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.
Eusebius - Chronicles
] - Diocles [?
] Hypopenus, stadion race
Stratonicus of Alexandria, son of Corragus, was the fifth after Heracles to win both the wrestling and the pancratium competitions; at the Nemean games, he won four crowns on the same day in the boys' and youths' competitions, [though he attended the competitions without a horse. He achieved this through the favour of his friends or the kings, and therefore he was regarded as disqualified].
179th [64 B. C. ] - Andreas of Lacedaemon, stadion race
180th [60 B. C. ] - Andromachus of Ambracia, stadion race
181st [56 B. C. ] - Lamachus of Tauromenium, stadion race
182nd [52 B. C. ] - Anthestion of Argos, stadion race
[p213] Marion of Alexandria, son of Marion, was the sixth after Heracles to win both the wrestling and the pancratium competitions.
183rd [48 B. C. ] - Theodorus of Messene, stadion race
[At this time] Julius Caesar was emperor of the Romans.
184th [44 B. C. ] - Theodorus for a second time
[At this time] Augustus became emperor of the Romans.
185th [40 B. C. ] - Ariston of Thurii, stadion race
186th [36 B. C. ] - Scamander of Alexandria Troas, stadion race
187th [32 B. C. ] - Ariston of Thurii again, stadion race
188th [28 B. C. ] - Sopater of Argos, stadion race
189th [24 B. C. ] - Asclepiades of Sidon, stadion race
190th [20 B. C. ] - Auphidius of Patrae, stadion race
191st [16 B. C. ] - Diodotus of Tyana, stadion race
192nd [12 B. C. ] - Diophanes of Aeolis, stadion race
193rd [8 B. C. ] - Artemidorus of Thyateira, stadion race
194th [4 B. C. ] - Demaratus of Ephesus, stadion race
195th [1 A. D. ] - Demaratus for a second time
196th [5 A. D. ] - Pammenes of Magnesia-on-Maeander, stadion race
197th [9 A. D. ] - Asiaticus of Halicarnassus, stadion race
198th [13 A. D. ] - Diophanes of Prusa [by Mt. Olympus], stadion race
Aristeas of Stratoniceia or (? ) Maeander was the seventh after Heracles to win both the wrestling and the pancratium competitions.
[At this time] Tiberius became emperor of the Romans.
199th [17 A. D. ] - Aeschines Glaucias of Miletus, stadion race
The four-horse race which had been stopped a long time ago was reinstated, and the winner was Tiberius Caesar.
200th [21 A. D. ] - Polemon of Petra, stadion race
201st [25 A. D. ] - Damasias of Cydonia, stadion race
202nd [29 A. D. ] - Hermogenes of Pergamum, stadion race
203rd [33 A. D. ] - Apollonius of Epidaurus, stadion race
204th [37 A. D. ] - Sarapion of Alexandria, stadion race
Neicostratus of Aegae was the eighth and last after Heracles to win both the wrestling and the pancratium competitions. [p215] Only eight men between Heracles and our times have achieved this, because after these games the inhabitants of Elis would not award the crown even to those who were capable of it.
[At this time] Gaius became emperor of the Romans.
205th [41 A. D. ] - Eubulidas of Laodiceia, stadion race
[At this time] Claudius became emperor of the Romans.
206th [45 A. D. ] - Valerius of Mytilene, stadion race
207th [49 A. D. ] - Athenodorus of Aegium, stadion race
208th [53 A. D. ] - Athenodorus for a second time
[At this time] Nero became emperor of the Romans.
209th [57 A. D. ] - Callicles of Sidon, stadion race
210th [61 A. D. ] - Athenodorus of Aegium [(? ) for a third time], stadion race
211th [65 A. D. ] - These games were not held [at the usual time] because Nero postponed them until his visit to Greece. They were held two years later, and Tryphon of Philadelphia won the stadion race. Nero was awarded the crown in the contests for heralds, performers of tragedy and citharodes; and also in the races for chariots drawn by foals, full-grown horses and ten foals.
212th [69 A. D. ] - Polites of Ceramus, stadion race
[At this time] Vespasianus became emperor of the Romans.
213th [73 A. D. ] - Rhodon of Cyme, or Theodotus, stadion race
214th [77 A. D. ] - Straton of Alexandria, stadion race
[At this time] Titus became emperor of the Romans.
