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Picus of the west, who is also Zeus, that is, of Italy, for 62 years. And of Assyria, after Belus, reigned Ninus, the other son of Cronus, who also took his own mother Rhea, who is also Semiramis, as his wife, from which it is for the Persians alone to marry their own mothers and sisters, because Picus also took his own sister Hera. And Ninus, having become dominant, founded the city of Nineveh of the Assyrians, being the first to reign in it, having his own mother as his wife. From this lineage, therefore, was born Ziozoras, a famous astronomer of the Persians; who, when he was about to die, prayed to be consumed by celestial fire, saying to the Persians, "that if the fire should burn me, guard my burnt bones, and the kingdom shall not fail from you." And having prayed to Orion, he was destroyed by fire, and the Persians guard his remains, turned to ash, until now.

And after Ninus, Thuras reigned over the Assyrians by name, whom his father Zames, the brother of Hera, renamed Ares, after the name of the wandering star. This man became a bitter warrior, who went against a certain Caucasian, himself also powerful, descended from Japheth, in the northern regions; whom he killed, and took his country, and having come to Thrace, he died and lies there. To him the Egyptians and Assyrians erected a stele of Ares, and worshipped him as a god, and until now they call him the god Baal, which is interpreted, Ares, god of war. The prophet Daniel also makes mention of him. And after the death of Ares, Elames reigned over the Assyrians, 236 and after Lames, Sardanapalus the great, whom Perseus, son of Danae, killed, and took away the kingdom from the Assyrians; and having become their king, they were called Persians after his own name. And Perseus was the son of Picus, who is also Zeus, and from him he learned magic and the rites of the abominable cup, whence also having seized a virgin maiden, he cut off her head, and having consecrated it, he had it for the destruction of everyone who opposed him, which he called Gorgo, because it brought a swift death to those who saw it. And the brother of Ninus, Picus, who is also Zeus, reigned over Italy, for 120 years holding the west; and he had many sons and daughters from the most beautiful women. For indeed creating certain mystic visions, and making them pregnant, which women also held him as a god, being corrupted by him. And the same Picus, who is also Zeus, had a son named Faunus, whom he also called Hermes, after the name of the wandering star. And when Zeus was about to die, he ordered his remains to be placed on the island of Crete, and his children, having built a temple for him, placed him