John Malalas, Chronography

The Alexandrians themselves [erected] a bronze pillar for the horse out of gratitude; which place is so named until this day the horse of Diocletian. And from that time it was decreed to be called the first year of Alexandria. So the dating of Alexandria in Egypt is from that time. And during his reign a certain Manichaean appeared in the city of Rome, named Bounos; who split from the doctrine of the Manichaeans, introducing his own doctrine and teaching that the good god warred against the evil one and conquered him, and it is necessary to honor the victor. And he went away to Persia also, teaching. which Manichaean doc- 310 trine is called among the Persians in their own language that of the Daristhenoi, which is interpreted as that of the good. And the same emperor Diocletian made a persecution of Christians; and many who bore witness were punished, among whom also the holy Menas bore witness; and the churches were pulled down, and there were many threats and much fear. And at the time of the Olympic games, the same emperor Diocletian arrived in Antioch, having come from Egypt. And as the Olympic contest was about to be celebrated, the emperor Diocletian put on the attire of the Alytarch. The Alytarch wore a white, all-silk robe; but the emperor, instead of the white, wore a purple one, but all the other things as was the custom for the Alytarch to wear, holding the sacred rod and bowing to the people, he watched the Olympic contest for all the customary days. And some of his officials also competed in the Olympic games, making a display for the sake of excellence; and some wrestled, and some boxed, and some did the pancratium, and some ran; and to the victors he provided sacred grants and was generous with many things for all; as the most wise Dometianus wrote. And the same Diocletian was Alytarch in Antioch, and having laid aside the imperial attire and after completing the Olympic games he did not choose to reign, saying that "I have laid aside the empire and put on the attire of the im- 311 mortal Zeus." And from then on he remained thus. And he died a natural death, being 72 years old. And after Diocletian laid aside the empire, Maximian, also called Herculius, reigned for 19 years. And having gone up to Rome, he celebrated a triumph for the victory over the Persians and Egyptians. And he was tall, robust, with graying hair on his head, straight-haired, with a full beard, dark-skinned, with a fine nose, with fine eyes, eloquent. And he himself also struggled against the Christians and punished many saints; among whom bore witness the holy Pantaleon and the holy Hesychius and the holy Hermippus and the holy Hermolaus and the holy Hermocrates. And again when the Olympic games were being held in his reign, when he came to the east against the Armenians who had lorded it over the Romans, having conquered them by force and subjugated them, and having learned that it was the time of the Olympic games, he came to Antioch for the famous days of the contest. and he himself also put on the attire of the Alytarch and served as Alytarch; and under him there also competed from the populace the children of senators and younger senators; and some wrestled, and some ran, and some did the pancratium, and some were charioteers, and some boxed, and some practiced their voice; and the victors received greater honors, and they advanced in their military careers apart from the bounties given to them. And he himself also, 312 Maximian, laid aside the empire and the purple and all the imperial attire, and put on the Alytarch's robes. And after the days of the Olympic games were fulfilled, he himself also did not choose to reign, but having returned to Rome he renounced the empire and remained so until his death. And after a time he died a natural death, being 57 years old. And after Maximian laid aside the empire, Maxentius, who is also Galerius, reigned for 3 years. He was short,