215th [81 A. D. ] - Hermogenes of Xanthus, stadion race
[At this time] Domitianus became emperor of the Romans.
216th [85 A. D. ] - Apollophanes Papis of Tarsus, stadion race
217th [89 A. D. ] - Hermogenes of Xanthus for a second time, stadion race
218th [93 A. D. ] - Apollonius of Alexandria, or Heliodorus, stadion race
219th [97 A. D. ] - Stephanus of Cappadocia, stadion race
[At this time] Nerva became emperor of the Romans, and after him Trajanus [became emperor].
220th [101 A. D. ] - Achilleus of Alexandria, stadion race
221st [105 A. D. ] - Theonas Smaragdus of Alexandria, stadion race
222nd [109 A. D. ] - Callistus of Side, stadion race
The horse races were reintroduced.
[p217] 223rd [113 A. D. ] - Eustolus of Side, stadion race
224th [117 A. D. ] - Isarion of Alexandria, stadion race
[At this time] Hadrianus became emperor of the Romans.
225th [121 A. D. ] - Aristeas of Miletus, stadion race
226th [125 A. D. ] - Dionysius Sameumys of Alexandria, stadion race
227th [129 A. D. ] - Dionysius for a second time
228th [133 A. D. ] - Lucas of Alexandria, stadion race
229th [137 A. D. ] - Epidaurus Ammonius of Alexandria, stadion race
[At this time] Antoninus Pius became emperor of the Romans.
230th [141 A. D. ] - Didymus (? ) Clydeus of Alexandria, stadion race
231st [145 A. D. ] - Cranaus of Sicyon, stadion race
232nd [149 A. D. ] - Atticus of Sardis, stadion race
Socrates entered both the wrestling and the pancratium competitions, but he was banned by the inhabitants of Elis, in favour of Dionysius of Seleuceia.
233rd [153 A. D. ] - Demetrius of Chios, stadion race
234th [157 A. D. ] - Eras of Chios, stadion race
235th [161 A. D. ] - Mnasibulus of Elateia, stadion race
[At this time] Marcus Antoninus Pius and Lucius Verus became emperors of the Romans.
236th [165 A. D. ] - Aeithales of Alexandria, stadion race
237th [169 A. D. ] - Eudaemon of Alexandria, stadion race
238th [173 A. D. ] - Agathopus of Aegina, stadion race
239th [177 A. D. ] - Agathopus for a second time
[At this time] Commodus became emperor of the Romans.
240th [181 A. D. ] - Anubion Pheidus of Alexandria, stadion race
241st [185 A. D. ] - Heron of Alexandria, stadion race
242nd [189 A. D. ] - Magnus [Libycus] of Cyrene, stadion race
243rd [193 A. D. ] - Isidorus [Artemidorus] of Alexandria, stadion race
[At this time] Pertinax, and then Severus, became emperors of the Romans.
244th [197 A. D. ] - Isidorus for a second time
245th [201 A. D. ] - Alexander of Alexandria, stadion race
246th [205 A. D. ] - Epinicus Cynas of Cyzicus, stadion race
[p219] 247th [209 A. D. ] - Satornilus of Gortyn in Crete, stadion race
[At this time] Antoninus, called Caracalla, became emperor of the Romans.
248th [213 A. D. ] - Heliodorus Trosidamas of Alexandria, stadion race
249th [217 A. D. ] - Heliodorus for a second time
The record of the Olympiads which we have found ends at this point.
[We know from elsewhere that the victor in the stadion race at the next Olympic games, the 250th Olympiad, was Publius Aelius Alcandridas of Sparta, who also won at the 251st games. So, thanks to Eusebius, we have a complete list of the victors in this race for a period of a thousand years, from 776 B. C. to 225 A. D. ]
It will be fitting to add here lists of the kings of the Corinthians, kings of the Spartans, rulers of the sea and the early kings of the Macedonians. I will set down in order their names and their dates, taking them from the Historical Library of Diodorus, who gives a very accurate account of them.
The kings of the Corinthians - from the books of Diodorus
After thoroughly investigating that, it remains to tell how Corinth and Sicyon were settled by the Dorians. Almost all the nations in the Peloponnese, except the Arcadians, were uprooted by the return of the Heracleidae. In their division of the land, the Heracleidae picked out Corinth and the surrounding area; they sent for Aletes, and awarded the territory to him. 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.
