Chapter XXVII.—Roman Chronology to the Death of M. Aurelius.

When Cyrus, then, had reigned twenty-nine years, and had been slain by Tomyris in the country of the Massagetæ, this being in the 62d Olympiad, then the Romans began to increase in power, God strengthening them, Rome having been founded by Romulus, the reputed child of Mars and Ilia, in the 7th Olympiad, on the 21st day of April, the year being then reckoned as consisting of ten months. Cyrus, then, having died, as we have already said, in the 62d Olympiad, this date falls 220 A.U.C., in which year also Tarquinius, surnamed Superbus, reigned over the Romans, who was the first who banished Romans and corrupted the youth, and made eunuchs of the citizens, and, moreover, first defiled virgins, and then gave them in marriage. On this account he was fitly called Superbus in the Roman language, and that is translated “the Proud.” For he first decreed that those who saluted him should have their salute acknowledged by some one else. He reigned twenty-five years. After him yearly consuls were introduced, tribunes also and ediles for 453 years, whose names we consider it long and superfluous to recount. For if any one is anxious to learn them, he will ascertain them from the tables which Chryserus the nomenclator compiled: he was a freedman of Aurelius Verus, who composed a very lucid record of all things, both names and dates, from the rounding of Rome to the death of his own patron, the Emperor Verus. The annual magistrates ruled the Romans, as we say, for 453 years. Afterwards those who are called emperors began in this order: first, Caius Julius, who reigned 3 years 4 months 6 days; then Augustus, 56 years 4 months 1 day; Tiberius, 22 years; then another Caius, 3 years 8 months 7 days; Claudius, 23 years 8 months 24 days; Nero, 13 years 6 months 58 days; Galba, 2 years 7 months 6 days; Otho, 3 months 5 days; Vitellius, 6 months 22 days; Vespasian, 9 years 11 months 22 days; Titus, 2 years 22 days; Domitian, 15 years 5 months 6 days; Nerva, 1 year 4 months 10 days; Trajan, 19 years 6 months 16 days; Adrian, 20 years 10 months 28 days; Antoninus, 22 years 7 months 6 days; Verus, 19 years 10 days. The time therefore of the Cæsars to the death of the Emperor Verus is 237 years 5 days. From the death of Cyrus, therefore, and the reign of Tarquinius Superbus, to the death of the Emperor Verus, the whole time amounts to 744 years.

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 α καλανδῶν Μαΐων, τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ τότε δεκαμήνου ἀριθμουμένου· τοῦ οὖν Κύρου τελευτήσαντος, ὡς ἔφθημεν εἰρηκέναι, ὀλυμπιάδι ἑξηκοστῇ καὶ δευτέρᾳ, γίνεται ὁ 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 ἐδογμάτισε τοὺς ἀσπαζομένους αὐτὸν ὑπὸ ἑτέρου ἀντασπάζεσθαι. ὃς ἐβασίλευσεν ἔτεσιν κε. Μεθ' ὃν ἦρξαν ἐνιαύσιοι ὕπατοι, χιλίαρχοι ἢ ἀγορανόμοι ἔτεσιν υξγ, 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. Aὐρηλίου Oὐήρου, ὃς ἀπὸ κτίσεως Ῥώμης μέχρι τελευτῆς τοῦ ἰδίου πάτρωνος αὐτοκράτορος Oὐήρου σαφῶς πάντα ἀνέγραψεν καὶ τὰ ὀνόματα καὶ τοὺς χρόνους. Ἐκράτησαν οὖν Ῥωμαίων ἐνιαύσιοι, ὥς φαμεν, ἔτεσιν υξγ. ἔπειτα οὕτως ἦρξαν οἱ αὐτοκράτορες καλούμενοι· πρῶτος Γάϊος Ἰούλιος, ὃς ἐβασίλευσεν ἔτη γ μῆνας ζ ἡμέρας ἕξ. ἔπειτα Aὔγουστος ἔτη ν μῆνας δ ἡμέραν μίαν. Τιβέριος ἔτη κβ μῆνας ἡμέρας κ . εἶτα Γάϊος ἕτερος ἔτη γ μῆνας ι ἡμέρας ζ. Κλαύδιος ἔτη ιγ μῆνας η ἡμέρας κ. Νέρων ἔτη ιγ μῆνας ζ ἡμέρας κζ. Γάλβας μῆνας ἑπτὰ ἡμέρας . Ὄθων μῆνας γ ἡμέρας ε. Oὐϊτέλλιος μῆνας η ἡμέρας β. Oὐεσπασιανὸς ἔτη θ μῆνας ια ἡμέρας κβ. Τίτος ἔτη β μῆνας β ἡμέρας κ. ∆ομετιανὸς ἔτη ιε ἡμέρας ε. Νερούας ἐνιαυτὸν μῆνας δ ἡμέρας ι. Τραϊανὸς ἔτη ιθ μῆνας ἓξ ἡμέρας ιδ. Ἁδριανὸς ἔτη κ μῆνας ι ἡμέρας κη. Ἀντωνῖνος ἔτη κβ μῆνας ζ ἡμέρας κ . Oὐῆρος ἔτη ιθ ἡμέρας ι. γίνεται οὖν ὁ χρόνος τῶν Καισάρων μέχρι Oὐήρου αὐτοκράτορος τελευτῆς ἔτη σκε. ἀπὸ οὖν τῆς Κύρου ἀρχῆς μέχρι τελευτῆς αὐτοκράτορος Oὐήρου, οὗ προειρήκαμεν, ὁ πᾶς χρόνος συνάγεται ἔτη ψμα.