Marmor Parius

7/27/2019 Marmor Parius

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Drawing of the Oxford Fragment

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Drawing of the Paros Fragment

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The name of the compiler of the Parian Marble is lost, but he covers the period from the accession of King Cecrops in

Athens in, according to him, 1581/0 BC to 264/3 BC, doubtless the date of composition and of the inscription itself.

For over a hundred of these thirteen hundred years, he found events to record of a very varied nature. He dates

Deucalion's flood to 1528/7, the invention of corn by Demeter to 1409/8 and the fall of Troy to 1209/8. He dates

Hesiod one generation earlier than Homer, in the late tenth century. As he nears his own day, his account becomes

fuller, but his chronology is not always accurate and the reasons for his choice of events are not always clear.

The form of the entries is fairly consistent. For example, Entry 57 runs:

Translated this reads:


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"From the year in which the stone (a meteorite) fell at Aegospotami and Simonides the poet died, having lived for 90years, 205 years, in the archonship at Athens of Theagenides (468/7 BC)."

The Parian Marble was brought at Smyrna on behalf of Thomas Howard, Earl of Arundel and brought to London in

1627. The top half was lost and is only known in a copy by Selden. The Oxford fragment (together with more than

130 other inscriptions) was presented to the University in 1667 by the collector Earl's grandson Lord Henry Howard,

at the instigation of John Evelyn the diarist. It now covers the years 895-355 BC. A smaller fragment, covering the

years 336-299, was found in Paros in 1897 and is in the museum there.

The inscription was first published in J. Selden,Marmora Arundelliana London 1628-9) 1-21, 59-119. It was also

included in R. Chandler,Marmora Oxoniensia (Oxford 1763) part 2, No. 59, and inInscriptiones Graecae XII.5.444.

The standard editions are those of F. Jacoby:Das Marmor Parium (1904) andDie Fragmente der griechischen

Historiker2B (1929) No. 239 (whence the text used here). The translation is by Gillian Newing.

[From all the records and general accounts] I have recorded [the previous times], beginning from Cecrops

becoming first king of Athens, until [____] uanax was archon in Paros, and Diognetus in Athens.

1582/1BC1) From when Cecrops became king of Athens and the place was called Cecropia, which had previously

been called Actica from Actaeon who was native there, 1318 years.


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1521/0BC

6) From when Hellen the [son of] Deuc[alion] became king of [Phthi]otis, and those previously called

Greeks were named Hellenes, and [the Panath__ games____], 1257 [years], when Amphictyon was king of

Athens.

1519/8BC7) From when Cadmus the son of Agenor came to Thebes [_____and] built the Cadmeia, 1255 years, when

Amphictyon was king of Athens.

1516/5BC 8) From when _____nices became king, 1252 years, when Amphictyon was king of Athens.

1511/0BC

9) From when [the first fifty-oared] ship [ prepared by Danaus] sailed from Egypt to Greece and was called

a penteconter, and the daughters of Danaus, _____ and _____ and Helike and Archedike, chosen by lot by the rest,

[founded the temple of Lindian Athene] and made offerings on the headland ____ in Lindos in Rhodes, 1247

years, [when Erichthonios] was king [of Athens].


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1506/5BC

10) [From when] at the time of the first Panathenaia, [Erich]thonius yoked up a chariot and showed how to

race, and [gave] the Athenians [their name, and the glory] of the mother of the gods appeared in Cybele, and

Hyagnis the Phrygian first invented the Phrygian flute in ______, and first played [the music c]alled Phrygian, and

other styles of the Mother, of Dionysus, of Pan and _______, 1242 years, when Erychthonius, who yoked horses to

a chariot, was king of Athens.

1506/5BC

11) From when Minos [the first became king of Crete and settled Apoll]onia, and iron was discovered

in Ida, by Celmis [and Damnameneus] of the Idaean Dactyls, [____ years], when Pandion was king of

Athens.

1410/09BC

12) From when Demeter, coming to Athens, [invented] the seed corn, and the [first festival of ploughing

time was celebrated, under the instruction of T]riptolemus, son of Celeus and Neaira, 1146 years, when

Erechtheus was king in Athens.


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1409/8BC13) From when Tripto[lemus reaped the corn which] he sowed in the Rarian plain called Eleusis, 1[1]45

years, when [Erechtheus] was king of Athens.

1399/8BC

14) [From when Orpheus ____] made known his own poetry, the rape of Kore and the search of

Demeter and [the seed created by her and the mult]itude of those receiving the corn, 1135 years when

Erechtheus was king of Athens.

15) [From when Eumolpus _____] instituted the mysteries in Eleusis and made known the works of the

[father of M]ousaios, [11______, when Erechthe]us son of Pandion [was king of Athens].