Stratonicus of Alexandria, son of Corragus, was the fifth after Heracles to win both the wrestling and the pancratium competitions; at the Nemean games, he won four crowns on the same day in the boys' and youths' competitions, [though he attended the competitions without a horse. He achieved this through the favour of his friends or the kings, and therefore he was regarded as disqualified].
179th [64 B. C. ] - Andreas of Lacedaemon, stadion race
180th [60 B. C. ] - Andromachus of Ambracia, stadion race
181st [56 B. C. ] - Lamachus of Tauromenium, stadion race
182nd [52 B. C. ] - Anthestion of Argos, stadion race
[p213] Marion of Alexandria, son of Marion, was the sixth after Heracles to win both the wrestling and the pancratium competitions.
183rd [48 B. C. ] - Theodorus of Messene, stadion race
[At this time] Julius Caesar was emperor of the Romans.
184th [44 B. C. ] - Theodorus for a second time
[At this time] Augustus became emperor of the Romans.
185th [40 B. C. ] - Ariston of Thurii, stadion race
186th [36 B. C. ] - Scamander of Alexandria Troas, stadion race
187th [32 B. C. ] - Ariston of Thurii again, stadion race
188th [28 B. C. ] - Sopater of Argos, stadion race
189th [24 B. C. ] - Asclepiades of Sidon, stadion race
190th [20 B. C. ] - Auphidius of Patrae, stadion race
191st [16 B. C. ] - Diodotus of Tyana, stadion race
192nd [12 B. C. ] - Diophanes of Aeolis, stadion race
193rd [8 B. C. ] - Artemidorus of Thyateira, stadion race
194th [4 B. C. ] - Demaratus of Ephesus, stadion race
195th [1 A. D. ] - Demaratus for a second time
196th [5 A. D. ] - Pammenes of Magnesia-on-Maeander, stadion race
197th [9 A. D. ] - Asiaticus of Halicarnassus, stadion race
198th [13 A. D. ] - Diophanes of Prusa [by Mt. Olympus], stadion race
Aristeas of Stratoniceia or (? ) Maeander was the seventh after Heracles to win both the wrestling and the pancratium competitions.
[At this time] Tiberius became emperor of the Romans.
199th [17 A. D. ] - Aeschines Glaucias of Miletus, stadion race
The four-horse race which had been stopped a long time ago was reinstated, and the winner was Tiberius Caesar.
200th [21 A. D. ] - Polemon of Petra, stadion race
201st [25 A. D. ] - Damasias of Cydonia, stadion race
202nd [29 A. D. ] - Hermogenes of Pergamum, stadion race
203rd [33 A. D. ] - Apollonius of Epidaurus, stadion race
204th [37 A. D. ] - Sarapion of Alexandria, stadion race
Neicostratus of Aegae was the eighth and last after Heracles to win both the wrestling and the pancratium competitions. [p215] Only eight men between Heracles and our times have achieved this, because after these games the inhabitants of Elis would not award the crown even to those who were capable of it.
[At this time] Gaius became emperor of the Romans.
205th [41 A. D. ] - Eubulidas of Laodiceia, stadion race
[At this time] Claudius became emperor of the Romans.
206th [45 A. D. ] - Valerius of Mytilene, stadion race
207th [49 A. D. ] - Athenodorus of Aegium, stadion race
208th [53 A. D. ] - Athenodorus for a second time
[At this time] Nero became emperor of the Romans.
209th [57 A. D. ] - Callicles of Sidon, stadion race
210th [61 A. D. ] - Athenodorus of Aegium [(? ) for a third time], stadion race
211th [65 A. D. ] - These games were not held [at the usual time] because Nero postponed them until his visit to Greece. They were held two years later, and Tryphon of Philadelphia won the stadion race. Nero was awarded the crown in the contests for heralds, performers of tragedy and citharodes; and also in the races for chariots drawn by foals, full-grown horses and ten foals.
212th [69 A. D. ] - Polites of Ceramus, stadion race
[At this time] Vespasianus became emperor of the Romans.
213th [73 A. D. ] - Rhodon of Cyme, or Theodotus, stadion race
214th [77 A. D. ] - Straton of Alexandria, stadion race
[At this time] Titus became emperor of the Romans.
