.
Eunomius for 45 years.
And then Chariclus reigned for 60 years.
Nicander for 38 years.
Theopompus for 47 years. The first Olympiad occurred in the tenth year of this reign.
In summary, there were 80 years from the capture of Troy until the expedition of the Heracleidae, and then these kings of the Spartans:
Eurysthenes - for 42 years
Agis - for one year
Echestrates - for 37 years
Labotas - for 37 years
Dorystus - for 29 years
[p225] Agesilaus - for 44 years.
Archelaus - for 60 years
Teleclus - for 40 years
Alcamenes - for 37 years. In his tenth year, the first Olympiad was established.
In total, 325 years.
The kings from the other family were:
Procles - for 51 years
Prytanis - for 49 years
Eunomius - for 45 years
Charicles - for 60 years
Nicander - for 38 years
Theopompus - for 47 years. In his tenth year, the first Olympiad was established.
In total, 290 years.
The Thalassocracies, who ruled the sea - in brief, from the writings of Diodorus
After the Trojan war, the sea was controlled by:
The Lydians and Maeones - for 92 years
The Pelasgians - for 85 years
The Thracians - for 79 years
The Rhodians - for 23 years
The Phrygians - for 25 years
The Cypriots - for 33 years
The Phoenicians - for 45 years
The Egyptians - for [. . ] years
The Milesians - for [. . ] years
[The Carians - for . . years]
The Lesbians - for [. . ] years
The Phocaeans - for 44 years
The Samians for [. . ] years
The Spartans - for 2 years
The Naxians - for 10 years
The Eretrians - for 15 years
The Aeginetans - for 10 years
Up until the time when (? ) Alexander crossed over the sea.
After this, it will be fitting to move on to the kingdom of the Macedonians.
[p227]
The kings of the Macedonians
The end of the Assyrian empire, after the death of Sardanapallus the last king of the Assyrians, was followed by the Macedonian age.
Before the first Olympiad, Caranus was moved by ambition to collect forces from the Argives and from the rest of the Peloponnese, in order to lead an army into the territory of the Macedonians. At that time the king of the Orestae was at war with his neighbours, the Eordaei, and he called on Caranus to come to his aid, promising to give him half of his territory in return, if the Orestae were successful. The king kept his promise, and Caranus took possession of the territory; he reigned there for 30 years, until he died in old age.
He was succeeded by his son Coenus, who was king for 28 years.
After him, Tyrimias reigned for 43 years.
Perdiccas for 42 years. He wanted to expand his kingdom; so he sent [a mission] to Delphi.
A little further on, [Diodorus] says:
Perdiccas reigned for 48 years, and left his kingdom to Argaeus, who reigned for 31 years.
The next king was Philippus, who reigned for 33 years.
Aeropus for 20 years.
Alcetas for 18 years.
Amyntas for 49 years.
He was followed by Alexander, who reigned for 44 years.
Then Perdiccas was king for 22 years.
Archelaus for 17 years.
Aeropus for 6 years.
Then Pausanias was king for one year.
Ptolemy for 3 years.
Perdiccas for 5 years.
Philippus for 24 years.
Alexander, [who] fought against the Persians, for more than 12 years.
In this way the most reliable historians trace the ancestry of the Macedonian kings back to Heracles. From Caranus, who was the first to rule all the Macedonians, until Alexander, who conquered Asia, there were 24 kings who reigned for a total of 453 years.
[p229] The individual [kings] are as follows:
Caranus reigned for 30 years
Coenus - for 28 years
Tyrimias - for 43 years
Perdiccas - for 48 years
Argaeus - for 38 years
Philippus - for 33 years
Aeropus - for 20 years
Alcetas - for 18 years. In his time, Cyrus was king of the Persians.
Amyntas - for 42 years
Alexander - for 44 years
Perdiccas - for 23 years
Archelaus - for 24 years
Orestes - for 3 years
Archelaus - for 4 years
Amyntas - for one year
Pausanias - for one year
Amyntas - for 6 years
Argaeus - for 2 years
Amyntas - for 18 years
Alexander - for one year
Ptolemy of Alorus - for 3 years
Perdiccas - for 6 years
Philippus - for 27 years
Alexander the son of Philippus - for 12 years
The kings of the Macedonians, from the writings of our enemy, the philosopher Porphyrius:
These were the kings of Macedonia and Greece after Alexander the son of Philippus; and the Macedonian kingdom continued until its dissolution as follows.
The Macedonians appointed Aridaeus, the son of Philippus and Philinna of Thessaly, to be king after Alexander because of their affection for the family of Philippus, although they knew that Aridaeus was the son a courtesan and he was feeble-minded. He began to reign, as we said, in the second year of the 114th Olympiad [323 B. C. ]. He is reckoned to have reigned for 7 years, because he lived up until the fourth year of the 115th Olympiad [317 B. C. ].
[p231] Alexander left two sons, Heracles the son of Barsine the daughter of Pharnabazus, and Alexander the son of Roxane the daughter of Oxyartes the Bactrian; this Alexander was born about the time of his father's death, at the start of Philippus' reign. Olympias the mother of Alexander killed Aridaeus, but then Cassander the son of Antipater executed her and both the sons of Alexander, the one by himself and the other (the son of Barsine) by prompting Polysperchon. Cassander cast away Olympias' body without a burial, and proclaimed himself king; and from then onwards, all the other satraps acted as kings, because the family of Alexander had been destroyed. Cassander married Thessalonice the daughter of Philippus, and survived as king for another 19 years as king, until he died of a wasting disease. His reign, including the year in which Olympias ruled after the death of Aridaeus, lasted from the first year of the 116th Olympiad [316 B. C. ] until the third year of the 120th Olympiad [298 B. C. ].
Cassander was succeeded by his sons, Philippus and Alexander and Antipater, who reigned for 3 years and 6 months after the death of their father. The first to rule was Philippus, who died at Elateia. Then Antipater murdered his mother Thessalonice, who favoured her other son Alexander, and fled to Lysimachus. But Lysimachus put him to death, even though he had married one of Lysimachus' daughters.
Alexander married Lysandra, the daughter of Ptolemy, and in the war against his younger brother called on the aid of Demetrius the son of Antigonus, who was called Poliorcetes. But Demetrius killed Alexander, and made himself the king of the Macedonians. The reign of the sons of Cassander is reckoned to last from the fourth year [p233] of the 120th Olympiad [297 B. C. ] until the third year of the 121st Olympiad [294 B. C. ].
Demetrius reigned for 6 years, from the [fourth year of the] 121st Olympiad [293 B. C. ]until the first year of the 123rd Olympiad [288 B. C. ], when he was deposed by Pyrrhus the king of Epirus, the 23rd in line from Achilles the son of Thetis. Pyrrhus claimed the kingdom belonged to him after the extinction of Philippus' family, through his connection with Olympias the mother of Alexander, who was also a descendant of Pyrrhus the son of Neoptolemus.
Pyrrhus ruled the Macedonians for seven months in the second year of the 123rd Olympiad [287 B. C. ]. In the eighth month, he was replaced by Lysimachus the son of son of Agathocles, a Thessalian from Crannon who had been a bodyguard of Alexander. Lysimachus was king of Thrace and the Chersonese, and now overran the neighbouring country of Macedonia.