16) From when there was the first purification________ [____ years], when Pandion son of Cecrops

was king of Athens.

17) From when in Eleusis the gymnastic [games]____________ the festival of Lycaian Zeus took place


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in Arcadia and _____ of Lycaon were given to the Hell[enes, ____ years] when Pandion son of Cecropswas king of Athens.

18) From when _________ Heracles ______, when Aegeus was king at Athens.

1295/4BC

19) From when there was [a shortage] of crops at Athens and, to the Athen[ians] consulting the oracle,

[Apo]llo replied that they should promise whatever [penalty] Minos should think right, 1031 years,

when Aegeus was king of Athens.

1259/8BC

20) From when Thes[eus, becoming king] of Athens, brought the 12 townships into one and gave them

government and democracy, ______ of Athens, and after killing Sinis he established the Isthmian

games, 995 years.

1256/5BC 21) From [the invasion] of the Amazons [into Attica, 99]2 [years], when Theseus was king of Athens.


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1251/0BC 22) From when the Argives [march]ed [against The]bes with Adras[tus] and [founded] the games [atNemea because of Archemorus,] 987 years, when Theseus was king of Athens.

1218/7BC 23) From when the [Helle]nes marched against Troy, 954 years, in the 13th year that [Men]estheus was

king of Athe[ns].

1209/8BC 24) From when Troy was taken, 945 years, in the 2nd year that [Menesthe]us was king of Athens, on

the 7th day before the end of the month Th[argelio]n.

1208/7BC 25) From [the trial] on the Areopagus of Orestes, son of A[gamemnon, and Erigone,] daughter of

[Ae]gisthus, [on behalf of Ae]gisthus and Cly[taemnestra]; which case Orestes won, [since the voteswere equal]; [9]44 years, when Demophon was king of Athens.

1202/1BC 26) From when Teucer founded [Salamis in] Cyprus, 938 years, when Demophon was king of Athens.


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1077/6BC 27) From when Ne[l]eus colonised [Miletus and all the] rest of [Ioni]a, Ephesus, Erythrae, Clazomenae,P[ri]ene, Lebedos, Teos, Colophon, Myus, [Phocaia], Samos, [Chios, and] the [Pan]ioni[an] games took

place, [8]13 years, when Me[nestheus was king] of Athens [for the 13th year].

28) From when [Hes]iod the poet [appeared] 67____ years when _____ was king of Athens.

907/6BC 29) From when Homer the poet appeared, 643 years, when [D]iognetus was king of Athens.

30) From when Ph[ei]don the Argive made public meas[ures and]

895/4BC30 cont) prepared [wei]ghts and made a silver coinage in Aegina, being the 11th from Heracles, 631

years, when [Pherecl]es was king of Athens.


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591/0BC37) [From when] the Am[phict]yons [sacrificed] after defeating Kyrrha, and the gymnastic contest wasset up with a money prize from the spoils, [32]7 years, when Simon was archon at Athens.

582/1BC38) From when the contest [for the wr]eath was established [at Delphi] again, 318 years, when the second

Damasius was archon at Athens.

39) From when in Ath[en]s the [chorus of] comic [actors] was instituted, which the Icarians [first set up]and Sousarion invented, and a prize was first set of an arsichos of figs and a measure of wine,

[______years, when _____ was archon at Athens.] ______.

561/0BC40) From when Peisistratus became tyrant of Athens, 297 years, when C[o]m[e]us was archon [at

Athens].

A2 The Oxford Fragment

556/5BC41) From when Croesus [sent envoys from] Asia [to] Delphi, [29]2 [years], when Euthydemus was

archon at Athens.


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541/0BC42) From when Cyrus king of the Persians took Sardis and Croesus ____, [277 years, when _____ was

archon at Athens, and] also Hipponax the iambic poet [lived] about this time.

43) From when Thespis the poet, who brought out a play in the city, was the first to (speak in dialogue),

and (the prize) of a goat was established, 2[7___] years, when _______naius the earlier was archon at

Ath[ens].

520/19BC44) From when after the death of the Magian Darius became king of the Persians, [2]56 years, when

________ was archon at Athens.

512/1BC

45) From when Harmodius and [Aristoge]iton kil[led Hippa]rchus [the successor] of Peisistratus, and the

Athenians [drove] the Peisistratids outside the [P]elasgian wall, 248 years, when Ha[rpactides] wasarchon at Athens.

510/09BC 46) From when choruses of men first competed, which contest Hypo[di]cus the Chalcidian won as


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trainer, 246 years, when Lysagoras was archon at Athens.

495/4BC47) From when Me[lan]ippid[es] of M[elos won] at Athens, 231 years, when Pythocritus was archon at

Athens.

