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considering friendship for the Greeks, until a kindly year comes in the gatherings. 232 For this reason Iphitus also announced the truce for the use of gentle food by Heracles, and they did not lay hands on each other. Iphitus the Heraclid celebrated the games with Lycurgus his kinsman; both were Heraclids. At that time, there was only a stadion race, and no victor was recorded, as those of that time were negligent. But in the twenty-eighth Olympiad, Coroebus of Elis was recorded as the victor in the stadion, and the Olympiad of his time was designated the first, from which the Greeks seem to reckon chronology with some accuracy. Aristodemus records this, and Polybius is in agreement with him. But Callimachus says that 13 Olympiads were passed over without being recorded, and that in the 14th Coroebus of Elis was the victor. So that it is shown to us by all that the account of the Olympiads is not the same among everyone. Wherefore also it is not agreed among the ecclesiastical historians, as those who wish can learn by consulting their writings. For our only endeavor has been this, to set forth some clear and summary overview for those who are ignorant, not because anything is said in the divine scriptures about the Olympiads, but because the discussion about them has been in use by many fathers, due to their being measured by Macedonians and Romans and Persians and Egyptians and the Jews themselves, as Philo and Josephus testify, who name them. It would not be inappropriate to briefly explain to the ignorant the Egyptian concept of the four-year Olympiads, which is different from that of the Athenians. For among the Egyptians the moon is properly called Olympiad because it traverses the zodiacal circle monthly, which their ancients called Olympus. For this, proceeding from Cancer, its own house, as from a center, passes through the 12 signs in 29 day-nights #171and 33 minutes, 3 seconds. And in a whole year, traversing them twelve times, it completes 354 day-nights and 8 hours and 40 minutes. But the sun traverses the same Olympus in 365 and 1/4 day-nights, so that the lunar year is less than the solar year by 233 10 day-nights, 21 hours, 5 minutes. Therefore the sun in one four-year Olympiad completes 1461 days, but the moon 1417 day-nights, 11 hours, 29 minutes, so that it is short by 1 month #171. And in two Olympiads there are 99 lunar months, and 2022 day-nights, which the sun also has in the 8 years. And such is the opinion of the Egyptians about the Olympiads, but of the Olympiads among the Athenians, only 248 victors of the stadion race were recorded and of 89 years, beginning from the universal cosmic year 4725 until 5714, that is, from the 45th year of Uzziah. But Eusebius places the first Olympiad in the time of Jotham, who became king of Judah after 8 years, and he puts forward Africanus as agreeing with him in this. But Africanus rather opposes Eusebius, clearly stating in both the third and the fourth book of his histories that the first Olympiad began in the 1st year of Ahaz, in which he writes as follows: that the fourteenth was recorded as the first, when Coroebus also won the stadion. At that time Ahaz began his first year as king over Jerusalem. Then in the fourth he says: It was, then, the first year of the reign of Ahaz, with which we have shown the first Olympiad to coincide.

KINGS OF THE MEDES 1st of the Medes, Arbaces reigned, who overthrew the rule of the Assyrians, for 28 years. And it was the year of the world 4676. 2nd of the Medes, Mandauces reigned for 20 years. And it was the year of the world 4704. 3rd of the Medes, Sosarmus reigned for 30 years. And it was the year of the world 4724. 4th of the Medes, Artycas reigned for 30 years. And it was the year of the world 4754. 5th of the Medes, Deioces reigned for 54 years. Deioces the king of the Medes founded Ecbatana, the great and famous city. And it was the year of the world 4784.