αὐτοὶ Ἀλεξανδρεῖς στήλην χαλκῆν τῷ ἵππῳ ὑπὲρ εὐχαριστίας· ὅστις τόπος οὕτως ὀνομάζεται ἕως τῆς σήμερον ὁ ἵππος ∆ιοκλητιανοῦ. καὶ ἔκτοτε ἐχρημάτισεν ὀνομάζεσθαι πρῶτον ἔτος Ἀλεξανδρείας. ἔστιν οὖν ἐξ ἐκείνου τοῦ χρόνου ὁ χρηματισμὸς τῆς πρὸς Αἴγυπτον Ἀλεξανδρείας. Ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ ἀνεφάνη τις Μανιχαῖος ἐν Ῥώμῃ τῇ πόλει ὀνόματι Βοῦνδος· ὅστις ἀπέσχισεν ἐκ τοῦ δόγματος τῶν Μανιχαίων, παρεισαγαγὼν ἴδιον δόγμα καὶ διδάσκων ὅτι ὁ ἀγαθὸς θεὸς ἐπολέμησε τῷ πονηρῷ καὶ ἐνίκησεν αὐτόν, καὶ δεῖ τὸν νικητὴν τιμᾶν. ἀπῆλθε δὲ καὶ ἐν Περσίδι διδάσκων. ὅπερ δό 310 γμα Μανιχαϊκὸν παρὰ Πέρσαις καλεῖται κατὰ τὴν αὐτῶν γλῶσσαν τὸ τῶν ∆αρισθενῶν, ὃ ἑρμηνεύεται τὸ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ. Ὁ δὲ αὐτὸς ∆ιοκλητιανὸς βασιλεὺς ἐποίησε διωγμὸν χριστιανῶν· καὶ ἐτιμωρήθησαν πολλοὶ μαρτυρήσαντες, ἐν οἷς ἐμαρτύρησε καὶ ὁ ἅγιος Μηνᾶς· καὶ αἱ ἐκκλησίαι δὲ καθῃρέθησαν, καὶ ἀπειλαὶ δὲ καὶ φόβος ἦν πολύς. Ἐν δὲ τῷ χρόνῳ τῶν Ὀλυμπίων κατέφθασεν ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ ὁ αὐτὸς βασιλεὺς ∆ιοκλητιανός, ἐλθὼν ἐξ Αἰγύπτου. καὶ τοῦ Ὀλυμπικοῦ ἀγῶνος μέλλοντος ἐπιτελεῖσθαι, ἐφόρεσε τὸ σχῆμα τὸ τοῦ ἀλυτάρχου ὁ βασιλεὺς ∆ιοκλητιανός. τὴν δὲ στολὴν ὁ ἀλύταρχος ἄσπρον ὁλοσηρικὸν ἐφόρει· ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ἀντὶ τοῦ ἄσπρου ἐφόρεσε πορφυροῦν, τὰ δὲ ἄλλα πάντα ὡς ἦν ἔθος τῷ ἀλυτάρχῃ φορεῖν, κρατῶν τὴν ἱερὰν ῥάβδον καὶ προσκυνῶν τὸν δῆμον, ἐθεώρησε τὸν Ὀλυμπικὸν ἀγῶνα τὰς νενομισμένας πάσας ἡμέρας. καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἀξιωματικῶν αὐτοῦ κατήρχοντό τινες ἐν τοῖς Ὀλυμπικοῖς ἀγῶσιν ἐπιδεικνύμενοι ἀρετῆς χάριν· καὶ οἱ μὲν ἐπάλαιον, οἱ δὲ ἐπύκτευον, οἱ δὲ ἐπαγκρατίαζον, οἱ δὲ ἔτρεχον· καὶ τοῖς νικῶσι παρεῖχε σάκρας καὶ πᾶσι πολλὰ ἐφιλοτιμήσατο· καθὼς ∆ομετιανὸς ὁ σοφώτατος συνεγράψατο. καὶ ἀλυτάρχης ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ ὁ αὐτὸς ∆ιοκλητιανὸς καὶ ἀποθέμενος τὸ βασιλικὸν σχῆμα καὶ μετὰ τὸ πληρῶσαι τὰ Ὀλύμπια οὐχ εἵλετο βασιλεῦσαι, λέγων ὅτι Ἀπεθέμην τὴν βασιλείαν καὶ ἐφόρεσα σχῆμα τοῦ ἀθα 311 νάτου ∆ιός. καὶ ἔκτοτε ἔμεινεν οὕτως. τελευτᾷ δὲ ἰδίῳ θανάτῳ, ὢν ἐνιαυτῶν οβʹ. Μετὰ δὲ τὸ ἀποθέσθαι τὸν ∆ιοκλητιανὸν τὴν βασιλείαν ἐβασίλευσε Μαξιμιανὸς ὁ καὶ ἐπίκλην Ἑρκούλιος ἔτη ιθʹ. καὶ ἀνελθὼν ἐν Ῥώμῃ ἐθριάμβευσε τὴν κατὰ Περσῶν καὶ Αἰγυπτίων νίκην. ἦν δὲ μακρός, εὐσθενής, μιξοπόλιος τὴν κάραν, ἁπλόθριξ, τελειοπώγων, μελάγχροος, εὔρινος, εὐόφθαλμος, ἐλλόγιμος. ἠγωνίσατο δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς κατὰ χριστιανῶν καὶ ἐτιμωρήσατο πολλοὺς ἁγίους· ἐν οἷς ἐμαρτύρησεν ὁ ἅγιος Πανταλέων καὶ ὁ ἅγιος Ἡσύχιος καὶ ὁ ἅγιος Ἕρμιππος καὶ ὁ ἅγιος Ἑρμόλαος καὶὁ ἅγιος Ἑρμοκράτης. Καὶ πάλιν Ὀλυμπίων ἀγομένων ἐν τῇ αὐτοῦ βασιλείᾳ, ἐλθόντος αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ ἀνατολῇ κατὰ Ἀρμενίων τυραννησάντων Ῥωμαίους, νικήσας αὐτοὺς κατὰ κράτος καὶ ὑποτάξας αὐτούς, μαθὼν δὲ τὸν καιρὸν τῶν Ὀλυμπίων ὑπάρχειν, παρεγένετο ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ διὰ τὰς ἐπισήμους ἡμέρας τοῦ ἀγῶνος. καὶ φορέσας καὶ αὐτὸς τὸ σχῆμα τοῦ ἀλυτάρχου ἀλυτάρχησε· καὶ ἠγωνίσαντο καὶ ἐπὶ αὐτοῦ ἐκ τοῦ δήμου τέκνα συγκλητικῶν καὶ συγκλητικοὶ νεώτεροι· καὶ οἱ μὲν ἐπάλαιον, οἱ δὲ ἔτρεχον, οἱ δὲ ἐπαγκρατίαζον, οἱ δὲ ἡνιόχουν, οἱ δὲ ἐπύκτευον, οἱ δὲ ἐφωνάσκουν· καὶ οἱ νικῶντες ἐλάμβανον μείζους ἀξίας, οἱ δὲ προέκοπτον ἐν ταῖς στρατείαις δίχα τῶν διδομένων αὐτοῖς φιλοτιμιῶν. ἀπέθετο δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς 312 Μαξιμιανὸς τὴν βασιλείαν καὶ τὴν πορφύραν καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν βασιλικὴν φορεσίαν, καὶ ἐφόρεσε τὰ ἀλυταρχικά. καὶ μετὰ τὸ πληρωθῆναι τὰς ἡμέρας τῶν Ὀλυμπίων οὐχ εἵλετο οὐδὲ αὐτὸς βασιλεῦσαι, ἀλλ' ἐπανελθὼν ἐν τῇ Ῥώμῃ ἀπετάξατο τῆς βασιλείας καὶ ἔμεινεν οὕτως ἕως θανάτου. καὶ μετὰ χρόνον τελευτᾷ ἰδίῳ θανάτῳ, ὢν ἐνιαυτῶν νζʹ. Καὶ μετὰ τὸ ἀποθέσθαι τὴν βασιλείαν Μαξιμιανὸν ἐβασίλευσε Μαξέντιος ὁ καὶ Γαλέριος ἔτη γʹ. ἦν κονδοειδής,