Breviarium chronologicum being a treatise describing the terms and most celebrated characters, periods and epocha's us'd in chronology, by which that useful science may easily be attained to / writ in Latin by Gyles Strauchius ... ; and now done into English from the third edition, with additions.

CHAP. XXX. Of the Epocha of the Graecian Empire in Asia, and the Beginning of the Epocha after the last Battle fought betwixt Alexander the Great and Darius Codomannus, and of the Pe∣riod of Calippus.

1. The Origin of the Graecian Empire in Asia, must be traced to that time when Alexander the Great was declared Imperator over all Greece, who succeeded his Father in the Kingdom in the same Year that Eveneto was Archon at A∣thens, and L. Furius and C. Menius were Con∣suls at Rome.

2. Darius Codomannus began his Reign over Per∣sia much about the same time that Alexander succeeded his Father Philip in the Kingdom of Macedonia.

3. Just before the Graecian Expedition against Asia the Thebans were vanquished, at which time Alexander, pursuant to the Resolution taken in the Council, did totally destroy the City of Thebes, and thereby put all the other Graecian Commonwealths that were much inclined to re∣volt, under a great Consternation.

4. In the same Year that Ctesicles was Archon at Athens, and Caius Sulpicius and Lucius Papy∣rius Roman Consuls, Alexander marched at the Head of his Army to the Hellespont; from whence having transported his Forces out of Europe into Asia, he fought the Battle of Gra∣nicum.

5. In the second Year of the Asiatick War, when the Battle near Issus was fought, Nicocratus was Archon at Athens, and Caesus Duilius and L. Papyrius Consuls of Rome.

6. In the third Year of this Asiatick War of the Greeks, Nicocratus was Archon among the A∣thenians, and M. Attilius and M. Valesius Consuls of Rome.

7. In the same third Year, and in the second be∣fore the Battle of Gaugamela, was the 114th Olympiad celebrated, where Grylus of Chalcedon carried the Day; and in the same Year Tyrus was likewise taken by Alexander.

8. In the 4th Year of this Asiatick War, when Darius was vanquished at Gaugamela, Aristo∣phanes was Archon of Athens, and Sp. Post∣humius and T. Veturius Roman Consuls.

9. In the same Year that the Battle of Gaugame∣la was fought, Alexander, after his Return from the Temple of Jupiter Hammonius, foun∣ded the City of Alexandria. For these Cha∣racters we are obliged to (a) Diodorus Siculus, which are for the most part approved by other Historians.

10. Alexander, after the Victory obtained over Darius near Gaugamela, made himself Master of Asia in the 5th Year of his Reign, according to (b) Justin.

11. The same Year was the 5th Year of Darius, at its Beginning Ptolemy allowing but four years for the Reign of Darius.

12. Eleven Days before this last Battle fought betwixt Darius and Alexander, there hapned a very remarkable Eclipse of the Moon, accord∣ing to (c) Plutarch.

13. The same Eclipse has been observed, according to Plutarch, in the Month of Bo••dromion, to∣wards

the latter End of the Summer, or the An∣tumnal Aequinox; at which time the Greeks used to celebrate the Eleusinia, dedicated to Ceres, of which (d) L. An. Seneca has the following Words:

Quantâ cum longae redit hora noctis, Crescere & somnos cupiens quietos Libra Phoebeos tenet aequa currus: Turba secretam Cererem frequentat, Et citi tectis properant relictis, Attici noctem celebrare mystae: Tanta per campos agitur silentes Turba, &c.

This Eclipse hapned in the year of the Julian Period 4383, on the 20th day of September, 4 little before Midnight, the whole Obscuration being of 14 Inches; Of which Eclipse (e) Pliny likewise makes mention.

14. The next following Summer after the Victory obtained by Alexander near Gaugamela, Calip∣pus Cyzicenus began a new Period of 76 years, as is evident from the four Observations of Timocharis upon the years 36, 37, 47, and 48, mentioned by (f) Ptolemy,

15. In the same year that Calippus began this New Period, Darius, whilst he was gathering Recruits in Bactria, and the circumjacent Pro∣vinces, was made Prisoner by Bessus his own Lieutenant over the Province of Bactria; who having fettered him with Golden Fetters, at last murthered him, when Aristophanes was Archon at Athens, and Cn. Domitius and Au. Cornelius Roman Consuls. In this all the Ancient Histo∣rians do agree, but especially (g) Diodor. Sicul.