there, which is a tomb until this day, on which it is also inscribed, "Here lies Picus who is also Zeus, whom they also call Dia," about whom Diodorus the most wise chronographer wrote. And after the death of Picus, who is also Zeus, his son Faunus, who is also Hermes, reigned over Italy for 35 years. a crafty and learned man, who first discovered the gold mine in the west, and how to smelt, and having learned of the plot of his brothers against him, for there were about 70, whom his father Picus, who is also Zeus, had from various women, he departed, carrying with him an excessive amount of gold, and he went to Egypt to the tribe of Ham; who received him with great honor as he wore a golden garment, and he lorded it over everyone. For he was also a natural philosopher and philosophized among the Egyptians, telling them also certain divinations, and they worshipped him, calling him the god Hermes, as he foretold to them future events; and he also provided them with money, for which they also called him the wealth-giver. And when the king of the Egyptians, Stremuntinus, who was of the race of Ham, died, the Egyptians made Hermes 237 king, and he reigned over them for 39 years in great arrogance. And after him reigned Hephaestus, who was a warrior and a diviner. And they called him the god Hephaestus, who went out to

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Πῖκος τῆς δύσεως ὁ καὶ Ζεὺς, ἤτοι τῆς Ἰταλίας, ἔτη ξβ. Τῆς δὲ Ἀσσυρίας μετὰ τὸν Βῆλον ἐβασίλευσε Νῖνος ὁ ἄλλος υἱὸς Κρόνου, ὅστις καὶ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ μητέρα Ῥαίαν, τὴν καὶ Σεμίραμιν, ἔλαβε γυναῖκα, ἐξ οὗ μόνοις τοῖς Πέρσαις γαμεῖν τὰς ἑαυτῶν μητέρας καὶ ἀδελφὰς, διὰ τὸ καὶ Πῖκον λαβεῖν τὴν ἀδελφὴν ἑαυτοῦ Ἥραν. ὁ δὲ Νῖνος ἐπικρατὴς γενόμενος, κτίζει τὴν Νινευῒ πόλιν Ἀσσυρίων, πρῶτος βασιλεύσας ἐν αὐτῇ, ἔχων τὴν ἑαυτοῦ μητέρα γυναῖκα. Ἐξ αὐτοῦ οὖν τοῦ γένους ἐγεννήθη ὁϊοζορᾶς ἀστρονόμος Περσῶν περιβόητος· ὅστις μέλλων τελευτᾷν, ηὔξατο ὑπὸ πυρὸς ἀναλωθῆναι οὐρανίου, εἰπὼν τοῖς Πέρσαις, "ὅτι ἐὰν καύσῃ με τὸ πῦρ, ἐκ τῶν κεκαυμένων μου ὀστέων φυλάξατε, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἐκλείψῃ ἡ βασιλεία ἀφ' ὑμῶν." Καὶ εὐξάμενος τὸν Ὠρίονα, ὑπὸ πυρὸς ἀνῃρέθη, καὶ φυλάττουσι τὸ λείψανον αὐτοῦ οἱ Πέρσαι τεφρωθὲν ἕως τῆς νῦν.

Μετὰ δὲ τὸν Νῖνον ἐβασίλευσε τῶν Ἀσσυρίων ὀνόματι Θύρας, ὅν τινα μετεκάλεσεν ὁ τούτου πατὴρ Ζάμης, ὁ τῆς Ἥρας ἀδελφὸς, εἰς ὄνομα τοῦ πλανήτου ἀστέρος Ἄρεα. οὗτος ἐγένετο πικρὸς πολεμιστὴς, ὅστις ἐπῆλθε Καυκασίῳ τινὶ καὶ αὐτῷ δυνατῷ, ἐκ τῆς τοῦ Ἰάφεθ καταγόμενος, ἐπὶ τὰ ἀρκτῶα μέρη· ὅν τινα ἐφόνευσεν, καὶ παρέλαβε τὴν χώραν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐλθὼν ἐν τῇ Θράκῃ, ἐκεῖ τελευτήσας κεῖται. ᾧ τινι Ἄρειαν ἐστήλωσαν στήλην οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι, Ἀσσύριοι, καὶ ὡς Θεὸν προσεκύνουν, καὶ ἕως τοῦ νῦν καλοῦσι Βάαλ θεὸν, ὅ ἐστιν ἑρμηνευόμενον, Ἄρης πολέμου θεός. τούτου μνημονεύει καὶ ὁ προφήτης ∆ανιήλ. Μετὰ δὲ τὴν τελευτὴν Ἄρεος, ἐβασίλευσεν Ἀσσυρίων Ἐλά 236 μης, καὶ μετὰ Λάμην, Σαρδανάπαλος ὁ μέγας, ὅν τινα ἐφόνευσε Περσεὺς ὁ ∆ανάης, καὶ ἀφείλετο τὴν βασιλείαν ἀπὸ Ἀσσυρίων· καὶ βασιλεύσας αὐτῶν, εἰς τὸ ἴδιον ὄνομα ἐκάλεσαν αὐτοὺς Πέρσας. ὁ δὲ Περσεὺς ἦν υἱὸς Πίκου, τοῦ καὶ ∆ιὸς, καὶ ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἔμαθε μαγίας καὶ τελετὰς τοῦ μυσαροῦ σκύφους, ὅθεν καὶ κόρην παρθένον κρατήσας, ἔκοψεν αὐτῆς τὴν κεφαλὴν, καὶ τελέσας αὐτὴν, εἶχεν αὐτὴν εἰς ὄλεθρον παντὸς τοῦ ἀνθισταμένου αὐτῷ, ἣν ἐκάλει Γοργῶ, διὰ τὸ ὀξὺν ἐπάγειν θάνατον τοὺς ὁρῶντας αὐτήν. Ὁ δὲ ἀδελφὸς Νίνου, Πῖκος, ὁ καὶ Ζεὺς, ἐβασίλευσε τῆς Ἰταλίας, ἔτη ρκ κρατῶν τῆς δύσεως· ἔσχε δὲ υἱοὺς καὶ θυγατέρας πολλὰς ἀπὸ τῶν εὐπρεπεστάτων γυναικῶν. καὶ γὰρ καὶ μυστικὰς φαντασίας ποιῶν τινὰς, καὶ ὑπονοθεύων αὐτὰς, αἵτινες γυναῖκες καὶ ὡς θεὸν αὐτὸν εἶχον, φθειρόμεναι ὑπ' αὐτοῦ. ἔσχε δὲ ὁ αὐτὸς Πῖκος, ὁ καὶ Ζεὺς, υἱὸν ὀνόματι Φαῦνον, ὃν καὶ Ἑρμῆν ἐκάλεσεν, εἰς ὄνομα τοῦ πλανήτου ἀστέρος. μέλλων δὲ τελευτᾷν ὁ Ζεὺς, ἐκέλευσε τὸ λείψανον αὐτοῦ τεθῆναι ἐν τῇ Κρήτῃ νήσῳ, καὶ κτίσαντες αὐτῷ ναὸν οἱ αὐτοῦ παῖδες ἔθηκαν αὐτὸν ἐκεῖ, ὅπερ μνῆμά ἐστι μέχρι τῆς σήμερον, ᾧ καὶ ἐπιγέγραπται, "ἐνθάδε κατάκειται Πῖκος ὁ καὶ Ζεὺς, ὃν καὶ ∆ία καλοῦσι," περὶ οὗ συνεγράψατο ∆ιόδωρος ὁ σοφώτατος χρονογράφος. Μετὰ δὲ τὴν τελευτὴν Πίκου τοῦ καὶ ∆ιὸς, ἐβασίλευσε Φαῦνος ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ, ὁ καὶ Ἑρμῆς, τῆς Ἰταλίας ἔτη λε. ἀνὴρ πανουργὸς καὶ μαθηματικὸς, ὅστις ἐξεῦρε τὸν μετάλλον τὸ χρυσοῦν ἐν τῇ δύσει πρῶτος, καὶ τὸ χωνεύειν, γνοὺς δὲ τὴν τῶν ἀδελφῶν αὐτοῦ κατ' αὐτοῦ ἐπιβουλὴν, ἦσαν γὰρ περὶ τοὺς ο, οὓς ἔσχεν ἐκ διαφόρων γυναικῶν ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ Πίκος, ὁ καὶ Ζεὺς, ἀνεχώρησε, πολὺν χρυσοῦν ἐπιφερόμενος εἰς ὑπερβολὴν, καὶ ἀπῆλθεν εἰς Αἴγυπτον πρὸς τὴν φυλὴν τοῦ Χάμ· οἵ τινες μετὰ τιμῆς πολλῆς ἐδέξαντο αὐτὸν φορῶν στολὴν χρυσῆν, καὶ ὑπερηφανῶν ἅπαντας. ἦν γὰρ καὶ φυσιολόγος καὶ ἐφιλοσόφει παρὰ τοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις, λέγων αὐτοῖς καὶ μαντικά τινα, καὶ προσεκύνουν αὐτὸν λέγοντες θεὸν Ἑρμῆν, ὡς προλέγοντα αὐτοῖς τὰ μέλλοντα· παρεῖχε δὲ αὐτοῖς καὶ χρήματα, ὅν τινα καὶ πλουτοδότην ἐκάλουν. Τελευτήσαντος δὲ τοῦ βασιλέως τῶν Αἰγυπτίων Στρεμουντίνου, ὄντος ἐκ τοῦ γένος τοῦ Χὰμ, ἐποίησαν οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι τὸν Ἑρμῆν 237 βασιλέα, καὶ ἐβασίλευσεν αὐτῶν ἔτη λθ ἐν ὑπερηφανίᾳ πολλῇ. καὶ μετ' αὐτὸν ἐβασίλευσεν ὁ Ἥφαιστος, ὅστις ἦν πολεμιστὴς καὶ μαντικός. ἐκάλουν δὲ αὐτὸν Ἥφαιστον θεὸν, ὅστις ἐξελθὼν εἰς