215th [81 A. D. ] - Hermogenes of Xanthus, stadion race
[At this time] Domitianus became emperor of the Romans.
216th [85 A. D. ] - Apollophanes Papis of Tarsus, stadion race
217th [89 A. D. ] - Hermogenes of Xanthus for a second time, stadion race
218th [93 A. D. ] - Apollonius of Alexandria, or Heliodorus, stadion race
219th [97 A. D. ] - Stephanus of Cappadocia, stadion race
[At this time] Nerva became emperor of the Romans, and after him Trajanus [became emperor].
220th [101 A. D. ] - Achilleus of Alexandria, stadion race
221st [105 A. D. ] - Theonas Smaragdus of Alexandria, stadion race
222nd [109 A. D. ] - Callistus of Side, stadion race
The horse races were reintroduced.
[p217] 223rd [113 A. D. ] - Eustolus of Side, stadion race
224th [117 A. D. ] - Isarion of Alexandria, stadion race
[At this time] Hadrianus became emperor of the Romans.
225th [121 A. D. ] - Aristeas of Miletus, stadion race
226th [125 A. D. ] - Dionysius Sameumys of Alexandria, stadion race
227th [129 A. D. ] - Dionysius for a second time
228th [133 A. D. ] - Lucas of Alexandria, stadion race
229th [137 A. D. ] - Epidaurus Ammonius of Alexandria, stadion race
[At this time] Antoninus Pius became emperor of the Romans.
230th [141 A. D. ] - Didymus (? ) Clydeus of Alexandria, stadion race
231st [145 A. D. ] - Cranaus of Sicyon, stadion race
232nd [149 A. D. ] - Atticus of Sardis, stadion race
Socrates entered both the wrestling and the pancratium competitions, but he was banned by the inhabitants of Elis, in favour of Dionysius of Seleuceia.
233rd [153 A. D. ] - Demetrius of Chios, stadion race
234th [157 A. D. ] - Eras of Chios, stadion race
235th [161 A. D. ] - Mnasibulus of Elateia, stadion race
[At this time] Marcus Antoninus Pius and Lucius Verus became emperors of the Romans.
236th [165 A. D. ] - Aeithales of Alexandria, stadion race
237th [169 A. D. ] - Eudaemon of Alexandria, stadion race
238th [173 A. D. ] - Agathopus of Aegina, stadion race
239th [177 A. D. ] - Agathopus for a second time
[At this time] Commodus became emperor of the Romans.
240th [181 A. D. ] - Anubion Pheidus of Alexandria, stadion race
241st [185 A. D. ] - Heron of Alexandria, stadion race
242nd [189 A. D. ] - Magnus [Libycus] of Cyrene, stadion race
243rd [193 A. D. ] - Isidorus [Artemidorus] of Alexandria, stadion race
[At this time] Pertinax, and then Severus, became emperors of the Romans.
244th [197 A. D. ] - Isidorus for a second time
245th [201 A. D. ] - Alexander of Alexandria, stadion race
246th [205 A. D. ] - Epinicus Cynas of Cyzicus, stadion race
[p219] 247th [209 A. D. ] - Satornilus of Gortyn in Crete, stadion race
[At this time] Antoninus, called Caracalla, became emperor of the Romans.
248th [213 A. D. ] - Heliodorus Trosidamas of Alexandria, stadion race
249th [217 A. D. ] - Heliodorus for a second time
The record of the Olympiads which we have found ends at this point.
[We know from elsewhere that the victor in the stadion race at the next Olympic games, the 250th Olympiad, was Publius Aelius Alcandridas of Sparta, who also won at the 251st games. So, thanks to Eusebius, we have a complete list of the victors in this race for a period of a thousand years, from 776 B. C. to 225 A. D. ]
It will be fitting to add here lists of the kings of the Corinthians, kings of the Spartans, rulers of the sea and the early kings of the Macedonians. I will set down in order their names and their dates, taking them from the Historical Library of Diodorus, who gives a very accurate account of them.
The kings of the Corinthians - from the books of Diodorus
After thoroughly investigating that, it remains to tell how Corinth and Sicyon were settled by the Dorians. Almost all the nations in the Peloponnese, except the Arcadians, were uprooted by the return of the Heracleidae. In their division of the land, the Heracleidae picked out Corinth and the surrounding area; they sent for Aletes, and awarded the territory to him. 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.