From these Characters we conclude that the Battle of Gaugamela was fought in the year of the Julian Period 4383, Cycl. ☉. 15. ☽. 13. on the first day of October; and that the Period of Ca∣lippus began with the Summer of the 4384th year of the Julian Period, Cycl. ☉. 16. ☽. 14. and that Dar. Codoman. the last Monarch of Persia was slain in the same year.

If therefore from any certain year of the Julian Period be subtracted 4382 years and 9 months, the Residue shews the year since the beginning of the Graecian Empire in Asia, or since the Battle fought near Gaugamela: And if 4383 years and six Months be subtracted in the same manner, the Residue is equivalent to the year since the Be∣ginning of the Period of Calippus, or the Death of Dar. Codomannus. But if to these years of these Epocha's be added the before mentioned Number of years, the several Products will be correspondent to the several years of the Julian Period.

§. 1. (h) PEtrus Bizarrus has made a very large Collection of the Motives which induced Alexander the Great to engage in a War against Darius Codomannus. The Remembrance of the past Injuries and Troubles the Greeks had received from the Hands of Darius Hydaspis and Xerxes; the private Quarrels with the Family of Alexander, who had not only been contumeliously treated by the Ambassadours of Darius, and in his Letters, in which he called himself the King of Kings, and Alexander his Servant, but also his Father's Death, upon whose Head Darius had set a vast Sum of Money, and had done the like to Alex∣ander himself. But the chief Motive was his immensurable Ambition to build his future

Greatness upon the Ruin of the professed Enemies of his Country, as may be conjectured from that Epistle writ by Alexander in Answer to the Letter of Darius mentioned by (i) Diodorus Siculus.

§. 2. The Battle which decided the Fate of the Asiatick Empire betwixt the Persians and Greeks; and from whence begins this Epocha, is commonly called the Battle of Arbela, whilst others are of opinion that it was fought near Gaugamela. It seems to be very strange how the Historians could confound these two Places which lie at about 600 Stadia from one another; Of which I can give no better Account than to alledge the Words of (k) Strabo: Arbela, says he, is under the Jurisdiction of Babylon, and situated not far from it. On the other side of the River Lycus, in the Plains of Aturia is the City of Ninus. In the Province of Aturia is likewise the Village of Gaugamela, famous for the great Victory obtained by Alexander the Great against Darius, &c. But the Macedomans seeing Gauga∣mela to be but a poor Village, and Arbela a consi∣derable Place, built (as it is reported) by Arbelus the Son of Athmoneus, they dispersed it abread, that they had fought and obtained this signal Victory near Arbela, which has misguided several Historians into this Error. Of which consult the Notes of Freinshemius upon Curtius.

§. 3. (l) Joseph Scaliger is of Opinion, that Plutarch committed an Error in the Character of this Lunar Eclipse mentioned before. But the Matter duly weighed, this Objection is made without sufficient Reason, against an Historian of so extraordinary a Reputation. For he does not mention expresly any certain Day of the Month Bo••dromion, but only the Feast of Eleusinia, which

was celebrated by the Greeks for several Days together. Besides that, the Constitution of the Attick Year as proposed by Scaliger, and ac∣cording to which he has corrected Plutarch, is not sufficiently established and approved among us, which is, questionless, the Reason that Calvi∣sius, who otherwise never fails to follow closely the Footsteps of Scaliger, has not made the least Animadversions upon this Passage of Ptolemy; for which Reason it is also our Opinion that this Character of so ancient an Author ought not to be rejected.

Notes

• (a)

  Lib. 17.
• (b)

  Lib. 11. v••r. 14.
• (c)

  Vit. Alexand.
• (d)

  In Herc. Far.
• (e)

  L. 2. c. 70.
• (f)

  L. 7. c. 3.
• (g)

  Loc. Cit.
• To find out the year since the Beginning of these Ep••c.
• (h)

  L. 2. Hist. Sacr. Pers.
• The Occasion of this Afratic War, and of the ensuing Revolution.
• (i)

  L. 17.
• In what place this Battle was fought.
• (k)

  Lib. 16. Georg. p. 507. ad Caus.
• (l)

  L. 5. de Emend. Temp.
• Whether Plu∣tarch com∣mitted an Error in his Character of the Lunar E∣clipse.