Lysimachus was persuaded by his wife Arsinoe to kill his own son. He ruled Macedonia for 5 years and 6 months, from the second year of the 123rd Olympiad [287 B. C. ] until the third year of the 124th Olympiad [282 B. C. ]. [p235] He was defeated by Seleucus Nicator, the king of Asia, at the battle of Corupedium, and lost his life in the battle. But straight after his victory, Seleucus was murdered by Ptolemy Ceraunus, the son of Lagus and Eurydice the daughter of Antipater, even though Seleucus was his benefactor and had received him when he fled [from Lysimachus].
Then Ptolemy ruled over the Macedonians, until he was killed in battle against the Galatians. He reigned for one year and five months, which lasted from the fourth year of the 124th Olympiad [281 B. C. ] until the fifth month of the first year of the 125th Olympiad [280 B. C. ].
Ptolemy was succeeded by his brother Meleager, but the Macedonians deposed Meleager after only two months, because they considered him unfit to rule. In his place, since no-one was left from the royal family, they appointed as king Antipater, who was the nephew of Cassander and the son of Philippus. But he too was deposed after ruling for 45 days by Sosthenes, a commoner who considered him to be too poor a general to face the dangerous invasion of Brennus the Galatian. The Macedonians gave Antipater the name Etesias, because the Etesian winds blow at about the time when he was king. Sosthenes repelled Brennus, and died after being in charge of the state for two complete years.
After Sosthenes, there was anarchy in Macedonia, because the followers of Antipater and Ptolemy and Aridaeus were competing for control of the state, but no-one was completely in charge. In the period from Ptolemy until the end of the anarchy, that is from the fourth year of the 124th Olympiad [281 B. C. ] until the [first year of the] 126th Olympiad [276 B. C. ], Ptolemy Ceraunus reigned for one year and five months, [p237] Meleager for two months, Antipater for 45 days, Sosthenes for two years, and the rest is reckoned to have been a time of anarchy.
While Antipater was plotting to take over the state, Antigonus set himself up as king; he was the son of Demetrius Poliorcetes and Phila the daughter of Antipater, and was called Gonatas because he had been born and brought up at Gonni in Thessaly. Antigonus reigned in total for 44 years; before he gained control of Macedonia, he had already been king for 10 whole years. He was proclaimed king in the second year of the 123rd Olympiad [287 B. C. ], and became king of the Macedonians in the first year of the 126th Olympiad [276 B. C. ]. Antigonus subdued Greece by force; he lived for 83 years in all, and died in the first year of the 135th Olympiad [240 B. C. ].
Antigonus was succeeded by his son Demetrius, who conquered the whole of Libya and captured Cyrene. Eventually he gained absolute control of all his father's possessions, and ruled over them for 10 years. He married a captive girl whom he called Chryseis, and by her he had a son Philippus, who was the first of the kings to fight against the Romans and caused the Macedonians much woe.
When Demetrius died, Philippus was left as a [young] orphan, and a member of the royal family, Antigonus called Phuscus, became his guardian. Seeing that Phuscus acted honourably in his role of guardian, the Macedonians made him king, and gave him Chryseis to be his wife. Chryeis bore him sons, but he did not bring them up, because he was holding the kingdom in trust for Philippus. And indeed he was succeeded by Philippus, when he died.
Demetrius, called the Fair, died in the second year of the [? ] 130th Olympiad. Philippus then became king, [p239] with the aforesaid Antigonus as his guardian. Antigonus died in the fourth year of the 139th Olympiad [221 B. C. ]; he had been guardian for 12 years, and lived for 42 years in all. Philippus began to rule without a guardian in the 140th Olympiad [220 B. C. ]; he reigned for 42 complete years, and died in the second year of the 150th Olympiad [179 B. C. ], aged 58 years.
Perseus the son of Philippus caused the death of his brother Demetrius by making accusations against him to his father. Perseus was king for 10 years and 8 months, until the fourth years of the 152nd Olympiad [169 B. C. ], when Lucius Aemilius defeated and conquered the Macedonians at Pydna. Perseus fled to Samothrace, but then agreed to surrender to the enemy, who transferred him to Alba, where he was imprisoned and died five years later. He was the last king of the Macedonians.
At that time the Romans allowed the Macedonians to remain autonomous, out of respect for their glorious reputation and the greatness of their [former] empire. But 19 years later, in the third year of the 157th Olympiad [150 B. C. ], a certain Andriscus falsely claimed to be the son of Perseus, and took on the name of Philippus, from which he came to be called the false Philippus. With the help of the Thracians he conquered Macedonia, but after ruling for a year he was defeated and fled to the Thracians, who handed him over, to be sent as a prisoner to Rome.
Because the Macedonians had been ungrateful, and had co-operated with the false Philippus, the Romans made them tributary in the fourth year of the 157th Olympiad [149 B. C. ]. So from Alexander until the end, when they became tributary to the Romans, that is from the second year of 114th Olympiad [323 B. C.
] [p241] until the fourth year of the 157th Olympiad [149 B. C. ], the kingdom of the Macedonians lasted for 43 Olympiads and two extra years, which is a total of 174 years.
These are the kings of the Macedonians after Alexander the son of Philippus:
Aridaeus, also called Philippus - for 7 years
Cassander - for 19 years
The sons of Cassander - for 3 years and 6 months
Demetrius Poliorcetes - for 6 years
Pyrrhus - for 7 months
Lysimachus - for 5 years and 5 months
Ptolemy Ceraunus - for 1 year and 5 months
Meleager - for 2 months
Antipater son of Lysimachus - for 45 days
Sosthenes - for 2 years
(Anarchy) - for 2 years
Antigonus Gonatas - for 34 years
Demetrius the Fair - for 10 years
Antigonus Phuscus - for 12 years
Philippus - for 42 years
Perseus - for 10 years and 8 months
(Autonomy) - for 19 years
The false Philippus - for 1 year
After that, they were subject to the Romans.
The kings of the Thessalians:
For a long time, the Thessalians and Epirus had the same rulers as the Macedonians. They were granted independence by the Romans after Philippus was defeated by the Roman general Titus in Thessaly. But eventually, for the same reason as the Macedonians, they were made tributary to the Romans.
Like the Macedonians, they were ruled by Aridaeus, also called Philippus, for seven years after the death of Alexander. Then his successor Cassander ruled over Epirus and the Thessalians for 19 years. After him, his son Philippus [ruled] for 4 months. Then his brothers Antipater and Alexander [ruled] for 2 years and 6 months. And then Demetrius the son of [Antigonus ruled] for 6 years and 6 months. After him, Pyrrhus [ruled] for 4 years and 4 months. Then Lysimachus the son of Agathocles [ruled] for 6 years. [p243] And Ptolemy, who was called Ceraunus, [ruled] for one year and 5 months. Then Meleager [ruled] for 2 months. After him, Antipater the son of Lysimachus [ruled] for 45 days. After him, Sosthenes [ruled] for one year. Then there was anarchy for 2 years and 2 months, after which Antigonus the son of Demetrius [ruled] for 34 years and 2 months.