491/0BC

48) From when the Athenians fought at Marathon against the Persians, and Ar[taphernes the] nephew of

Darius, [and Da]tis the general, which battle the Athenians won, 227 years, when the second

[Ph]ain[i]p[pid]es was archon at Athens. Aeschylus the poet fought in this battle, aged 35.

490/89BC49) From when Simonides the grandfather of Simonides the poet, who was himself a poet too, took theprize at Athens, and Darius dies and Xerxes his son is king, [2]26 years, when Aristeides was archon at

Athens.

486/5BC50) From when Aeschylus the poet first won with a tragedy, and Euripides the poet was born, and

Stesichorus the poet [arrived] in Greece, 222 years, when Philocrates was archon in Athens.


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481/0BC

51) From when Xerxes lashed together the bridge in the Hellespont and dug through Athos, and the

battle in Thermo[py]lae took place, and the sea battle of the Hellenes against the Persians around

Salamis, in which battle the Hellenes were victorious, 217 years, when Calliades was archon in Athens.

480/79BC

52) From when the battle of the Athenians at Plataea took place against Mardonius the general of

Xerxes, which battle the Athenians won, and Mardonius died in the battle, and [in] Sicily fire erupted

around Etna, 216 years, when Xanthippus was archon in Athens.

479/8BC53) From when G[e]lon the son of Deinomenes became tyrant of S[yracuse] 215 years, when

Timosthen[es] was archon in Athens.

477/6BC

54) From when Simonides of Kos, who was the son of Leoprepes, and who invented a system of

mnemonics, trained actors and won a prize at Athens, and the statues of Harmodius and Aristogeiton

were put up, 21[3] years, when [A]deimantus was archon in Athens.


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472/1BC55) From when Hieron became tyrant of Syracuse, 208 years, when Cha[r]es was archon at Athens.Epicharmus the poet too was about this time.

470/69BC56) From when Sophocles of Colonus, son of Sophillus, won with a tragedy at the age of 28, 206 years,

when Apsephion was archon at Athens.

469/8BC57) From when the stone fell in Aegospotami, and Simonides the poet died at the age of 90, 205 years,

when Theagenides was archon in Athens.

463/2BC

58) From when Alexander died and his son Perdiccas is king of the Macedonians, 19[9] years, when

Euthippus was archon in Athens.

457/6BC59) From when Aeschylus the poet, having lived for 69 years, died in [Gel]a in Sicily, 193 years, when

Callias the earlier was archon at Athens.

443/2BC60) From when Euripides first won with a tragedy at the age of 44, 1[79] years, when Diphilus was

archon in Athens. Socrates and Anaxagoras lived about the time of Euripides.


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421/0BC61) From when Archelaus is king of the Macedonians after the death of Perdiccas, 1[57] years, when

Astyphilus was archon at Athens.

411/0BC62) From when Dionysius became tyrant of Syracuse, 14[7] years, when Euctemon was archon at

Athens.

409/8BC63) From when Euripides died [having lived for 7_ years,] 145 years, when Antigenes was archon at

Athens.

407/6BC64) From when Sophocles the poet died, having lived 92 years, and Cyrus went inland, [143 years],

when Callias the earlier was archon at Athens.

403/2BC 65) From when Telestes of Selinus won at Athens, 139 years, when Mikon was [arch]on at Athens.

401/0BC66) From when [the Hellenes who] had gone inland [with] Cyrus [came down to the coast], and

Socrates the philosopher died at 70 years of age, 137 years, when Laches was archon at Athens.


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Al d hi ] i ki [ f th M d i ]


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Alexander his son] is king [of the Macedonians].

73) From when Stesichorus the second, of Himera, won at Athens and Megalapolis was built [in Arcadia,

10___ years, when ______ was archon at Athens.

368/7BC74) From when Dionysios of Sicily died and his son Dionysius became tyrant, and after Alexander [died

Ptolemy of Alorus] is king [of the Macedonians,] 104 years, when Nausigenes was archon at Athens.

366/5BC75) From when the Phocians [seized the oracle] in Delphi [_____, 102 years,] when Cephisodorus [was

archon at Athe]ns.

76) From when Timotheus died aged 90, [______ years, when _____ was archon at Athens.]

77) [From when Philip son of Amyntas] is king of the [Ma]cedonians, and Artaxerxes died and his son

Ochus [is king, ________ years, when _______ was archon in Athens].

357/6BC 78) [From when _______] won [in Athens], 93 years, when Agathocles was archon in Athens.


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355/4BC79) [From when _____ happened], 91 years, when Callist[rates] was archon in Athens _____ wise

______ of this.

80) From when _____, ____ [years], when _____ was archon [at Athens].

B The Paros Fragment

336/5BC

1)_____________ [Philip died] and Ale[xander] is king, 72 years, when Pythodelus was archon at

Athens.

335/4BC

2) From when Alexander marched against the Triballoi and Illyrians, and when the Thebans rose up and

besieged the garrison, he came back, took the city by force, and destroyed it; 71 years, when Euainetus

was archon in Athens.

334/3BC3) From Alexander's crossing into Asia and the battle near the Granicus, and from the battle of

Alexander against Darius at Issus, 70 years, when Ctesicles was archon at Athens.


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333/2BC4) From when Alexander seized Phoenicia and Cyprus and Egypt, 69 years, when Nicocrates was archon

at Athens.

332/1BC

5) From the battle of Alexander against Darius near Arbela, which Alexander won. And Babylon was

taken, and he dismissed the allies, and Alexandria was founded, 68 years, when Niketus was archon at

Athens.

330/29BC

6) From when Callippus demonstrated astrology, and Alexander took Darius and hanged Bessus, 66

years, when Aristophon was archon at Athens.

328/7BC7) From when Philemon the comic dramatist won, 64 years, when Euthycrites was archon at Athens and

the city Hellenis was founded near the Tanais.

324/3BC 8) From the death of Alexander and Ptolemy's gaining control of Egypt, 60 years, when Hegesius wasarchon at Athens.


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323/2BC

9) From the war around Lamia which the Athenians fought against Antipater, and the sea battle which

the Macedonians fought against the Athenians around Amorgos, which the Macedonians won, 59 years,

when Cephisodorus was archon at Athens.

322/1BC10) From when Antipater took Athens and Ophelas, sent by Ptolemy, took Cyrene, 58 years, when

Philocles was archon at Athens.

321/0BC

11) From when Antigonus crossed into Asia and Alexander was buried in Memphis and Perdiccas died

after marching into Egypt, and Craterus, and also Aristotle the sophist aged 50, 57 years, when Archippus

was archon at Athens and Ptolemy journeyed into Cyrene.


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319/8BC

12) From the death of Antipater, and the withdrawal of Cassander from Macedonia and from the siege in

Cyzicus by Aridaius, and from when Ptolemy took Syria and Phoenicia, 55 years, when Apollodorus was

archon at Athens. And in that same year the Syracusans chose Agathocles as commander in chief of theSicilian defences.

317/6BC 13) From the sea battle between Cleitus and Nicanor around the temple of the Chalcedonians, and fromwhen Demetrius made laws at Athens, 53 years, when Demogenes was archon at Athens.

316/5BC

14) From when Cassander came back into Macedonia, and Thebes was built and Olympias died and

Cassandreia was founded and Agathocles became tyrant of Syracuse, 52 years, when Democleid[es] was

archon at Athens. Menander the comic dramatist first won the prize at Athens then.

313/2BC 15) From when Sosiphanes poet dies [aged] 45, 49 years, when Theophrastus was archon at Athens.


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312/1BC16) From the eclipse of the sun and when Ptolemy defeated Demetrius in Gaza and sent Seleucus toBabylon, [4]8 years, when Po[lem]on was archon at Athens.

311/0BC17) From when [N]icocreon died and Ptolemy seizes the island, 47 years, when Si[moni]des was archonat Athens.

310/09BC

18) From when Ale[xander the son of Alexander] dies and also the other, Heracles, born of the daughter

of Artabazus, and Agathocles crossed into Carched[on _______4]6 [years], when Hieromnemon wasarchon at Athens.

309/8BC

19) From when the city L[ysi]macheia was founded, and Ophelas ______ into [Ca]rch[edon_______] and

Ptolemy his son was born in Kos, and Cl[eop]atra died in Sardis [_________, 45 years, when D]emetrius[was archon at A]thens.

20) From when Demetrius the son of Antigonus besieged the [P]eiraeus and took it [and Demetrius of


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308/7BC20) From when Demetrius the son of Antigonus besieged the [P]eiraeus and took it, [and Demetrius ofPhalerum was exiled from Athens, 44 years, when] Cairimus [was archon] at Athens.

307/6BC21) From when Demetrius razed Mounychia and took Cyprus and Phill______ [4]3 [years,] when

Anaxicrates was archon at Athens.

306/5BC22) From when Sosiphanes the poet was [born and _______ 42 years, when C]oroibus [was archon at

Athens.]

305/4BC 23) From the siege of Rhodes and from when [Pt]olemy succee[ded] to the throne, [41 years, whenEuxenippus was archon at Athens.]

304/3BC24) [From the] earthquakes that occurred in Ionia, and when Demetrius [to]ok Chalc[is] on agreed terms,

and _______of [De]metrius, 40 years, when Pherecles was archon in Athens.

303/2BC25) From when the [comet] appeared, and Lysimach[us crossed to Asia, 39 years, when Leostratus was

archon at Athens.]


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Marmor Parius