To Autolycus 3.27
Summary: From Cyrus the chronology passes to Rome: its kings, the republic, and the emperors down to the death of “Verus” (Marcus Aurelius).
Greek text · Otto 8:262–266
Κύρου οὖν βασιλεύσαντος ἔτεσιν τριάκοντα ὀκτὼ καὶ ἀναιρεθέντος ὑπὸ Τομύριδος ἐν Μασσαγετίᾳ, τότε οὔσης ὀλυμπιάδος ἑξηκοστῆς δευτέρας· ἔκτοτε ἤδη οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι ἐμεγαλύνοντο τοῦ θεοῦ κρατύνοντος αὐτούς, ἐκτισμένης τῆς Ῥώμης ὑπὸ Ῥωμύλου, τοῦ παιδὸς ἱστορουμένου Ἄρεως καὶ Ἰλίας, ὀλυμπιάδι ζ΄, τῇ πρὸ ι΄ καὶ ζ΄ καλανδῶν Μαΐων, τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ τότε δεκαμήνου ἀριθμουμένου· τοῦ οὖν Κύρου τελευτήσαντος, ὡς ἔφθημεν εἰρηκέναι, ὀλυμπιάδι ἑξηκοστῇ καὶ δευτέρᾳ, γίνεται καιρὸς ἀπὸ κτίσεως Ῥώμης ἔτη σκ΄, ᾧ καὶ Ῥωμαίων ἦρξεν Ταρκύνιος Σούπερβος τοὔνομα, ὃς πρῶτος ἐξώρισεν Ῥωμαίους τινὰς καὶ παῖδας διέφθειρεν καὶ σπάδοντας ἐγχωρίους ἐποίησεν· ἔτι μὴν καὶ τὰς παρθένους διαφθείρων πρὸς γάμον ἐδίδου. Διὸ οἰκείως Σούπερβος ἐκλήθη τῇ ῥωμαϊκῇ γλώσσῃ· ἑρμηνεύεται δὲ ὑπερήφανος. Αὐτὸς γὰρ πρῶτος ἐδογμάτισεν τοὺς ἀσπαζομένους αὐτὸν ὑπὸ ἑτέρου ἀντασπάζεσθαι. Ὃς ἐβασίλευσεν ἔτεσιν κέ. Μεθʼ ὃν ἦρξαν ἐνιαύσιοι ὕπατοι, χιλίαρχοι ἢ ἀγορανόμοι ἔτεσιν υνη΄, ὧν τὰ ὀνόματα καταλέγειν πολὺ καὶ περισσὸν ἡγούμεθα. Εἰ γάρ τις βούλεται μαθεῖν, ἐκ τῶν ἀναγραφῶν εὑρήσει ὧν ἀνέγραψεν Χρύσερως ὁ νομεγκλάτωρ, ἀπελεύθερος γενόμενος Μ. Αὐρηλίου Οὐήρου, ὃς ἀπὸ κτίσεως Ῥώμης μέχρι τελευτῆς τοῦ ἰδίου πάτρωνος αὐτοκράτορος Οὐήρου σαφῶς πάντα ἀνέγραψεν, καὶ τὰ ὀνόματα καὶ τοὺς χρόνους. Ἐκράτησαν οὖν Ῥωμαίων ἐνιαύσιοι, ὥς φαμεν, ἔτεσιν υνγ΄. Ἔπειτα οὕτως ἦρξαν οἱ αὐτοκράτορες καλούμενοι· πρῶτος Γάϊος Ἰούλιος, ὃς ἐβασίλευσεν ἔτη γ΄ μῆνας δʼ ἡμέρας ἕξ. Ἔπειτα Αὔγουστος ἔτη νς΄ μῆνας δ΄ ἡμέραν μίαν. Τιβέριος ἔτη κβ΄. Εἶτα Γάϊος ἕτερος ἔτη γ΄ μῆνας η΄ ἡμέρας ζ΄. Κλαύδιος ἔτη ιγ΄ μῆνας η΄ ἡμέρας κδ΄. Νέρων ἔτη ιγ΄ μῆνας ζ΄ ἡμέρας κή. Γάλβας μῆνας ζ΄. Ὄθων μῆνας γ΄ ἡμέρας ε΄. Οὐϊτέλλιος μῆνας ζ΄ ἡμέρας κβ΄. Οὐεσπασιανὸς ἔτη θ΄ μῆνας ια΄ ἡμέρας κβ΄. Τίτος ἔτη β΄ ἡμέρας κβ΄. Δομετιανὸς ἔτη ιε΄ μῆνας ε΄ ἡμέρας ζ΄. Νερούας ἐνιαυτὸν μῆνας δ΄ ἡμέρας ι΄. Τραϊανὸς ἔτη ιθ΄ μῆνας ἓξ ἡμέρας ιζ΄. Ἀδριανὸς ἔτη κ΄ μῆνας ι΄ ἡμέρας κη΄. Ἀντωνῖνος ἔτη κβ΄ μῆνας ζ΄ ἡμέρας ζ΄. Οὐῆρος ἔτη ιθ΄ ἡμέρας ι΄. Γίνεται οὖν ὁ χρόνος τῶν Καισάρων μέχρι Οὐήρου αὐτοκράτορος τελευτῆς ἔτη σκε΄. Ἀπὸ οὖν τῆς Κύρου τελευτῆς, Ῥωμαίων δὲ ἀρχῆς Ταρκυνίου Σουπέρβου, μέχρι τελευτῆς αὐτοκράτορος Οὐήρου, οὗ προειρήκαμεν, ὁ πᾶς χρόνος συνάγεται ἔτη ψμα΄.