During this time, Pyrrhus won over Antigonus' army and ruled over a few regions, but he lost control of them when he was defeated by Demetrius the son of Antigonus in a battle at Derdia. Shortly afterwards Antigonus died, and his son Demetrius reigned for 10 years. After him, Antigonus, the son of Demetrius who went off to Cyrene and of Olympias the daughter of Pauliclitus of Larisa, [ruled] for 9 years. Antigonus came to the aid of the Achaeans, defeated Cleomenes the king of the Spartans in battle, and liberated Sparta. Therefore the Achaean people honoured him like a god.
After him, Philippus the son of Demetrius reigned for 23 years and 9 months, until he was defeated in a battle in Thessaly by Titus the Roman general. Then the Romans allowed the Thessalians to be autonomous, along with the rest of the Ionians [? Greeks] who had been subject to Philippus. For the first year there was anarchy in Thessaly, but then they started to elect annual leaders from amongst the people.
The first to be elected was Pausanias the son of Echecrates, from Pherae. Then Amyntas the son of Crates, from [? ] Pieria; in his year, Titus returned to Rome. Then Aeacides the son of Callas, from Metropolis. Then Epidromas the son of Andromachus, from Larisa, for 8 months only; for the remaining 4 months of the year, the leader was Eunomus the son of Polyclitus, from Larisa. Eunomus was leader again for the whole of the following year. Then Aeacides the son of Callas, from Metropolis, for a second time. Then Pravilus the son of Phaxas, from Scotussa. Then Eunomus [p245] the son of Polyclitus, from Larisa, for a second time. Then Androsthenes the son of Italus, from Gyrton. Then Thrasymachus the son of Alexander, from [? ] Atrax. Then Laontomenes the son of Damothon, from Pherae. Then Pausanias the son of Damothon. Then Theodorus the son of Alexander, from Argos. Then Nicocrates the son of Paxinas, from [? ] Scotussa. Then Hippolochus the son of Alexippus, from Larisa. Then Cleomachides the son of Aeneus, from Larisa. Then Phyrinus the son of Aristomenes, from Gomphi.
In his year, Philippus the king of Macedonia died, and was succeeded by his son Perseus. As we said, Philippus reigned over the Thessalians for 3 years and 9 months, but in all he reigned over the Macedonians for 42 years and 9 months. From the start of the reign of Philippus [Aridaeus] until the death of Philippus the son of Demetrius, that is from the second year of the 114th Olympiad [323 B. C. ] until the fifth month of the second year of the 150th Olympiad [179 B. C. ], is a total of 144 years and five months.
A summary of the kings of the Thessalians:
Aridaeus, also called Philippus - for 7 years
Cassander - for 19 years
Philippus - for 4 months
Antigonus and Alexander - for 2 years and 6 months
Demetrius - for 6 years and 6 months
Pyrrhus - for 3 years and 6 months
Lysimachus - for 6 years
Ptolemy, also called Ceraunus - for 1 year and 5 months
Meleager - for 2 months
Antipater - for 45 days
Sosthenes - for 1 year
(Anarchy) - for 2 years and 2 months
Antigonus - for 33 years and 2 months
[p247] Demetrius - for 10 years
Antigonus - for 9 years
Philippus - for 23 years and 9 months
And then the following [annual] leaders: Pausanias, Amyntas, Aeacides, Epidromus, Eunomus, Aeacides again, Praviles, Eunomus again, Androsthenes, Thrasymachus, Laontomenes, Pausanias, Theodorus, Nicocrates, Hippolochus, Cleomachides, Phyrinus, and Philippus.
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Eusebius: Chronicle
- pages 247-295
Most of the original Greek text of the Chronicle has been lost. This translation is based on a Latin translation of the Armenian translation of the Greek original, in the Schoene-Petermann edition. The references in red are the page numbers from that edition.
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[p247] The kings of Asia and Syria after the death of Alexander the Great:
In the 6th year of Philippus Aridaeus, which was the third year of the 115th Olympiad [318 B. C. ], Antigonus became the first king of Asia. He reigned for 18 years, and lived in all for 86 years. He was the most formidable of the kings of that period, and died in Phrygia after all the other rulers attacked him out of fear of him, in the fourth year of the 119th Olympiad [301 B. C. ].
His son Demetrius escaped to Ephesus, and lost control of all of Asia; he was considered to be the most resourceful of the kings in siege warfare, and so was given the name Poliorcetes ["the besieger"]. Demetrius reigned for 17 years, and lived in all for 54 years. Starting from the first year of the 120th Olympiad [300 B. C. ], he ruled jointly with his father for 2 years, which were included in the 17 years of his reign. In the fourth year of the [123rd] Olympiad [285 B. C. ] he was captured by Seleucus; after his capture, he was sent to Cilicia, and was kept in royal style as a prisoner of Seleucus until he died, in the fourth year of the 124th Olympiad [281 B. C. ]. The reigns of Antigonus and Demetrius passed in this way.
Meanwhile, Lysimachus was ruling in Lydia opposite Thrace and Seleucus was ruling in the eastern regions and Syria. [p249] Both of them started to reign in the first year of the 114th Olympiad [324 B. C. ]. No account will be given of Lysimachus' reign, but the events of Seleucus' reign will be described here.
After Ptolemy, the first king of the Egyptians, had marched to Old Gaza and had defeated Demetrius the son of Antigonus in battle, he set up Seleucus as king of Syria and the eastern regions. Seleucus went up to Babylonia and defeated the barbarians there; so he was given the name Nicanor ["victor"]. He reigned for 32 years, from the first year of the 117th Olympiad [312 B. C. ] until the fourth year of the 124th Olympiad [281 B. C. ], and lived in all for 75 years. Eventually, he was ambushed and killed by his friend Ptolemy, called Ceraunus.
Seleucus was succeeded by Antiochus, his son by Apame the Persian. Antiochus was called Soter, and died in the [third] year of the 129th Olympiad [262 B. C. ] after he had lived in all for 54 years and had reigned for 19 years, from the first year of the 125th Olympiad [280 B. C. ] until the third year of the 129th Olympiad [262 B. C. ].
Antiochus Soter had [three] children by Stratonice the daughter of Demetrius; a son Antiochus, and two daughters Stratonice and Apame, of whom the former was married to Demetrius the king of the Macedonians, and the latter [to Magas? ]. When he died, he was succeeded by Antiochus called Theos, in the fourth year of the 129th Olympiad [261 B. C. ]. After 19 years, Antiochus Theos fell ill, [p251] and died at Ephesus in the third year of the [133rd] Olympiad [246 B. C. ], after living in all for 40 years. He had two sons, Seleucus called Callinicus and Antigonus, and two daughters by Laodice the daughter of Achaeus, of whom one was married to Mithridates and the other to Ariathes. The elder son Seleucus, who as we said was called Callinicus, succeeded Antiochus and reigned for 21 years, from the third year of the 133rd Olympiad [246 B. C. ] until the second year of the 138th Olympiad [227 B. C. ].
