The Lantern

Chronicon · Book 1 translated from Latin31

CCEL

Ptolemaeus Physcon, or Soter - for 17 years and 6 months

Ptolemaeus Alexander, after the expulsion of [Soter], his predecessor - for [10] years

Ptolemaeus Philadelphus, returning from exile after the expulsion of Alexander - for 8 years

Ptolemaeus Dionysus, called Philadelphus - for 30 years

Cleopatra the daughter of Ptolemaeus - for 22 years

In her reign, Gaius Julius Caesar became the first Roman emperor. The next emperor, Octavius Caesar Augustus, called Sebastos in Greek, killed Cleopatra and put an end to the dynasty of the Ptolemaei, who had ruled for 295 years.

THE GREEKS

According to the historians of their ancient times.

The kings of the Athenians

The kings of the Argives

The kings of the Sicyonians

The kings of the Lacedaemonians

The kings of the Corinthians

Who ruled the sea, and for how long

The individual Olympiads of the Greeks

The early kings of the Macedonians

The kings of the (?) Macedonians, Thessalians, Syrians and Asians after Alexander

Dates of the Greeks

The Sicyonians and their kings are said to be the most ancient of the Greeks. The first king to rule Sicyon was Aegialeus, at the same time as Ninus and Belus, who are the first recorded kings of the Assyrians and of Asia. The Peloponnese was originally called Aegialeia, after this Aegialeus.

Inachus is said to have been the first king of the Argives, 235 years after the start of the Sicyonian kingdom. [p173] Cecrops, called Diphyes ("two-formed") was the first king of the Athenians, about 300 years after the start of the Argive kingdom, and 533 years after the start of the Sicyonian kingdom.

This chronicle will start with the earliest rulers, and first it will give a full list of the kings of the Sicyonians. There is considerable disagreement amongst the older writers who composed chronicles of Greek history; but, as far as possible, we will copy the accounts which are agreed by most writers.

The chronographer Castor lists the dates of the Sicyonian kings in his chronicle; and then he provides a summary of them, as follows: "We will provide a list of the kings of Sicyon, starting with Aegialeus, the first king, and ending with Zeuxippus. These kings reigned for a total of 959 years. After the kings, six priests of [Apollo] Carneius were appointed; this priesthood lasted for 33 years. Then Charidemus was appointed priest; but he could not bear the expense, and went into exile."

That is what Castor wrote. The exact succession of the Sicyonian kings is reckoned as follows.

The kings of the Sicyonians

Aegialeus, for 52 years.