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φιλίας ἡγούμενοι Ἑλλήνεσσι, ἔστ' ἂν ἐνὶ ξυνόδοις ἔλθῃ φιλόφρων ἐνιαυτός. 232 Τούτου χάριν καὶ Ἴφιτος κατήγγειλε τὴν ἐκεχειρίαν ἐπὶ ἡμέρῳ τροφῇ χρῆσθαι ὑπὸ Ἡρακλέους, καὶ χεῖρας ἀλλήλοις οὐκ ἐπέφερον. τὸν δὲ ἀγῶνα τετέλεκεν Ἴφιτος Ἡρακλείδης σὺν Λυκούργῳ συγγενεῖ· ἑκάτεροι δὲ Ἡρακλεῖδαι. τότε δὲ ἀγὼν σταδίου μόνον ἦν καὶ οὐδεὶς ἀνεγράφετο νικηφόρος, ἀμελούντων τῶν τηνικάδε. ὀγδόῃ δὲ καὶ εἰκοστῇ ὀλυμπιάδι Κόροιβος Ἠλεῖος ἀνεγράφη στάδιον νικήσας, καὶ ἡ κατ' αὐτὸν ὀλυμπιὰς πρώτη ἐτάχθη, ἀφ' ἧς Ἕλληνες ἀριθμεῖν τι δοκοῦσιν ἀκριβῶς χρονικόν. ταῦτα Ἀριστόδημος ἱστορεῖ καὶ συνῳδὰ τούτῳ Πολύβιος. Καλλίμαχος δέ φησιν ὀλυμπιάδας ιγʹ παρεῖσθαι μὴ ἀναγραφείσας, τῇ δὲ ιδʹ Κόροιβον Ἠλεῖον νικῆσαι. ὥστε ἐκ πάντων ἡμῖν δείκνυσθαι τὸν περὶ τῶν ὀλυμπιάδων λόγον οὐ παρὰ πᾶσιν εἶναι τὸν αὐτόν. ὅθεν καὶ τοῖς ἐκκλησιαστικοῖς ἱστορικοῖς οὐ συμπεφώνηται, ὡς ἔστι μαθεῖν τοὺς βουλομένους τοῖς ἐκείνων συγγράμμασιν ἐντυγχάνοντας. ἡμῖν γὰρ τοῦτο μόνον ἐσπούδασται, σαφῆ τινα καὶ κεφαλαιώδη τοῖς ἀγνοοῦσι θεωρίαν ἐκθέσθαι, οὐχ ὅτι ταῖς θείαις γραφαῖς περὶ ὀλυμπιάδων τι εἴρηται, ἀλλ' ὅτι πολλοῖς ὁ περὶ αὐτῶν λόγος πατράσιν ἐν χρήσει γέγονε διὰ τὸ μετρεῖσθαι αὐτὰς παρά τε Μακεδόσι καὶ Ῥωμαίοις καὶ Πέρσαις καὶ Αἰγυπτίοις καὶ αὐτοῖς Ἰουδαίοις,ὡς μαρτυρεῖ Φίλων καὶ Ἰώσηππος ὀνομάζοντες αὐτάς. Οὐκ ἄμουσον δ' ἂν εἴη καὶ τὴν παρ' Αἰγυπτίοις περὶ τῶν τετραετηρικῶν ὀλυμπιάδων ἔννοιαν ἄλλην τινὰ τῆς παρὰ τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις οὖσαν ἐν βραχεῖ δηλῶσαι τοῖς ἀγνοοῦσιν. ἡ γὰρ σελήνη παρ' Αἰγυπτίοις κυρίως ὀλυμπιὰς καλεῖται διὰ τὸ κατὰ μῆνα περιπολεῖν τὸν ζῳδιακὸν κύκλον, ὃν οἱ παλαιοὶ αὐτῶν Ὄλυμπον ἐκάλουν. Αὕτη γὰρ ἀπὸ καρκίνου τοῦ ἰδίου οἴκου ὡς ἀπὸ κέντρου προερχομένη τὰ ιβʹ κατασπάζεται ζῴδια ἐν νυχθημέροις κθʹ #171καὶ λεπτοῖς λγʹ, γʹ. τῷ δὲ ἐνιαυτῷ ὅλῳ δωδεκάκις αὐτὰ περιπολοῦσα πληροῖ νυχθήμερα τνδʹ καὶ ὥρας ηʹ καὶ λεπτὰ μʹ. ὁ δὲ ἥλιος ἐν νυχθημέροις τξεʹ δʹ περιπολεῖ τὸν αὐτὸν Ὄλυμπον, ὡς λείπεσθαι τὸν σεληνιακὸν ἐνιαυτὸν τοῦ ἡλιακοῦ 233 νυχθήμερα ιʹ, ὥρας καʹ, λεπτὰ εʹ. πληροῖ οὖν ὁ ἥλιος ἐν ὀλυμπιάδι μιᾷ τετραετηρικῇ ἡμέρας αυξαʹ, ἡ δὲ σελήνη νυχθήμερα αυιζʹ, ὥρας ιαʹ, λεπτὰ κθʹ, ὡς λείπεσθαι σελήνιον αʹ #171. ἐν δὲ ὀλυμπιάσι δύο γίνονται σελήνια ζθʹ, νυχθήμερα δὲ βκβʹ, ἃ καὶ ὁ ἥλιος ἐν τοῖς ηʹ ἔτεσι. Καὶ τοιαύτη μὲν ἡ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων δόξα περὶ ὀλυμπιάδων, τῶν δὲ παρὰ τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις ὀλυμπιάδων ἀνεγράφησαν σταδιονῖκαι σμηʹ μόνοι καὶ ἐτῶν πθʹ, ἀρξαμένων ἀπὸ τοῦ καθολικοῦ κοσμικοῦ δψκεʹ ἔτους ἕως τοῦ εψιδʹ, τοῦτ' ἔστιν ἀπὸ τοῦ μεʹ ἔτους Ὀζίου. Εὐσέβιος δὲ τὴν πρώτην ὀλυμπιάδα ἐπὶ Ἰωάθαμ συνάγει τοῦ μετὰ ηʹ ἔτη βασιλεύσαντος τοῦ Ἰούδα καὶ τὸν Ἀφρικανὸν προφέρει συνᾴδοντα αὐτῷ ἐν τούτῳ. ὁ δὲ Ἀφρικανὸς μᾶλλον ἐναντιοῦται τῷ Εὐσεβίῳ, κατὰ τὸ αʹ ἔτος Ἄχαζ τὴν πρώτην ὀλυμπιάδα φάσκων ἦρχθαι ἔν τε τῷ γʹ καὶ ἐν τῷ δʹ λόγῳ τῶν ἱστορικῶν αὐτοῦ τρανῶς, ἐν οἷς ὧδε γράφει· ἀναγραφῆναι δὲ πρώτην τὴν τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτην, ἡνίκα καὶ Κόροιβος στάδιον. τότε ἐβασίλευσεν Ἄχας ἐπὶ Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἔτος πρῶτον. εἶτα ἐν τῷ τετάρτῳ φησίν· ἦν δ' ἄρα τοῦ Ἄχας βασιλείας ἔτος πρῶτον, ᾧ συντρέχειν ἀπεδεί ξαμεν τὴν πρώτην ὀλυμπιάδα.

ΜΗ∆ΩΝ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΙΣ Μήδων αʹ ἐβασίλευσεν Ἀρβάκης, ὁ καταλύσας τὴν τῶν

Ἀσσυρίων ἀρχήν, ἔτη κηʹ. τοῦ δὲ κόσμου ἦν ἔτος δχοςʹ. Μήδων βʹ ἐβασίλευσε Μανδαύκης ἔτη κʹ. τοῦ δὲ κόσμου ἦν ἔτος δψδʹ. Μήδων γʹ ἐβασίλευσε Σώσαρμος ἔτη λʹ. τοῦ δὲ κόσμου ἦν ἔτος δψκδʹ. Μήδων δʹ ἐβασίλευσεν Ἄρτυκας ἔτη λʹ. τοῦ δὲ κόσμου ἦν ἔτος δψνδʹ. Μήδων εʹ ἐβασίλευσε ∆ιοικὴς ἔτη νδʹ. ∆ιοικὴς ὁ Μήδων βασιλεὺς ἔκτισεν Ἐκβάτανα τὴν πόλιν μεγάλην καὶ διαβόητον. τοῦ δὲ κόσμου ἦν ἔτος δψπδʹ.