When he died, Seleucus was succeeded by his son, Seleucus called Ceraunus, but while he was still alive it happened that his younger brother Antigonus refused to accept his position and sought power for himself. Antigonus had help and assistance from [Alexander], the brother of his mother Laodice, who was in charge of the city of Sardis; he also had the Galatians as allies in two battles. Seleucus won a battle in Lydia, but he was unable to capture Sardis or Ephesus, which was held by Ptolemy. Then Seleucus fought a second battle against Mithridates in Cappadocia, where 20,000 of his men were killed by the barbarians, and he himself lost his life. Meanwhile Ptolemy called Tryphon seized part of Syria, but his siege of Damascus and Orthosia was stopped in the third year of the 134th Olympiad [242 B. C. ], when Seleucus advanced to that region.
Antigonus the brother of Callinicus crossed greater Phrygia, forced the inhabitants to pay tribute, and sent his generals with an army against Seleucus. But he was handed over by his own followers to the barbarians, and after escaping with a few men, set off for Magnesia. The next day he offered battle, and with the assistance of soldiers sent by Ptolemy, amongst others, he won a victory, and married the daughter of Zielas. [p253] However, in the fourth year of the 137th Olympiad [229 B. C. ] he fought twice in the country of Lydia and was defeated, and he joined battle with Attalus in the region of Lake Coloe. In the first year of the 138th Olympiad [228 B. C. ], after a battle in Caria he was forced by Attalus to flee to Thrace, where he died.
Seleucus Callinicus, the brother of Antigonus, died in the next year, and was succeeded by his son Alexander, who adopted the name Seleucus, and was called Ceraunus by his army. Seleucus had a brother called Antiochus. After reigning for three years, Seleucus was treacherously attacked and killed by a Galatian called Nicanor, in about the first year of the 139th Olympiad [224 B. C. ]. He was succeeded by his brother Antiochus, whom the army summoned from Babylon. Antiochus was called [the Great] and reigned for 36 years, from the second year of the 139th Olympiad [223 B. C. ] until the second year of the 148th Olympiad [187 B. C. ]. In the latter year, he made an expedition to Susa and the eastern provinces, but was killed with all [his men] in battle with the Elymaeans; he left behind two sons, Seleucus and Antiochus.
Seleucus succeeded his father in the third year of the 148th Olympiad [186 B. C. ], and reigned for 12 years, until the [? ] first year of the 151st Olympiad [176 B. C. ]; he lived in all for 60 years. When Seleucus died, he was succeeded by his brother Antiochus called Epiphanes, who reigned for 11 years, from the third year of the 151st Olympiad [174 B. C. ] until the first year of the 154th Olympiad [164 B. C. ]. While Antiochus Epiphanes was still alive, his son Antiochus called Eupator was made king, when he was only twelve years old, after which his father lived for a further one year and six months. Then Demetrius, who had been given to the Romans by his father Seleucus as a hostage, escaped from Rome to Phoenicia, and came to the city of Tripolis. Demetrius killed the young Antiochus along with his guardian Lysias, and made himself king in the fourth year of the 154th Olympiad [161 B. C. ]; [p255] he was called Soter, and reigned for 12 years, until the [? ] fourth year of the 157th Olympiad [149 B. C. ]. He was forced to fight for his kingdom against Alexander, who brought an army from outside with the assistance of Ptolemy and Attalus, and he was killed in a battle.
Alexander gained control of Syria in the [? ] third year of the 157th Olympiad [150 B. C. ], and ruled for 5 years. He died in the fourth year of the 158th Olympiad [145 B. C. ], in a battle near the city of Antioch against Ptolemy, who had come to the aid of Demetrius the son of Demetrius. Ptolemy also was wounded and died in the same battle.
The war was carried on by this Demetrius, the son of Demetrius. Setting out from Seleuceia, he defeated Antiochus the son of Alexander, who was based in Syria and the city of Antioch, and started to reign in the first year of the 160th Olympiad [140 B. C. ]. In his second year, he collected an army and set off for Babylon and the eastern regions, to fight against Arsaces. In the next year, which was the third year of the 160th Olympiad [138 B. C. ], he was captured by Arsaces, who sent him to be held prisoner in Parthia; so he was called Nicanor ["victor"] because he had defeated Antiochus the son of Alexander, and also [? ] Seripides because he was kept as a prisoner in chains. The younger brother of Demetrius, called Antiochus, was brought up in the city of Side, from which he was given the name Sidetes. When he heard that Demetrius had been defeated and made a prisoner, he left Side and in the fourth year of the 160th Olympiad [137 B. C. ] gained control of Syria, which he ruled for nine years. In the third year of the 162nd Olympiad [130 B. C. ] he conquered the Jews, pulled down the walls of [Jerusalem] after a siege, and put their leaders to death.
In the fourth year of the 162nd Olympiad [129 B. C. ], Arsaces attacked him with an army of 120,000 men, and schemed against him by sending his brother Demetrius, who had been kept as a prisoner, back to Syria. But at the onset of winter Antiochus met the barbarians in a confined space; bravely attacking them, he was injured and killed, in the 35th year of his life. [p257] His young son Seleucus, who had accompanied him, was captured by king Arsaces and was kept in royal style as a prisoner.
Antiochus the fifth had three sons and two daughters; the first two, the daughters, were both called Laodice. The third, called Antiochus, fell ill and died, like his sisters. The fourth was Seleucus, who was captured by Arsaces. The fifth was another Antiochus, who was brought up by Craterus the eunuch at Cyzicus, where he had fled with Craterus and the rest of the household of Antiochus, through fear of Demetrius. One of the brothers had already died, along with his sister, so only Antiochus was left, the youngest of the brothers, and because of his residence at Cyzicus he was called Cyzicenus.
Demetrius returned [to Syria] and started his second reign in the second year of the (? ) 163rd Olympiad [127 B. C. ], after having been held captive for the intervening 10 years.
After the death of Aletes, his descendants ruled the land, the eldest son succeeding in every case, until the tyrant Cypselus, who [came to power] 447 years after the return of the Heracleidae.
The first of them to become king was Ixion, for 38 years.
[p221] Then Agelas was king for 37 years.
Then Prymnis, for 35 years.
Then Bacchis, also for 35 years. Bacchis was the most distinguished of the kings up to his time; so that the kings after him called themselves Bacchidae instead of Heracleidae.
Then Agelas, for 30 years.
Eudemus, for 25 years.
Aristomedes, for 35 years.
When Aristomedes died, his son Telestes was still a child; and so the direct succession was interrupted by his uncle and guardian Agemon, for 16 years.
Then Alexander was king, for 25 years.
Telestes, who earlier had been deprived of his father's kingdom, killed Alexander, and ruled for 12 years.
Automenes ruled for one year, after Telestes was killed by his relatives.
The Bacchidae, descendants of Heracles who were more than 200 in number, seized power and jointly governed the city; each year they chose one of their number to be president, in place of the king. They governed the city for 90 years, until they were suppressed by the tyrant Cypselus.
The kings of the Corinthians are as follows:
Aletes - for 35 years
Ixion - for 37 years
Agelas - for 37 years
Prymnis - for 35 years
Bacchis - for 35 years
Agelas - for 30 years
Eudemus - for 25 years
Aristomedes - for 35 years
Agemon - for 16 years
Alexander - for 25 years
Teletes - for 12 years
Automenes - for one year
After which there were annual presidents.