English · Claude translation
Cyrus reigned 38 years and was killed by Tomyris in the land of the Massagetae, in the 62nd Olympiad. From that time on the Romans were already growing great, God strengthening them. Rome had been founded by Romulus, said to be the son of Ares and Ilia, in the 7th Olympiad, on the tenth and seventh day before the Kalends of May, when the year was still reckoned as ten months. Cyrus, then, having died, as we said, in the 62nd Olympiad, this was 220 years after the founding of Rome, at the time when Tarquinius, called Superbus, ruled the Romans. He was the first to exile some Romans; he corrupted boys and made eunuchs of the citizens, and even corrupted girls before giving them in marriage. That is why he was fittingly called Superbus in the Roman language, which means “arrogant.” For he was the first to decree that those who greeted him should be greeted back by someone else. He reigned 25 years. After him the Romans were ruled by annual consuls, tribunes, or aediles for 458 years, whose names we think it would be long and superfluous to list. Anyone who wishes to learn them will find them in the records of Chryseros the nomenclator, a freedman of M. Aurelius Verus, who recorded everything clearly, both names and dates, from the founding of Rome to the death of his own patron, the emperor Verus. The annual magistrates, then, as we say, ruled the Romans for 453 years. Then the rulers called emperors ruled as follows: first Gaius Julius, who reigned 3 years, 4 months, and 6 days; then Augustus, 56 years, 4 months, and 1 day; Tiberius, 22 years; then another Gaius, 3 years, 8 months, and 7 days; Claudius, 13 years, 8 months, and 24 days; Nero, 13 years, 7 months, and 28 days; Galba, 7 months; Otho, 3 months and 5 days; Vitellius, 7 months and 22 days; Vespasian, 9 years, 11 months, and 22 days; Titus, 2 years and 22 days; Domitian, 15 years, 5 months, and 7 days; Nerva, 1 year, 4 months, and 10 days; Trajan, 19 years, 6 months, and 17 days; Hadrian, 20 years, 10 months, and 28 days; Antoninus, 22 years, 7 months, and 7 days; Verus, 19 years and 10 days. So the time of the Caesars up to the death of the emperor Verus is 225 years. And from the death of Cyrus and the reign of Tarquinius Superbus over the Romans to the death of the emperor Verus whom we mentioned, the whole time comes to 741 years.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The emperor called “Verus” is Marcus Aurelius (Marcus Aurelius Verus), who died in March 180; Book 3 was therefore written after 180.
- Rome's founding day was April 21 (the Parilia); the figures “tenth and seventh” may be corrupt. The two totals given for the republic (458 and 453 years) disagree in the text.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (accent: ὥς before the enclitic φαμεν; misprint: ἴτη for ἔτη): ἐνιαύσιοι, ὣς φαμεν → ἐνιαύσιοι, ὥς φαμεν; Ἀντωνῖνος ἴτη κβ΄ → Ἀντωνῖνος ἔτη κβ΄.
Cite this passage
Theophilus, Autol. 3.27 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theophilus-autolycus/3/27/).
Plain text
Theophilus, Autol. 3.27 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/theophilus-autolycus/3/27/).
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