The kings of the Spartans - from the books of Diodorus
It happens that it is difficult to establish the dates between the Trojan war and the first Olympiad, because at that time there were no annual magistrates either at Athens or at any other city. Therefore we will take the kings of the Spartans as an example.
According to Apollodorus of Athens, there were 308 years from the destruction of Troy [1183 B. C. ] until the first Olympiad [776 B. C. ]. 80 of those years passed before the expedition of the Heracleidae [1103 B. C. ]; [p223] the rest are covered by the reigns of the kings of the Spartans - Procles, Eurysthenes and their descendants. We will set down the order of [the kings of] each family up until the first Olympiad.
Eurysthenes began his reign in the 80th year after the Trojan war, and he was king for 42 years.
After him, Agis reigned for one year.
Echestratus for 31 years.
After him, Labotas reigned for 37 years.
Dorystus for 29 years.
They were followed by Agesilaus, who reigned for 44 years.
Archelaus for 60 years.
Teleclus for 40 years.
Alcamenes for 38 years. In the tenth year of his reign, the first Olympiad was established, in which Coroebus of Elis won the stadion race.
Procles was the first king of the other family, for (? ) 49 years.
After him, Prytanis reigned for 49 years.
Eunomius for 45 years.
And then Chariclus reigned for 60 years.
Nicander for 38 years.
Theopompus for 47 years. The first Olympiad occurred in the tenth year of this reign.
In summary, there were 80 years from the capture of Troy until the expedition of the Heracleidae, and then these kings of the Spartans:
Eurysthenes - for 42 years
Agis - for one year
Echestrates - for 37 years
Labotas - for 37 years
Dorystus - for 29 years
[p225] Agesilaus - for 44 years.
Archelaus - for 60 years
Teleclus - for 40 years
Alcamenes - for 37 years. In his tenth year, the first Olympiad was established.
In total, 325 years.
The kings from the other family were:
Procles - for 51 years
Prytanis - for 49 years
Eunomius - for 45 years
Charicles - for 60 years
Nicander - for 38 years
Theopompus - for 47 years. In his tenth year, the first Olympiad was established.
In total, 290 years.
The Thalassocracies, who ruled the sea - in brief, from the writings of Diodorus
After the Trojan war, the sea was controlled by:
The Lydians and Maeones - for 92 years
The Pelasgians - for 85 years
The Thracians - for 79 years
The Rhodians - for 23 years
The Phrygians - for 25 years
The Cypriots - for 33 years
The Phoenicians - for 45 years
The Egyptians - for [. . ] years
The Milesians - for [. . ] years
[The Carians - for . . years]
The Lesbians - for [. . ] years
The Phocaeans - for 44 years
The Samians for [. . ] years
The Spartans - for 2 years
The Naxians - for 10 years
The Eretrians - for 15 years
The Aeginetans - for 10 years
Up until the time when (? ) Alexander crossed over the sea.
After this, it will be fitting to move on to the kingdom of the Macedonians.
[p227]
The kings of the Macedonians
The end of the Assyrian empire, after the death of Sardanapallus the last king of the Assyrians, was followed by the Macedonian age.
Before the first Olympiad, Caranus was moved by ambition to collect forces from the Argives and from the rest of the Peloponnese, in order to lead an army into the territory of the Macedonians. At that time the king of the Orestae was at war with his neighbours, the Eordaei, and he called on Caranus to come to his aid, promising to give him half of his territory in return, if the Orestae were successful. The king kept his promise, and Caranus took possession of the territory; he reigned there for 30 years, until he died in old age.
He was succeeded by his son Coenus, who was king for 28 years.
After him, Tyrimias reigned for 43 years.
Perdiccas for 42 years. He wanted to expand his kingdom; so he sent [a mission] to Delphi.
A little further on, [Diodorus] says:
Perdiccas reigned for 48 years, and left his kingdom to Argaeus, who reigned for 31 years.
The next king was Philippus, who reigned for 33 years.
Aeropus for 20 years.
Alcetas for 18 years.
Amyntas for 49 years.
He was followed by Alexander, who reigned for 44 years.
Then Perdiccas was king for 22 years.
Archelaus for 17 years.
Aeropus for 6 years.
Then Pausanias was king for one year.
Ptolemy for 3 years.
Perdiccas for 5 years.
Philippus for 24 years.
Alexander, [who] fought against the Persians, for more than 12 years.
In this way the most reliable historians trace the ancestry of the Macedonian kings back to Heracles. From Caranus, who was the first to rule all the Macedonians, until Alexander, who conquered Asia, there were 24 kings who reigned for a total of 453 years.
[p229] The individual [kings] are as follows:
Caranus reigned for 30 years
Coenus - for 28 years
Tyrimias - for 43 years
Perdiccas - for 48 years
Argaeus - for 38 years
Philippus - for 33 years
Aeropus - for 20 years
Alcetas - for 18 years. In his time, Cyrus was king of the Persians.
Amyntas - for 42 years
Alexander - for 44 years
Perdiccas - for 23 years
Archelaus - for 24 years
Orestes - for 3 years
Archelaus - for 4 years
Amyntas - for one year
Pausanias - for one year
Amyntas - for 6 years
Argaeus - for 2 years
Amyntas - for 18 years
Alexander - for one year
Ptolemy of Alorus - for 3 years
Perdiccas - for 6 years
Philippus - for 27 years
Alexander the son of Philippus - for 12 years
The kings of the Macedonians, from the writings of our enemy, the philosopher Porphyrius:
These were the kings of Macedonia and Greece after Alexander the son of Philippus; and the Macedonian kingdom continued until its dissolution as follows.
The Macedonians appointed Aridaeus, the son of Philippus and Philinna of Thessaly, to be king after Alexander because of their affection for the family of Philippus, although they knew that Aridaeus was the son a courtesan and he was feeble-minded. He began to reign, as we said, in the second year of the 114th Olympiad [323 B. C. ]. He is reckoned to have reigned for 7 years, because he lived up until the fourth year of the 115th Olympiad [317 B. C. ].
[p231] Alexander left two sons, Heracles the son of Barsine the daughter of Pharnabazus, and Alexander the son of Roxane the daughter of Oxyartes the Bactrian; this Alexander was born about the time of his father's death, at the start of Philippus' reign. Olympias the mother of Alexander killed Aridaeus, but then Cassander the son of Antipater executed her and both the sons of Alexander, the one by himself and the other (the son of Barsine) by prompting Polysperchon. Cassander cast away Olympias' body without a burial, and proclaimed himself king; and from then onwards, all the other satraps acted as kings, because the family of Alexander had been destroyed. Cassander married Thessalonice the daughter of Philippus, and survived as king for another 19 years as king, until he died of a wasting disease. His reign, including the year in which Olympias ruled after the death of Aridaeus, lasted from the first year of the 116th Olympiad [316 B. C. ] until the third year of the 120th Olympiad [298 B. C. ].
Cassander was succeeded by his sons, Philippus and Alexander and Antipater, who reigned for 3 years and 6 months after the death of their father. The first to rule was Philippus, who died at Elateia. Then Antipater murdered his mother Thessalonice, who favoured her other son Alexander, and fled to Lysimachus. But Lysimachus put him to death, even though he had married one of Lysimachus' daughters.
Alexander married Lysandra, the daughter of Ptolemy, and in the war against his younger brother called on the aid of Demetrius the son of Antigonus, who was called Poliorcetes. But Demetrius killed Alexander, and made himself the king of the Macedonians. The reign of the sons of Cassander is reckoned to last from the fourth year [p233] of the 120th Olympiad [297 B. C. ] until the third year of the 121st Olympiad [294 B. C. ].
Demetrius reigned for 6 years, from the [fourth year of the] 121st Olympiad [293 B. C. ]until the first year of the 123rd Olympiad [288 B. C. ], when he was deposed by Pyrrhus the king of Epirus, the 23rd in line from Achilles the son of Thetis. Pyrrhus claimed the kingdom belonged to him after the extinction of Philippus' family, through his connection with Olympias the mother of Alexander, who was also a descendant of Pyrrhus the son of Neoptolemus.
Pyrrhus ruled the Macedonians for seven months in the second year of the 123rd Olympiad [287 B. C. ]. In the eighth month, he was replaced by Lysimachus the son of son of Agathocles, a Thessalian from Crannon who had been a bodyguard of Alexander. Lysimachus was king of Thrace and the Chersonese, and now overran the neighbouring country of Macedonia.
Lysimachus was persuaded by his wife Arsinoe to kill his own son. He ruled Macedonia for 5 years and 6 months, from the second year of the 123rd Olympiad [287 B. C. ] until the third year of the 124th Olympiad [282 B. C. ]. [p235] He was defeated by Seleucus Nicator, the king of Asia, at the battle of Corupedium, and lost his life in the battle. But straight after his victory, Seleucus was murdered by Ptolemy Ceraunus, the son of Lagus and Eurydice the daughter of Antipater, even though Seleucus was his benefactor and had received him when he fled [from Lysimachus].
Then Ptolemy ruled over the Macedonians, until he was killed in battle against the Galatians. He reigned for one year and five months, which lasted from the fourth year of the 124th Olympiad [281 B. C. ] until the fifth month of the first year of the 125th Olympiad [280 B. C. ].
Ptolemy was succeeded by his brother Meleager, but the Macedonians deposed Meleager after only two months, because they considered him unfit to rule. In his place, since no-one was left from the royal family, they appointed as king Antipater, who was the nephew of Cassander and the son of Philippus. But he too was deposed after ruling for 45 days by Sosthenes, a commoner who considered him to be too poor a general to face the dangerous invasion of Brennus the Galatian. The Macedonians gave Antipater the name Etesias, because the Etesian winds blow at about the time when he was king. Sosthenes repelled Brennus, and died after being in charge of the state for two complete years.
After Sosthenes, there was anarchy in Macedonia, because the followers of Antipater and Ptolemy and Aridaeus were competing for control of the state, but no-one was completely in charge. In the period from Ptolemy until the end of the anarchy, that is from the fourth year of the 124th Olympiad [281 B. C. ] until the [first year of the] 126th Olympiad [276 B. C. ], Ptolemy Ceraunus reigned for one year and five months, [p237] Meleager for two months, Antipater for 45 days, Sosthenes for two years, and the rest is reckoned to have been a time of anarchy.
While Antipater was plotting to take over the state, Antigonus set himself up as king; he was the son of Demetrius Poliorcetes and Phila the daughter of Antipater, and was called Gonatas because he had been born and brought up at Gonni in Thessaly. Antigonus reigned in total for 44 years; before he gained control of Macedonia, he had already been king for 10 whole years. He was proclaimed king in the second year of the 123rd Olympiad [287 B. C. ], and became king of the Macedonians in the first year of the 126th Olympiad [276 B. C. ]. Antigonus subdued Greece by force; he lived for 83 years in all, and died in the first year of the 135th Olympiad [240 B. C. ].
Antigonus was succeeded by his son Demetrius, who conquered the whole of Libya and captured Cyrene. Eventually he gained absolute control of all his father's possessions, and ruled over them for 10 years. He married a captive girl whom he called Chryseis, and by her he had a son Philippus, who was the first of the kings to fight against the Romans and caused the Macedonians much woe.
When Demetrius died, Philippus was left as a [young] orphan, and a member of the royal family, Antigonus called Phuscus, became his guardian. Seeing that Phuscus acted honourably in his role of guardian, the Macedonians made him king, and gave him Chryseis to be his wife. Chryeis bore him sons, but he did not bring them up, because he was holding the kingdom in trust for Philippus. And indeed he was succeeded by Philippus, when he died.
Demetrius, called the Fair, died in the second year of the [? ] 130th Olympiad. Philippus then became king, [p239] with the aforesaid Antigonus as his guardian. Antigonus died in the fourth year of the 139th Olympiad [221 B. C. ]; he had been guardian for 12 years, and lived for 42 years in all. Philippus began to rule without a guardian in the 140th Olympiad [220 B. C. ]; he reigned for 42 complete years, and died in the second year of the 150th Olympiad [179 B. C. ], aged 58 years.
Perseus the son of Philippus caused the death of his brother Demetrius by making accusations against him to his father. Perseus was king for 10 years and 8 months, until the fourth years of the 152nd Olympiad [169 B. C. ], when Lucius Aemilius defeated and conquered the Macedonians at Pydna. Perseus fled to Samothrace, but then agreed to surrender to the enemy, who transferred him to Alba, where he was imprisoned and died five years later. He was the last king of the Macedonians.
At that time the Romans allowed the Macedonians to remain autonomous, out of respect for their glorious reputation and the greatness of their [former] empire. But 19 years later, in the third year of the 157th Olympiad [150 B. C. ], a certain Andriscus falsely claimed to be the son of Perseus, and took on the name of Philippus, from which he came to be called the false Philippus. With the help of the Thracians he conquered Macedonia, but after ruling for a year he was defeated and fled to the Thracians, who handed him over, to be sent as a prisoner to Rome.
Because the Macedonians had been ungrateful, and had co-operated with the false Philippus, the Romans made them tributary in the fourth year of the 157th Olympiad [149 B. C. ]. So from Alexander until the end, when they became tributary to the Romans, that is from the second year of 114th Olympiad [323 B. C.
] [p241] until the fourth year of the 157th Olympiad [149 B. C. ], the kingdom of the Macedonians lasted for 43 Olympiads and two extra years, which is a total of 174 years.
These are the kings of the Macedonians after Alexander the son of Philippus:
Aridaeus, also called Philippus - for 7 years
Cassander - for 19 years
The sons of Cassander - for 3 years and 6 months
Demetrius Poliorcetes - for 6 years
Pyrrhus - for 7 months
Lysimachus - for 5 years and 5 months
Ptolemy Ceraunus - for 1 year and 5 months
Meleager - for 2 months
Antipater son of Lysimachus - for 45 days
Sosthenes - for 2 years
(Anarchy) - for 2 years
Antigonus Gonatas - for 34 years
Demetrius the Fair - for 10 years
Antigonus Phuscus - for 12 years
Philippus - for 42 years
Perseus - for 10 years and 8 months
(Autonomy) - for 19 years
The false Philippus - for 1 year
After that, they were subject to the Romans.
The kings of the Thessalians:
For a long time, the Thessalians and Epirus had the same rulers as the Macedonians. They were granted independence by the Romans after Philippus was defeated by the Roman general Titus in Thessaly. But eventually, for the same reason as the Macedonians, they were made tributary to the Romans.
Like the Macedonians, they were ruled by Aridaeus, also called Philippus, for seven years after the death of Alexander. Then his successor Cassander ruled over Epirus and the Thessalians for 19 years. After him, his son Philippus [ruled] for 4 months. Then his brothers Antipater and Alexander [ruled] for 2 years and 6 months. And then Demetrius the son of [Antigonus ruled] for 6 years and 6 months. After him, Pyrrhus [ruled] for 4 years and 4 months. Then Lysimachus the son of Agathocles [ruled] for 6 years. [p243] And Ptolemy, who was called Ceraunus, [ruled] for one year and 5 months. Then Meleager [ruled] for 2 months. After him, Antipater the son of Lysimachus [ruled] for 45 days. After him, Sosthenes [ruled] for one year. Then there was anarchy for 2 years and 2 months, after which Antigonus the son of Demetrius [ruled] for 34 years and 2 months.
During this time, Pyrrhus won over Antigonus' army and ruled over a few regions, but he lost control of them when he was defeated by Demetrius the son of Antigonus in a battle at Derdia. Shortly afterwards Antigonus died, and his son Demetrius reigned for 10 years. After him, Antigonus, the son of Demetrius who went off to Cyrene and of Olympias the daughter of Pauliclitus of Larisa, [ruled] for 9 years. Antigonus came to the aid of the Achaeans, defeated Cleomenes the king of the Spartans in battle, and liberated Sparta. Therefore the Achaean people honoured him like a god.
After him, Philippus the son of Demetrius reigned for 23 years and 9 months, until he was defeated in a battle in Thessaly by Titus the Roman general. Then the Romans allowed the Thessalians to be autonomous, along with the rest of the Ionians [? Greeks] who had been subject to Philippus. For the first year there was anarchy in Thessaly, but then they started to elect annual leaders from amongst the people.
The first to be elected was Pausanias the son of Echecrates, from Pherae. Then Amyntas the son of Crates, from [? ] Pieria; in his year, Titus returned to Rome. Then Aeacides the son of Callas, from Metropolis. Then Epidromas the son of Andromachus, from Larisa, for 8 months only; for the remaining 4 months of the year, the leader was Eunomus the son of Polyclitus, from Larisa. Eunomus was leader again for the whole of the following year. Then Aeacides the son of Callas, from Metropolis, for a second time. Then Pravilus the son of Phaxas, from Scotussa. Then Eunomus [p245] the son of Polyclitus, from Larisa, for a second time. Then Androsthenes the son of Italus, from Gyrton. Then Thrasymachus the son of Alexander, from [? ] Atrax. Then Laontomenes the son of Damothon, from Pherae. Then Pausanias the son of Damothon. Then Theodorus the son of Alexander, from Argos. Then Nicocrates the son of Paxinas, from [? ] Scotussa. Then Hippolochus the son of Alexippus, from Larisa. Then Cleomachides the son of Aeneus, from Larisa. Then Phyrinus the son of Aristomenes, from Gomphi.
In his year, Philippus the king of Macedonia died, and was succeeded by his son Perseus. As we said, Philippus reigned over the Thessalians for 3 years and 9 months, but in all he reigned over the Macedonians for 42 years and 9 months. From the start of the reign of Philippus [Aridaeus] until the death of Philippus the son of Demetrius, that is from the second year of the 114th Olympiad [323 B. C. ] until the fifth month of the second year of the 150th Olympiad [179 B. C. ], is a total of 144 years and five months.
A summary of the kings of the Thessalians:
Aridaeus, also called Philippus - for 7 years
Cassander - for 19 years
Philippus - for 4 months
Antigonus and Alexander - for 2 years and 6 months
Demetrius - for 6 years and 6 months
Pyrrhus - for 3 years and 6 months
Lysimachus - for 6 years
Ptolemy, also called Ceraunus - for 1 year and 5 months
Meleager - for 2 months
Antipater - for 45 days
Sosthenes - for 1 year
(Anarchy) - for 2 years and 2 months
Antigonus - for 33 years and 2 months
[p247] Demetrius - for 10 years
Antigonus - for 9 years
Philippus - for 23 years and 9 months
And then the following [annual] leaders: Pausanias, Amyntas, Aeacides, Epidromus, Eunomus, Aeacides again, Praviles, Eunomus again, Androsthenes, Thrasymachus, Laontomenes, Pausanias, Theodorus, Nicocrates, Hippolochus, Cleomachides, Phyrinus, and Philippus.
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Eusebius: Chronicle
- pages 247-295
Most of the original Greek text of the Chronicle has been lost. This translation is based on a Latin translation of the Armenian translation of the Greek original, in the Schoene-Petermann edition. The references in red are the page numbers from that edition.
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[p247] The kings of Asia and Syria after the death of Alexander the Great:
In the 6th year of Philippus Aridaeus, which was the third year of the 115th Olympiad [318 B. C. ], Antigonus became the first king of Asia. He reigned for 18 years, and lived in all for 86 years. He was the most formidable of the kings of that period, and died in Phrygia after all the other rulers attacked him out of fear of him, in the fourth year of the 119th Olympiad [301 B. C. ].
His son Demetrius escaped to Ephesus, and lost control of all of Asia; he was considered to be the most resourceful of the kings in siege warfare, and so was given the name Poliorcetes ["the besieger"]. Demetrius reigned for 17 years, and lived in all for 54 years. Starting from the first year of the 120th Olympiad [300 B. C. ], he ruled jointly with his father for 2 years, which were included in the 17 years of his reign. In the fourth year of the [123rd] Olympiad [285 B. C. ] he was captured by Seleucus; after his capture, he was sent to Cilicia, and was kept in royal style as a prisoner of Seleucus until he died, in the fourth year of the 124th Olympiad [281 B. C. ]. The reigns of Antigonus and Demetrius passed in this way.
Meanwhile, Lysimachus was ruling in Lydia opposite Thrace and Seleucus was ruling in the eastern regions and Syria. [p249] Both of them started to reign in the first year of the 114th Olympiad [324 B. C. ]. No account will be given of Lysimachus' reign, but the events of Seleucus' reign will be described here.
After Ptolemy, the first king of the Egyptians, had marched to Old Gaza and had defeated Demetrius the son of Antigonus in battle, he set up Seleucus as king of Syria and the eastern regions. Seleucus went up to Babylonia and defeated the barbarians there; so he was given the name Nicanor ["victor"]. He reigned for 32 years, from the first year of the 117th Olympiad [312 B. C. ] until the fourth year of the 124th Olympiad [281 B. C. ], and lived in all for 75 years. Eventually, he was ambushed and killed by his friend Ptolemy, called Ceraunus.
Seleucus was succeeded by Antiochus, his son by Apame the Persian. Antiochus was called Soter, and died in the [third] year of the 129th Olympiad [262 B. C. ] after he had lived in all for 54 years and had reigned for 19 years, from the first year of the 125th Olympiad [280 B. C. ] until the third year of the 129th Olympiad [262 B. C. ].
Antiochus Soter had [three] children by Stratonice the daughter of Demetrius; a son Antiochus, and two daughters Stratonice and Apame, of whom the former was married to Demetrius the king of the Macedonians, and the latter [to Magas? ]. When he died, he was succeeded by Antiochus called Theos, in the fourth year of the 129th Olympiad [261 B. C. ]. After 19 years, Antiochus Theos fell ill, [p251] and died at Ephesus in the third year of the [133rd] Olympiad [246 B. C. ], after living in all for 40 years. He had two sons, Seleucus called Callinicus and Antigonus, and two daughters by Laodice the daughter of Achaeus, of whom one was married to Mithridates and the other to Ariathes. The elder son Seleucus, who as we said was called Callinicus, succeeded Antiochus and reigned for 21 years, from the third year of the 133rd Olympiad [246 B. C. ] until the second year of the 138th Olympiad [227 B. C. ].
When he died, Seleucus was succeeded by his son, Seleucus called Ceraunus, but while he was still alive it happened that his younger brother Antigonus refused to accept his position and sought power for himself. Antigonus had help and assistance from [Alexander], the brother of his mother Laodice, who was in charge of the city of Sardis; he also had the Galatians as allies in two battles. Seleucus won a battle in Lydia, but he was unable to capture Sardis or Ephesus, which was held by Ptolemy. Then Seleucus fought a second battle against Mithridates in Cappadocia, where 20,000 of his men were killed by the barbarians, and he himself lost his life. Meanwhile Ptolemy called Tryphon seized part of Syria, but his siege of Damascus and Orthosia was stopped in the third year of the 134th Olympiad [242 B. C. ], when Seleucus advanced to that region.
Antigonus the brother of Callinicus crossed greater Phrygia, forced the inhabitants to pay tribute, and sent his generals with an army against Seleucus. But he was handed over by his own followers to the barbarians, and after escaping with a few men, set off for Magnesia. The next day he offered battle, and with the assistance of soldiers sent by Ptolemy, amongst others, he won a victory, and married the daughter of Zielas. [p253] However, in the fourth year of the 137th Olympiad [229 B. C. ] he fought twice in the country of Lydia and was defeated, and he joined battle with Attalus in the region of Lake Coloe. In the first year of the 138th Olympiad [228 B. C. ], after a battle in Caria he was forced by Attalus to flee to Thrace, where he died.
Seleucus Callinicus, the brother of Antigonus, died in the next year, and was succeeded by his son Alexander, who adopted the name Seleucus, and was called Ceraunus by his army. Seleucus had a brother called Antiochus. After reigning for three years, Seleucus was treacherously attacked and killed by a Galatian called Nicanor, in about the first year of the 139th Olympiad [224 B. C. ]. He was succeeded by his brother Antiochus, whom the army summoned from Babylon. Antiochus was called [the Great] and reigned for 36 years, from the second year of the 139th Olympiad [223 B. C. ] until the second year of the 148th Olympiad [187 B. C. ]. In the latter year, he made an expedition to Susa and the eastern provinces, but was killed with all [his men] in battle with the Elymaeans; he left behind two sons, Seleucus and Antiochus.
Seleucus succeeded his father in the third year of the 148th Olympiad [186 B. C. ], and reigned for 12 years, until the [? ] first year of the 151st Olympiad [176 B. C. ]; he lived in all for 60 years. When Seleucus died, he was succeeded by his brother Antiochus called Epiphanes, who reigned for 11 years, from the third year of the 151st Olympiad [174 B. C. ] until the first year of the 154th Olympiad [164 B. C. ]. While Antiochus Epiphanes was still alive, his son Antiochus called Eupator was made king, when he was only twelve years old, after which his father lived for a further one year and six months. Then Demetrius, who had been given to the Romans by his father Seleucus as a hostage, escaped from Rome to Phoenicia, and came to the city of Tripolis. Demetrius killed the young Antiochus along with his guardian Lysias, and made himself king in the fourth year of the 154th Olympiad [161 B. C. ]; [p255] he was called Soter, and reigned for 12 years, until the [? ] fourth year of the 157th Olympiad [149 B. C. ]. He was forced to fight for his kingdom against Alexander, who brought an army from outside with the assistance of Ptolemy and Attalus, and he was killed in a battle.
Alexander gained control of Syria in the [? ] third year of the 157th Olympiad [150 B. C. ], and ruled for 5 years. He died in the fourth year of the 158th Olympiad [145 B. C. ], in a battle near the city of Antioch against Ptolemy, who had come to the aid of Demetrius the son of Demetrius. Ptolemy also was wounded and died in the same battle.
The war was carried on by this Demetrius, the son of Demetrius. Setting out from Seleuceia, he defeated Antiochus the son of Alexander, who was based in Syria and the city of Antioch, and started to reign in the first year of the 160th Olympiad [140 B. C. ]. In his second year, he collected an army and set off for Babylon and the eastern regions, to fight against Arsaces. In the next year, which was the third year of the 160th Olympiad [138 B. C. ], he was captured by Arsaces, who sent him to be held prisoner in Parthia; so he was called Nicanor ["victor"] because he had defeated Antiochus the son of Alexander, and also [? ] Seripides because he was kept as a prisoner in chains. The younger brother of Demetrius, called Antiochus, was brought up in the city of Side, from which he was given the name Sidetes. When he heard that Demetrius had been defeated and made a prisoner, he left Side and in the fourth year of the 160th Olympiad [137 B. C. ] gained control of Syria, which he ruled for nine years. In the third year of the 162nd Olympiad [130 B. C. ] he conquered the Jews, pulled down the walls of [Jerusalem] after a siege, and put their leaders to death.
In the fourth year of the 162nd Olympiad [129 B. C. ], Arsaces attacked him with an army of 120,000 men, and schemed against him by sending his brother Demetrius, who had been kept as a prisoner, back to Syria. But at the onset of winter Antiochus met the barbarians in a confined space; bravely attacking them, he was injured and killed, in the 35th year of his life. [p257] His young son Seleucus, who had accompanied him, was captured by king Arsaces and was kept in royal style as a prisoner.
Antiochus the fifth had three sons and two daughters; the first two, the daughters, were both called Laodice. The third, called Antiochus, fell ill and died, like his sisters. The fourth was Seleucus, who was captured by Arsaces. The fifth was another Antiochus, who was brought up by Craterus the eunuch at Cyzicus, where he had fled with Craterus and the rest of the household of Antiochus, through fear of Demetrius. One of the brothers had already died, along with his sister, so only Antiochus was left, the youngest of the brothers, and because of his residence at Cyzicus he was called Cyzicenus.
Demetrius returned [to Syria] and started his second reign in the second year of the (? ) 163rd Olympiad [127 B. C. ], after having been held captive for the intervening 10 years.
